My home in the Galapagos,  360 miles off the coast of Ecuador,  was a comfortable yacht with 8 double cabins for guests, plus accomodations for crew and for the locally certified  naturalist who must accompany all visitors to the archipelago .  Visits to the 19 islands are carefully controlled to protect the delicate ecosystems.  The Galapagos has the highest level of endemism in the world; 80% of the land birds, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals and 30% of the plants are not found anywhere else on earth.  The human population of approximately 27,000  who live on 3% of the land area, is also regulated.  

My typical day consisted of an early and hearty breakfast, followed by a wet landing to one of the  islands to hike and observe the unique species. A jetty ride back to the boat in time for lunch was followed by a couple of hours of  leisure time spent in the shade while the sun was at its strongest.  Later in the afternoon there was another wet landing on a different island with more exploration, and possibly a swim with the sea lions.  Then, a delicious dinner, an early bedtime, and the privilege of repeating this  pattern for 5 more days.

The underground volcanos  of the Galapagos began emerging from the waters in the Pacific Ocean about five million years ago. Plant and animal life arrived by long journeys via air or sea.  Birds drifted off course in wind and storms; mammals  floated in on debris;  plants  arrived via airborne seeds.  Unfortunately, many predators  were later brought by man. The uniqueness  of the  plants and animals that live on the  islands is due to their position on the sunny equator  and at the confluence of warm and cool ocean currents resulting in a strange mix of tropical and temperate environments.  These are the  inhabitants and  environment  that so impressed Charles Darwin when he visited aboard the HMS Beagle in 1845.  Twenty-four years later he published his famous book on the subject of evolution, "The Origin of the Species".

The beautiful and varied shapes of the the lava flows on the volcanic island are deserving of their own page, which follows this one. 

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