The Galápagos Islands

Tortoise on Galápagos

By Karey Fuhs

In the two-hour flight across the 1,000 kilometers of Pacific Ocean from the Ecuadorian mainland to the Galápagos archipelago, visitors can expect to be transported to an environment reminiscent of prehistoric times. Elegant folds and fans of solidified lava, imposing towers of solid rock and vast expanses of white, red, and green sand provide a Spartan, hauntingly beautiful landscape.

Slate black marine iguanas crawl up the rocky substrate from their marine play place, announcing their presence with a primordial release of salt from their nostrils. Land tortoises — or galápagos, the Spanish word for the domed saddle resembling the tortoise’s shell — slowly lumber their massive physique from slimy bog to grassy clearing.

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