A bucket list adventure for animal lovers.

It is said that low expectations is the key to happiness. As you may have noticed, everybody who has visited the Galápagos raves about how amazing they are; videos, blogs, reviews, you name it. Needless to say, we were ecstatic about going and we couldn’t even contain the excitement as we boarded our flights. The expectations were as high as they could possibly be and yet, the Galápagos Islands lived up to them and did not disappoint.

On these islands isolated from the rest of the world, born of volcanoes right at the crossing of several ocean currents, animals here have evolved in very specific ways – mostly undisturbed by mankind and other land predators. And despite of the negative effects of human activities in the area for the last centuries, the diversity and abundance of wildlife is astonishing. Today, the best thing about this archipelago is that the Ecuadorian government and its people know that its value relies on protecting its natural inhabitants. They cohabit with the locals in a very respectful and protective manner, trying to interfere the least possible with the wildlife and making sure that visitors follow these rules as well. This makes for unique interactions with calm animals that don’t give your presence a second thought, and a real feast for the eyes both above and below the surface.

And just as everyone else that has had the fortune of visiting the islands, I couldn’t help raving about them and sharing with you a fragment of our adventure. I could go on and on in detail about our time there, but I am hoping the clip and images will speak for themselves. If instead, you are interested in a travel blog that will go into what there is to do and how to go about it, I’d highly recommend reading the posts from the Practical Wanderlust on Galápagos Islands – I relied on their guides for everything related to “land” activities and even to find the best local grown coffee in Puerto Ayora :). For now, I leave you with a selection of images that have not been featured on my personal work or other galleries.

If you are lucky enough to visit this wonderland one day, it will most certainly be the trip of a lifetime.