image: Patti with a 'native'

A scattered archipelago of volcanic islands, 600km west off the Ecuadorian coast.
Because the sea which surround the islands is cooled by the Humbolt current from the Antarctic, they have a range of different climates from desert to sub-topical forests.
It has been established that these island were never connected to the mainland and so the life forms which existed there were able to develop completely independently of those anywhere else in the world.

The most famous residents are the giant tortoises.

Charles Darwin was strongly influenced by what he saw during his extensive visits to the islands and formulated his 'origin of the species' theory based on his observations.

There are 13 islands in total, Genovesa; Bartolome; Santiago; Jervis; Fernandina; Isabela; North Seymour; Baltra; Santa Cruz; Santa Fe; San Cristobal; Floreana; Espanloa; many are uninhabited and can only be visited with specific research or tourist permits.
Only 3 Islands Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal have permanent populations settlements.
96% of the Galapagos Islands are National Park - the remaining 4% is given over to agriculture to feed the inhabitants of the islands.
The Ecuadorian government restricts the numbers of visitors to the islands in an attempt to maintain/restore the ecosystem, and protect the famous endemic species of plants and animals.

Movement around the islands involves payment of US$100per person National Park fee, plus a $20per person payment to the Administration authorities - both these fees are only paid by foreigners and not by Ecuadorian nationals.

The Galapagos Islands are on the rhumb line for yachts leaving Panama and heading out into the Pacific, but we decided on a 2 week, 3 island fly-in/fly-out option.

After lots of research it was decided that on our DIY trip we could visit the three main inhabited islands SANTA CRUZ, ISABELLA and SAN CRISTOBAL, and travel between the islands via the local ferryboat service.
We flew from Panama City to Ecuadors largest mainland city Guayaquil, just a 2 1/2 hour flight, and then just a 45min short flight out to the islands.
To make the most of our 14 days flew into Santa Cruz and out from San Cristobal - so no need to double-back on ourselves.
We had not booked any accommodation, tours or excursions, preferring to get there and check things out locally. We were working to a tight budget, our time was limited and we wanted to do and see everything... just a bit of a challenge (and my Spanish is not great)

In summary - I am very pleased we went - US $5000 total spend for all flights, accommodation and meals, all tours and activities for 3 islands over 2 weeks was money well spent as we will never sail to these islands.

In the wild, we saw a loads of sea lions, seals, dolphins and penguins, more birds than we could identify, and lots and lots of crabs and marine iguanas. "Galapagos" is tortoise in Spanish, and were we very fortunate to see one or two truly 'in the wild' and visited the tortoise farms on each island. The Ecuadorian government is really trying and succeeding in making the Galapagos a world-class wildlife destination.

Overall, I would say the sea life was less interesting - and certainly less pretty than the Caribbean - and our 1 day, expensive diving experience left us both underwhelmed.

It was great to meet up with some of our sailor mates, enjoy eating with the locals and my planning for accommodation and travel arrangements all worked out well.

It was a lovely little holiday off the boat to such an iconic location.