Climate
Located on the equator, the climate is tempered by the Humboldt Current so you do not experience extreme heat. From December to June, temperatures range from 74 to 94 degrees and the water temperature in mid 70's. From July to November, temperature range from mid 60's to 75 degrees.

Bartolomé
This island has a moonlike panorama where, after a dry landing, a 600 meter visitor's path takes you to the 114 mt. summit of the island. Here is where one has the most dramatic view of the islands looking onto Sullivan Bay and Pinnacle Rock. You can find the Galapagos Penguin (Speeniscus Mendiculus) between January and March, and the marine tortoises that come to nest on the sandy beaches.

Isabela (Albemarle)
With 4588 Km2, it is the largest island in Galapagos. Isabela is formed by a chain of five fairly young active volcanoes, one of which, Volcano Wolf, is the highest point in Galapagos at 1.707 mt. At the west end of the northern arm of Isabela, we find the smaller, old Volcano Ecuador (610 mt) which comes down almost to the shore. Punta Vicente Roca, at the volcano's base, is a rocky point with a good snorkeling area. The ship swings close to Cape Berkeley, where a half of a large volcano has dropped into the sea and gives an opportunity to walk through coral reefs on an uplifted ocean bed. Just south of Punta Tortuga, there is the visitor site of Tagus Cove where early sailors frequently anchored. You can still see some of the names of the vessels scratched on to the cliffs around the cove. After a dry landing, a 2 km. path will take you past a salt lagoon into the lower slopes of Volcano Darwin where volcanic formations can be observed. A panga ride along the cliffs will enable you to see various sea birds, usually including the Galapagos penguin (Speeniscus Mendiculus) and flightless cormorant (Nanopterum Harrisi). There are good snorkeling opportunities in the cove. Urbina Bay lies around the middle of the western shore of Isabela and is a flat area formed by an uplifting that took place in 1954. Here you can find corals, flightless cormorant, pelicans and marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Rays and turtles can be seen in the bay. On this site, a wet landing is required to reach the trail that leads onto the corals. The view of Volcano Alcedo is magnificent.

Fernandina (Narborough)
This 642 Km2. island is the third largest and the most westerly. It is considered the youngest and its recently formed volcanic landscapes are very impressive. Punta Espinoza is located just across Tagus Cove; this point is known for one of the greatest concentrations of endemic marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins and sea lions. A dry landing is required in order to reach the two paths, one leading to the point and the other to some recently formed lava fields. Here you can see various pioneer plants such as the Brachycereus cactus, as well as pahoehoe and lava formations and mangroves extending into the sea.

Santiago (San Salvador-James)
On James Bay on the western side of this 585 km2 island, you find Puerto Egas: a long black lava shoreline where the eroded shapes form lava pools, caves and inlets housing a great variety of wildlife. This is a great place to see marine iguanas basking in the sun, and pools are full of red sally light-foot crabs which attract hunting herons (Butorides Sundevalli). James Bay has excellent snorkeling sites where moray eels, sharks and octopus may be found. Behind the shoreline is Sugar Loaf volcano, and on the path you can find lava lizards (Tropidurus Albermarlensis), Darwin finches, doves and the Galapagos hawk (Buteo Galaparnsis). Here, the most common species of vegetation is the scalesias.

Rabida (Jervis)
The area of this island is 5 Km2. and is located south of Santiago. There is a wet landing onto a dark red, sandy beach. Commonly found are sea lions and pelicans (Pelecanus Occidentalis) and behind the beach there is a salty lagoon with flamingos (Phoenicoperus Rober) and white cheeked pitails (Anas Bahamensis). Palo Santo trees and magnificent views of the island can be found along the 750 meters of path.

Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
This 986 km2. island is the second largest and the most populated of the Archipelago. Puerto Ayora is the main town on the southern coast. A 20 minute walk along the road northeast leads you to the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is one of the important visitor sites and the main center for the research and conservation of the various Galapagos plant and animal species, especially the 11 surviving species of tortoise (Geochelone Elefanthopus). The other site, The Highlands, is located about 12 km. from Bellavista. En route you pass from the xerophitic vegetation into the Scalecia, Miconia, Fern-sedge areas as well as Opuntia and the Cereus, Palo Santo, Croton and Cryptocarpus bushes. This visit includes a hike around "Los Gemelos"(The Twins), which are sink holes rather than craters, and are surrounded by Scalecia Forest, where a great number of birds like the Vermillion Flycatcher (Myarchus Magnirostris) and the famous Darwin's Finches (13 species) are to be found. Finally, other interesting places are the "Lava Tubes" which are underground tunnels of over a km in length, formed by the solidification of the lava flow, and "Las Bachas" beach which is commonly deserted and is a good place for sunbathing and swimming.

Espanola (Hood)
This 61 square km. island is the most southerly one. The visitor sites are: "Punta Suarez", where a wet landing is necessary and Gardner Bay, a beautiful, white sandy beach at the east end of the island, where there is a good swimming area, a sea lion colony and great snorkeling offshore. Walking along the 2 km. path of Punta Su_rez, on the western end of Hood, you can find masked and blue-footed booby colonies as well as marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus). The main attraction is the waved albatross colony (Diomedea Irrorata). Also, just beyond the colony, there is a blow hole through which the waves force water spouts about 29 meters into the air. Here, lava lizards (Tropidurus Delanonis) can also be found as well as other important species such as the wood mockingbird (Nesomius Macdonaldi), swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, oyster catchers and the large cactus finch (Geospiza Conirostris). Among the vegetation we can find Acacia, Palo Santo and Cacti.

South Plaza
This is one of the smallest island, encompassing only 12 hectares, but perhaps the most picturesque in the archipelago. Visits are on the eastern part of one of two small adjoining islands uplifted from the sea through differential faulting. After a wet landing, admire a sea lion (Zalophus Californianus) colony waddling on the rocks. Here you can also find land iguanas (Conolophus Subcristatus), red-billed tropic birds, colonies of blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus Furcatus) and a not so abundant vegetation of criptocarpus and sesuvium bushes and opuntia cacti.

San Cristobal (Chatman)
San Cristobal is home of the Archipelago's capital, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. From here, by traveling north for an hour by boat, we can find the rocky and tiny "Isla Lobos", which is the main sea lion and blue-footed booby colonies site for visitors to San Cristobal. There is a 300 mts. visitors path. Also, "Punta Pitt" is located at the northern edge of the island, and is home for one of the endemic species, the lava lizard (Tropidurus Bivittatus). Kicker Rock is a volcanic cinder formation, where blue-footed and masked boobies can be found among frigates and other seabird species.

North Seymour
There is abundant life around the 1 1/4 km. visitor's path. On this island you can find sea lions (Zalophus Californianus) waddling on the beach, land iguanas (Conolophus Subcristatus), frigate birds displaying their red pouches, colonies of blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus Furcatus), the bright yellow warbler (Dendroica Petechia), as well as fur seals.