Las Islas Galápagos

El origen y la evolución

Las Islas Galápagos se encuentran a casi mil kilómetros de distancia del continente. Con un alto grado de vegetación y fauna endémicas, constituyen uno de los paraísos naturales del planeta. Es uno de los Parques Nacionales más apetecidos del mundo. Fauna y flora son verdaderamente únicas. Interminables playas de arena clara, color marfil, como Tortuga Bay, son parte de su entorno, así como túneles de lava, zonas de buceo, una reserva marina y, por supuesto, sus animales prehistóricos y bellísimas y coloridas aves. Trece son sus islas principales y su clima es subtropical.
Tiene dos aeropuertos que conectan con Quito y Guayaquil.

Mapa

Áreas Protegidas

Varias son las islas donde los turistas pueden apreciar la naturaleza inigualable de Galápagos. En la isla Floreana, por ejemplo, se puede visitar la bahía Post Office, Playa Negra, la Laguna de Flamingos, Punta Cormorán y las Cuevas de los Piratas. Igualmente hay sitios para practicar el buceo, como La Corona del Diablo. En Genovesa se destacan las fragatas, las focas peleteras, las iguanas marinas, el pájaro tropical, los conocidos piqueros patas rojas y los enmascarados. Fernandina, en cambio, tiene lobos marinos, iguanas, pelícanos, pingüinos y el cormorán no volador. En la isla Española se puede apreciar la danza de los piqueros patas azules y el cortejo de los albatros.

Otros puntos de interés son El Géiser, El Soplador y Cucubes, así como otras especies de aves. Santiago es conocida por los aficionados al buceo y porque se pueden recorrer caminos entre las formaciones de lava y llegar al cono volcánico de Bartolomé, donde viven focas peleteras y lobos marinos. En Seymour Norte se encuentran colonias de fragatas, lobos marinos y piqueros patas azules. Las islas Plazas son hábitat de lobos marinos, iguanas, cactus y gaviotas. Santa Fe es una Bahía con bosques de cactus gigantes, lobos marinos, gavilanes e iguanas. Por su parte, Isabela alberga un sitio de crianza de tortugas y tiene una actividad volcánica constante. En 1998, tras permanecer alrededor de veinte años inactivo, erupcionó el volcán Cerro Azul.

Así mismo, las Islas Galápagos cuentan con una Reserva Marina. Hay 62 destinos que el visitante puede conocer en esta reserva.

Turismo Deportivo y de Aventura

En ciertos sectores de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos, es posible realizar buceo de superficie y profundidad y tener contacto con las impresionantes especies acuáticas que viven bajo la superficie del mar: arrecifes de coral, ballenas, tiburones ballena, tiburones martillo, rayas, mantarrayas, peces espada, tortugas… Por el fondo del Océano se desplazan fuertes corrientes marinas y protuberancias de lava que los deportistas deben tomar en cuenta mientras miran los maravillosos habitantes del agua. Otros hábitats marinos son los fondos rocosos, las paredes verticales de roca y los manglares. De igual forma, hay fenómenos naturales que afectan el área como los afloramientos de aguas frías y el Fenómeno de El Niño.
La Reserva Marina de Galápagos abarca una extensión de cerca de 133.000 kilómetros cuadrados. Bucear en el Archipiélago es una de las mayores aventuras que es posible experimentar. La zona está considerada como una de las siete más importantes del Planeta para realizar esta actividad. De igual forma, hay islas como Santiago, Bartolomé o Floreana (la Corona del Diablo) donde también se puede practicar buceo. Una de las caminatas más interesantes, por las formaciones de lava existentes, es la que se puede realizar en la isla Santiago. Y en Santa Cruz hay senderos que cruzan la vegetación de la isla, repleta de cactus, matorrales y manglares. En estas Islas, estudiadas por Darwin, están identificados 54 sitios de visita terrestre que los turistas pueden recorrer con la colaboración de guías especializados.

Sol y Playa/Playas Vírgenes

Tortuga Bay, ubicada en Puerto Ayora (Isla Santa Cruz), es uno de los lugares más visitados y apetecidos del Archipiélago. Se trata de dos playas interminables, separadas por una punta de manglares y con arenas color marfil. En Floreana está, en cambio, la Playa Negra, de lava. En la Isla Santiago también hay playas ideales para la natación. Otros sitios son Playa Ochoa (San Cristóbal), Playa Espumilla (Marchena) y Playa Bahía Darwin (Genovesa).

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Galapagos Conservancy (GC), formerly known as Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc., advocates for the lasting protection of the Galapagos Islands through programs of constituency building, education, and fundraising in North America. GC raises more than $2 million annually to fund the conservation work of the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), and supports local actors in Galapagos that work in partnership with the CDF and the GNPS. Galapagos Conservancy manages $4.5 million in endowed funds to support conservation in Galapagos.
In the coming years we will focus greater attention on education and socio-economic policy work related to Galapagos, while continuing the support of our core research and management efforts implemented by the CDF and the GNPS.

History of Galapagos Conservancy.

Galapagos Conservancy has its roots in two organizations that merged in 2002: the Darwin Scientific Foundation, an organization which managed an endowment for research in Galapagos, and Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc., an organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Galapagos conservation. In March 2005, the Board of Directors of Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. approved changing the organization’s name to Galapagos Conservancy to better reflect the work we do.

Galapagos Conservancy focuses all day, every day, on Galapagos. We are a membership-based organization and the largest source of private support for conservation efforts for the Galapagos Islands. Our 11,000 Friends of Galapagos are individuals and institutions who care deeply about the Galapagos Islands and understand the scientific importance of preserving this one-of-a-kind ecosystem.

We are fortunate to work closely with many allies, including scientists from many U.S. universities, international non-governmental organizations with an active interest in the Galapagos, and a multitude of other institutions that are committed to Galapagos conservation. We also collaborate closely with travel companies who carry out fundraising efforts and educate travelers on local conservation efforts.

Funds raised by the Galapagos Conservancy support the core operations of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), both located on the island of Santa Cruz in Galapagos. Our grants also play an important role in specific projects implemented by the CDRS, GNPS, and other local organizations in areas such as education, monitoring and control of invasive species, ecological restoration, and conservation management.

Over the years, our members have contributed to many successful conservation initiatives, including:
• Project Isabela—the largest and most ambitious ecosystem restoration effort in the world—and other control and eradication programs

• Effective management of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, including monitoring and interdiction efforts of the Galapagos National Park Service

• Establishment of the Galapagos Quarantine and Inspection Service, which prevents foreign species from arriving in Galapagos

• Educating local residents, tourists, and Galapagos decision makers on the benefits and importance of sound conservation practices, policy, and sustainable economic activities

• Baseline studies and monitoring of native and endemic marine and terrestrial species

Where are the Galapagos Islands?

The Galapagos Islands are located on the equator some 600 miles from the coast of Ecuador, South America.

Who do they belong to?

The Galapagos Archipelago is a province of the Republic of Ecuador.

How many islands are in the archipelago?

The Galapagos archipelago consists of 13 large islands (5 of which are inhabited), and more than 100 smaller islands and islets.

How big is Galapagos?

Galapagos has a land area of about 5,000 square miles. The Galapagos Marine Reserve covers about 50,000 square miles.

What is the population of Galapagos?

The Galapagos Islands remained sparsely populated until the 1980s. At that time, poor economic conditions in mainland Ecuador, a boom in fishing for exotic species, and increasing demands of tourism resulted in a rapid growth in the resident population. Today, about 28,000 people live on three inhabited islands.

What is the climate like?

The climate is considered to be cool and sub-tropical, with hot, arid coastal zones and cooler, humid highland areas. The highlands receive moisture year-round, which supports lush vegetation.
The confluence of four major ocean currents in Galapagos determines the temperature on land and in the sea. There are two seasons and Galapagos gets an average of ten inches of rainfall per year.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Average High
(°F) 84 86 88 86 82 78 76 74 76 77 78 80
Average Low
(°F) 70 74 74 72 72 68 66 64 62 64 66 68
Water Temp.
(°F) 74 76 76 76 74 74 72 66 68 70 72 74
Average Rainfall (in.) 1 1 2 1.5 .75 .25 .50 .25 .50 .25 .50 .50

When were the Galapagos Islands discovered?

They were discovered in 1535 by Fray Tomás de Berlanda, the Bishop of Panama while he was traveling to Peru. He noted the tortoises, iguanas, and birdlife first and foremost. When the islands appeared on maps for the first time (around 1570), they were actually called “ Islands of the Tortoises.”

When was Galapagos colonized?

Pirates and renegades first inhabited the islands during the early 1500s. They would hide and camp out on the islands after raiding Spanish colonial ports. In 1832, the islands were officially annexed by Ecuador. The first colony was established on the island of Floreana. The archipelago experienced many attempted settlements from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century by individuals from Norway, the US, and the UK.

Who was Charles Darwin?

Charles Darwin was a biologist and naturalist who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835 aboard the H.M.S Beagle. During his travels, he studied and observed the plants and animals on the islands. He later used these findings to publish his most famous work, Origin of Species, which remains central to modern evolutionary and philosophical thought.

Who is Lonesome George?

Lonesome George is a Galapagos Giant Tortoise from Pinta Island in Galapagos. He is the only known remaining tortoise of his species. Lonesome George currently lives at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the island of Santa Cruz. He is accompanied by two females from a closely related species in an attempt - unsuccessful, to date - to entice him to breed.

Where does my $100 entry fee go?

The Park entry fee collected upon a visitor’s arrival to Galapagos is used to help fund Park management and community and conservation projects in the islands. The beneficiaries are as follows: Galapagos National Park Service (40%), Municipal Governments (20%), The Galapagos Provincial Board (10%), Galapagos Marine Reserve (5%), the National System for Protected Areas (5%), the National Galapagos Institute (10%), the Quarantine and Inspection System (5%) and the Ecuadorian Navy (5%).