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Traveling to the Galapagos Islands can be a thrilling experience for seasoned travelers. They offer unmatched access to native wildlife, family-friendly educational programs, beautiful scenery, and some of the cleanest beaches on the planet.
Nine Reasons to Visit Galapagos Islands
If you’ve seen Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, grilled shrimp in the Australian Outback, and tracked lions on a safari in Kenya. You’re looking for your next thrilling adventure. The Galapagos Islands, located off Ecuador’s coast in the Pacific Ocean, are a must-see destination for seasoned travelers.
Cruising the Galapagos Islands is one of the best ways to experience their breathtaking landscape and abundant wildlife. Metropolitan Touring offers a variety of opulent adventure cruises, perfect for any trip—from educational family vacations to romantic snorkeling getaways. Considering everything, here are the top nine reasons to travel to the Galapagos Islands and some exciting myths that potential tourists may encounter. More research on the area can help you make a better decision.
An Excellent Family Getaway
Seeing wild animals always makes children happy, and the pure natural beauty of the Galapagos archipelago makes the islands resemble the largest national park in the world. The iconic Galapagos giant tortoise, the islands’ emblem, is a popular photo opportunity for youngsters, and they can also get up close and personal with the cute Galapagos sea lions as they lounge on the beaches. Here’s how an adventure cruise may turn an ordinary family holiday into a memorable time. Additionally, Metropolitan Touring offers many ways to accommodate families with little children by organizing kid-friendly activities on board.
A Haven for Photographers
Whether you’re a professional photographer trying to add uncommon photographs to your portfolio or a hobbyist looking to post family holiday photos on Instagram, the islands are a photographer’s dream. Taking a family portrait with one-of-a-kind giant tortoises and witnessing one of the spectacular Pacific sunsets are two more “musts” for photographers traveling to the Galapagos Islands. One of my favorite photos from these days is a “selfie” I took on the island of San Cristobal, just next to the monument honoring Charles Darwin.
An Excellent Location for Snorkeling
Though the Caribbean and the Australian coast rank among the world’s best places to snorkel, the seas off the Galapagos Islands are one of the sport’s best-kept secrets. The glistening blue ocean will allow you to get up close and personal with marine life. Additionally, as they glide across the water, you will have the chance to witness the stunning movements of amphibious animals, like marine iguanas and Galapagos fur seals. More impressive than the many kinds of tropical fish is the fantastic variety of animals that live here, such as fur seals, dolphins, penguins, sea lions, and flightless cormorants.
Unspoiled Beaches
Beach enthusiasts would be wise to take the chance to visit the breathtaking Galapagos Islands beaches. Although there are amazing beaches everywhere in the world (including Florida, the Caribbean, California, etc.), most of them tend to become congested and noisy. This differs in the Galapagos, where you may enjoy peaceful moments with strange creatures and some of the world’s best snorkeling. Explore the islands’ shoreline by kayaking or taking in the diverse fauna, such as sea lions playing in the water, red-and-black marine iguanas, and underwater penguins shaped like torpedoes. The sand on the beaches is another example of the Galapagos’ enormous diversity. The beaches are rainbow-colored, with red sand from rusty iron, white sand from damaged white coral, and green sand from basalt mixed with olivine. The natural beauty here, though, is the sense of purity.
A Paradise for Bird Watching
A trip to the Galapagos Islands is an experience of a lifetime for passionate bird watchers. Many experienced avian enthusiasts visit the Galapagos solely to witness the diverse range of bird species that inhabit the archipelago. On a journey with Metropolitan Touring, you may get up close and personal encounters with endangered species, including the flightless cormorant, Darwin’s finches, frigatebirds, blue-footed booby, Galapagos penguin, and Galapagos albatross.
An Excellent Vacation Package Is a Galapagos Cruise
If you have yet to go to Peru or Machu Picchu, take a Galapagos cruise to cross those countries off your bucket list. Discover the several Unesco World Heritage sites that Metropolitan Touring provides, including the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Cuenca, Lima, Quito, and more. Metropolitan Touring offers twelve-day cruises to both destinations, including a wealthy tour of the islands and the ancient Inca ruins. This could be a great way to show environmental and cultural aspects in one trip.
See Penguins Up Close
You should still thoroughly explore the islands even if you’re not interested in birdwatching. Nowhere else close to the equator do some penguins reside, and some are also on these islands. Get up close and personal with the Galapagos penguins while they forage for seafood in the ocean, sunbathe on the rocks, and tend to their young. Recall that of all the penguins on Earth; this one is the most northerly and the only one that nests in both hemispheres.
The Galapagos Is Easily Reached
The idea that traveling to the Galapagos Islands is challenging is widely held, yet it needs to be corrected in the twenty-first century. With a Galapagos cruise, the journey is straightforward: all you have to do is fly to one of Ecuador’s international gateway towns (Quito, the capital, or Guayaquil, the largest city) and then take another plane to the islands to board the ship. Never before has cruising in style been so simple.
Study Up on Darwin
The British biologist Charles Darwin is renowned worldwide for his groundbreaking theory of evolution, which uses natural selection to explain why life on Earth is so incredibly diverse. Darwin’s theory was reinforced when he returned to the islands in 1835. He wasn’t a scientist when he went to the islands, but his keen observation skills allowed him to see things from another angle. The Charles Darwin Study Station, committed to biological research and preserving the Galapagos Islands’ biodiversity and marine life, is a stop on Metropolitan Touring’s Galapagos trips. Naturalist guides will have multiple opportunities to briefly address Darwin’s unique link with the islands.
