Puerto Ayora: Heart of the Galápagos Living Laboratory
Puerto Ayora — the main town of the Galápagos Islands on Santa Cruz — is the base for the Charles Darwin Research Station and the entry point to the world's greatest wildlife destination; the giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies are accessible from the town itself
Galápagos Birds: Boobies, Frigates & Flightless Cormorants
The Galápagos has 28 endemic bird species and extraordinary wildlife viewing of species unbothered by human presence; blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, Galápagos penguins, and flightless cormorants are among the most iconic
Galápagos Marine World: Sea Lions, Penguins & Hammerheads
The waters around Puerto Ayora are among the world's finest marine wildlife sites — sea lions, Galápagos penguins, marine turtles, whale sharks, and hammerhead sharks all inhabit the waters accessible on day trips from town
Tortuga Bay: The World's Most Wildlife-Rich Beach
Tortuga Bay — a 45-minute walk from Puerto Ayora through cactus forest — is one of the world's most extraordinary beaches; the white sand beach has marine iguanas as beach companions, baby white-tip sharks in the calm lagoon, and marine wildlife of unparalleled richness
Galápagos Diving: The World's Greatest Underwater Experience
The Galápagos Marine Reserve is considered the world's best scuba diving destination — the cold Humboldt Current brings extraordinary marine life; hammerhead schools, whale sharks, marine iguanas, penguins, and manta rays are all accessible on dives from Puerto Ayora
Santa Cruz Highlands: Wild Tortoises in Their Natural Habitat
The highlands of Santa Cruz Island above Puerto Ayora have wild giant tortoises roaming freely through private farms that have been opened to conservation tourism; the opportunity to walk among wild giant tortoises in their natural highland habitat is the most extraordinary Galápagos experience
Darwin's Finches: Evolution Visible in the Galápagos
The 18 species of Darwin's finches in the Galápagos — each with a beak adapted to a different food source — are the most famous example of adaptive radiation in nature; Puerto Ayora's gardens and the island's forests display all the species clearly
Galápagos Conservation: The World's Most Ambitious Rewilding
The Galápagos National Park — covering 97% of the islands' land area — and its conservation programme represent the world's most ambitious island conservation effort; the tortoise recovery, the invasive species removal, and the marine reserve management are models for global conservation