The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands are bathed by the Pacific Ocean, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador. The archipelago is comprised of 19 islands and more than 200 islets, covering an area of more than 70,000 square km. The surface area is about 8,000 square km, of which almost 97% is a national park, and the other 3% belongs to the urban and rural zones.
The archipelago has been declared a human patrimony because of its biological wealth, evolutionary process of its flora and fauna and the minmum alteration that it has received from men. It's known that in there live more than 2,500 marine species and many of them are being studied. This archipelago is unique in the world because it has a self sufficient ecological system.
The Galápagos islands are a living laboratory where we can appreciate the beauty of nature. and it's also an attraction for people who study evolution and life. The water is an intense green due to the great amount of algae. Algae that live in those island there, where we can find hundreds of species of fish, whales, sharks, sea lions, penguins, turtles, and of course coral reefs.
Diving is one of the most practiced sports but due to the complexity of the archipelago it's not for beginners though ideal for divers with an intermediate level at least because the current is very strong.
The diving that's practiced here is deep, more than 20 meters down. Night diving can be practiced in less deep places with no current, kayak navigation snorkling and hiking are also preferred activities when visiting the Galapagos. Cruise ships arrive with many tourists and go around the whole archipelago.
From the international airport at Quito there are direct flights to the most important island of Baltra.
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