Tour of the Galapagos Islands
Tour of the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago of volcanic islands with mega unique flora and fauna. The islands are located 1,000 kilometers west of mainland Ecuador. I recommend it with both hands, the place is really mega different - huge turtles, marine iguanas, diving with sharks, a sea lion lying in your hotel and "roasting" on a lounger next to you.
These are just some of the antics on these islands Reality is sometimes uncomfortable, even painful. Human activity was in many areas limited. Despite all this, in many areas where man has reduced his activity, nature has flourished. She seemed to tell us, I'm better off without you people. Won't you at least think about what you are doing?
The place I am in helps me a lot to make sense of these reflections. Galapagos, 19 islands and about 30 thousand population concentrated in three of them. Here, nature comes before man. Although part of Ecuador, this region has a special status and its own laws. There are many restrictions, but the end result is that animals are not afraid of humans.
Can you imagine if our whole earth was like this. We would see them as friends, not just objects to be used. Here the water has another color - its natural color. The Humboldt Current brings nutrient-rich water and a dry, cool climate to these islands half a year. The other half, the warm El Niño current coming from Panama, determines the wet season and warm climate. Just imagine, you are on the Equator, and around you penguins and seals. I even swam with two sea lions today. They let me into their world. Galapagos cannot be described in words. Coming here in 1835 and staying only 5 weeks, Charles Darwin was struck by the local fauna.
Galapagos Islands photogallery
The main conclusion he reaches is that nature has built a unique balancing mechanism between species, and their evolution is the result of the environment they inhabit.
Here you can only see an iguana that has learned to dive, a cactus has become a tree and a cormorant has flown here, whose wings have stunted, becoming unnecessary for him. Yes, the Galapagos cannot be described in words. A German psychologist had developed an amazing theory. The more a person knows himself, the more he understands the universe around him. I don't know where to start the change, from the inside out or vice versa. I know where we have to go back.
Galapagos islands are the epitome of our purpose. Santa Cruz Island and the Giant Tortoises The Giant or Elephant Tortoise is the largest tortoise on earth. Adults reach a weight of up to 250 kg and a length of 1.8 m. In natural conditions, their life expectancy is over 100 years. A turtle was recorded to have lived 176 years. The longevity of these animals is explained by their slow metabolism – they can sleep 16 hours a day.
When the islands were discovered in the 16th century, the number of turtles was around 250,000, and in 1970 only 3,000 remained. Today, their numbers have increased to 15,000, with the main credit for their survival going to the Charles Darwin Research Station, in which they are bred and then resettled on the islands... Genovese Island The horseshoe-shaped island is located on an area of 14 sq. km. Known as the "Bird Island", Genovesa has preserved to the greatest extent the diversity of species in the bird world - here you can see representatives of almost all the endemic species of the area - Puffball-chicks, yellow-crowned and lava herons, red-legged bubitas and Nazca bubitas , also double-tailed gulls – the only nocturnal gulls in the world that nest on the edge of cliffs.
SANTA FE -the island I wanted to stay on......but I'll be back. Santa Fe. This island is a very rare geological formation, located in the middle between the large islands of Santa Cruz and San Cristobal. Santa Fe is the oldest of the entire group of islands, at 4.5 million years old.
It was formed as a result of the rise of an earth layer during folding of the earth's masses, unlike the others, which are of volcanic origin. Isabella Island A paradise in the Pacific Ocean, Isabela Island is one of the 4 inhabited Galapagos Islands.
