(29-01-09) Declared by the UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, this unique string of islands that dot the Pacific Ocean holds a rich and varied fauna and many places that make this paradise one of the most exotic and coveted for leisure travel.

   There is nothing more appealing than the islands, particularly those born from violent outbursts from the land, paradises raised from the deep ocean after volcanic eruptions that are still continuing their action in time and space.

   Its isolation is secular; they have never been joined to the continent, which has always surrounded them by a mysterious halo which has an irresistible attraction to humans. Scientists, naturalists, adventurers, travellers and even great philosophers have sought in the solitude, peace and magnificence of these changing landscapes a reason for their inspiration and work.

   The Enchanted Islands, as the Spaniards named the Ecuadorean archipelago Galapagos, have the particularity to have remained almost untouched, except for sporadic attempts to colonize it until quite recent times. They have even resisted the unstoppable advance of the tourist whirlpool, due to the scarcity of first-class hotel infrastructure.

    The best way to approach these islands is to land in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, walk the streets, take the opportunity to go shopping, fly to one of the main islands and go aboard on a floating hotel  -one of the luxurious boats that crosses the waters of the archipelago and goes to the most interesting points of visiting.

a luxury boat, the best option

    This is precisely the feature that attracts to the Galapagos the most. The traveller will not find many large hotels and luxury facilities; the best accommodation is at sea, on ships chartered by the operators working in the area every day. Aboard the comfortable and cosy Galapagos Aggressor II, we visit some of the thirteen major islands, six smaller islands and numerous small islands that, in total, cover 110,000 square kilometres.

    Once on the Enchanted Islands nothing can make us forget its unique characteristics. It is worth touring the archipelago and become amazed by a world that does not know the meaning of the skyscrapers, cars and pollution.

    Lava coloured iguanas, turtles weighing 600 kilos, cormorants or marine ravens that cannot fly and blue-footed boobies are just some of the gifts that Mother Nature has equipped these remote islands in the Pacific Ocean, where, to give more colour to its diverse fauna and to surprise the visitor, penguins, sea lions and tropical fish share the same waters.

    Thanks to its position and the fact that the archipelago was never connected or communicated with the continent, all the species in the islands, managed somehow to overcome the more than 1,000 miles of open sea that separates the Galapagos from continental land.

    Those species that had the power of flying or swimming long distances had better opportunities to succeed, although there were other "ways of travelling" such as the movement of seeds, insect eggs or larvae in bird feathers and feet, and even some small mammals, ground birds, reptiles and some insects and plants arrived to the islands by floating on vegetation remnants, carried by ocean currents that flow through the sea.

REFUGE FOR ENGLISH BUCCANEERS

    Another interesting fact about the archipelago is the name of the islands. Before they become part of the Ecuadorian territory in 1832, the Galapagos were used as a refuge by British buccaneers, who named the islands in accordance with what was fashionable for the British aristocracy. For example, Indefatigable, better known as Island Santa Cruz, received its name from an English ship. Then in 1892, all the islands were officially renamed to honour the 400th anniversary of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the Americas.

    Explores from Spain and the USA have also given other names to the islands and, as a result, several of them are know in three different ways at least. This is something that can be seen among the locals and zoning maps.

    The islands offer a wide variety of landscapes, from forests of cactus and lava fields, to beaches and hazy elevations in the biggest volcanoes. Formed four or five million years ago by the eruption of submarine volcanoes, this region remains telluric active.

    With this topology, there is no doubt that in each island some natural beauty can be seen. From Santa Fe and its yellow land iguanas, to Fernandina -the one with the most volcanic activity and the youngest of all-, there are a lot of tours that the tourists can enjoy. In fact, this archipelago is a remote paradise where Nature strives to offer the visitor one of his greatest works of art.

Text and photo: Jorge Keller - Deep Blue-Video