The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands situated around five hundred miles West of continental Ecuador and are part of the Republic of Ecuador. The archipelago is comprised of twenty-one islands, of which eighteen are considered major islands. This makes up the Galápagos province, within this province are the Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. 
This stunning set of islands was made famous by Charles Darwin during the second voyage of HMS Beagle, the islands are known for numerous endemic species but were studied by Darwin and contributed to Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection. 
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Geologically volcanism has been continuous on the Galápagos Islands for at least twenty million years and maybe longer than that. There are towns and populations on some of the major islands, and the overall population is just over thirty thousand people. 
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The many varied endemic species are not at all fearful of humans as they have not been persecuted in recent memory and allow for spectacular close-up visitation both on land and in the water. Animals like the Galápagos sea lion, the marine and land iguana, marine turtles and land tortoises, and a plethora of birds make up just a part of this amazing wildlife destination ! 
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While it is possible to hop from island to island, we find that a boat-based holiday in this area is the best way to see things. It allows for a comfortable floating base that will cover large areas much like what can be done on mobile safari in Africa.