This volcanic crater has been eroded by waves of the Pacific,leaving an opening that flooded its basin allowing a coral reef to form. As a result when you submerge yourself into the water, you are taken far away from anything that you have ever known and engulfed by a sea of rock formations, tropical fish, rays, and sharks. If you’re lucky, you may even get a glimpse of the Galapagos fur sea lion, which is the smallest among the world’s seven fur sea lion species. Also, for all you penguin lovers out there, the Galapagos are home to the only breed of penguins that can be found in the Northern Hemisphere!

With such geologic and biologic diversity on these islands, the government has gone to great lengths to protect this gem.Beginning in 1959 the Ecuadorian government realized the significance of this island declaring all uninhabited parts of the islands as a National Park.It later became recognized as the first World Heritage site in 1978 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) and in 1998 its Marine Reserve similarly gained the same title.Often when people go away on vacation they speak about how to “immerse” oneself into a culture much more different than their own. The beautiful thing about the Galapagos is that you are able to lose yourself in nature and experience a diverse array of animals on an island chain that seems to be frozen in time.

Places to Stay:
Travel & Stay in Cruise.