1. GALAPAGOS By: Kenneth Santamaria

2. Hotels  Finch Bay Eco Hotel  Iguana Crossing  Angermeyer Waterfront Inn  La Casa de Marita  Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge  Pimampiro Hosteria  Red Mangrove Isabela Lodge  Hotel Solymar  Hotel Silberstein Slid esho w Slid esho w

3. Attractions  Charles Darwin Research Station:  A must-see while in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, the biological research station known as the Charles Darwin Research Station is a great way to take in some interesting facts about the environment of the Galapagos many take for granted while relaxing on the beach and having a pina colada. On display, the center has available information on local conservation, habitats, and other interesting relevant statistics. Certainly the station's most impressive attraction is the tortoise breeding center, where you can see tortoises of all shapes and sizes, including the famous Lonesome George, at 90+ years old, and the last remaining member of the Pinta Island subspecies. Access to the tortoises is quite open and visitors can feel free to walk amongst them as well enjoy a last-minute photo- op.

4. Nature Genovesa Island: (Tower Island) is a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The island occupies about 14 square kilometres (5 sq mi), and its maximum elevation is 64 m (210 ft). The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs. Lake Arcturus, filled with salt water, lies in the centre, and sediment within this crater lake is less than 6,000 years old. Although no historical eruptions are known from Genovesa, there are very young lava flows on the flanks of the volcano.

5. Sports  Snorkelling in the Galápagos:If you have never snorkelled before, the Galápagos Islands just might be a good place to start! You won’t just see another part of this special environment, its undersea worlds, but you may also get the chance to interact with the animals that are most at home there such as sea lions and possibly penguins. We didn’t see the latter, but we saw sea lions several times, and had one very memorable encounter with a group. We also saw marine iguanas feeding on the rocks beneath the surface (very bizarre to see a lizard underwater!), sea turtles, rays and even sharks!

6. Culture  Language: The official language spoken on the Galapagos Islands and throughout Ecuador is Spanish, but there are variations depending on the zone of the country including Coastal, Andean and Amazonian.  Music:  El Chulla Quiteño (Pasacalle, a very Happy song)  Vasija de Barro( melancholic song)  Romantico Quito (Pasacalle, very Romantic song)  A Brief History of the Galapagos Islands:  The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles west of Ecuador, which is on the western coast of South America. Their first recorded discovery was on March 10, 1535, by Fray Tomas de Berlanga, who happened upon them accidentally while sailing from Panama to Peru. Some historians believe the islands were visited and used by groups of Incas as early as a century prior to de Berlanga's discovery, but this has never been proven.