TRAVEL TO STARE INTO THE WILD
32 Meet the unique species of the Galápagos
These islands, born from violent volcanic activity (some of it still kicking off) in the Pacific Ocean are famed for the unique species that have evolved here. Stepping gingerly from expedition ship to Zodiac boat to the sharp black rock on dry land, you’ll quickly sense the abundance and great variety of creatures all around: seaweed-munching iguanas, monstrous tortoises, flightless cormorants, tropical Galápagos penguins and the superbly-named bright-orange Sally Lightfoot crabs among them. The advice is to never step too close to the wildlife here, but also to be prepared for the casual nonchalance with which it may waddle/ flap/ scuttle towards you (www.coxandkings.co.uk; 11-day Ecuador & Galápagos Experience tour from ₹ 3,61,700).
”On Fernandina Island, marine iguanas as dark as the lava rocks they basked on sneezed in my face”
Peter Grunert, Lonely Planet group editor
