If you have ever dreamed of having breakfast with birds as companions, watching the sunset with a sea lion, and snorkeling with marine turtles and sharks, the Galapagos is a place you must visit. The Galapagos is still one of the few pristine locations worldwide where nature thrives and lives in harmony with the local human population.

During your first moments on the islands, as you step off the plane on Baltra Island, you will cross paths with modern-day dragons lounging everywhere—the Galapagos land iguanas. As you make your way out of the airport, you will spot inquisitive mockingbirds and Darwin’s finches, which will be friendlier than any birds you’ve ever met. As you cross to the island of Santa Cruz and head toward town, you will catch your first glimpses of mischievous sea lions, followed by impressive giant tortoises that greet you from both sides of the island's single highway.

Before you even start exploring the islands through the wide range of tours available to you (land tours, bay tours, dive and naturalist cruises, and more), you will have already seen some of the most iconic species that the archipelago has to offer. In town itself, as you enjoy a walk along the main road, you will cross paths with marine iguanas and spot pelicans and frigate birds soaring above you or waddling next to you. If you buy an ice cream and walk down to the main dock, you might be lucky enough to see blue-footed boobies performing impressive dives in search of food, watch a green sea turtle surface for a breath next to baby black tip sharks that are circling around the pier, admire sea lions sleeping and playing around the dock, and perhaps even see a school of golden rays glide elegantly through the bay—all this before even venturing into the more remote areas of the Galapagos National Park.

If you dare to venture further and visit other islands, you will be in absolute awe of the amazing and up-close wildlife encounters you are certain to have. And if you jump into the ocean, you will experience some of the best snorkeling or diving you will ever do, surrounded by fish, swimming alongside marine turtles, sharing the water with several species of sharks, spotting incredible creatures like the ocean sunfish, observing marine iguanas feeding underwater, and more.

It is important to highlight that all this is possible because of the truly exemplary management of the Galapagos National Park. Since the creation of the protected areas (land in 1959 and ocean in 1998), the flora and fauna of the Galapagos, as well as its natural resources, have been carefully managed to endure over time.

The strict regulations on visitor sites and the Galapagos National Park rules ensure that we all respect nature in a way that allows us to truly coexist with the natural wonders that surround us. No place is perfect, but the Galapagos stands as an example of excellent management, enabling you to have the most amazing experience of a lifetime.