The Magic Of The Galapagos Islands In Pictures

Baby Sea Lion Galapagos Islands Pictures
A 2-day-old baby sea lion checks out our camera.

During our adventures in South America we travelled to one of the planet’s most remarkable destinations, the Galapagos Islands, and spent nearly 3 weeks exploring the archipelago.

This is a place that defies belief. Where wildlife has no fear of humans, conservation is the most important consideration and every day is filled with ‘bucket list’ moments.

We never thought anywhere would come close to the wonders and majestic splendour of Antarctica. The Galapagos rivalled it.

Where else in the world can you swim with penguins, snorkel with sharks, dive with marine iguanas, walk next to giant tortoises and admire incredible sunsets all in the same day?

Rather than confine ourselves to one island and do day trips from there, we joined two incredible cruises with the tour operator Ecoventura, which took us out to the remote locations that can only be reached when doing live-aboard boat adventures.

Being on their luxury yachts allowed us to visit places completely on our own. We went days without seeing a single other tourist besides the dozen or so on our boats. This also meant that for most of the time, we had the unique wildlife all to ourselves.

This is the magic of the Galapaogos Islands in pictures.

Baby Sea Lion Galapagos Islands Pictures
A baby sea lion gives a cheeky look to the camera on Espanola Island.
Tracks Galapagos Islands Pictures
Footprints next to marine iguana tracks on one of the stunning beaches on Santa Cruz Island.
Sea Turtles Galapagos Islands Pictures
Snorkelling with dozens of sea turtles in the Galapagos Islands is almost a guarantee.
Blue Footed Boobies Dancing Galapagos Islands Pictures
Two blue-footed boobies do their mating dance on the island of San Cristobal.
Bottlenose Dolphins Galapagos Islands Pictures
Two bottlenose dolphins jump out of the wake from the bow of our ship.
Land Iguana Galapagos Islands Pictures
The land iguanas on the Galapagos Islands are huge, and very relaxed around humans.
Rabida Island Galapagos Islands Pictures
A stunning sunset on Rabida Island, known for its red beaches.
Albatross Galapagos Islands Pictures
On Espanola Island you can see albatrosses up close and personal. These birds have the largest wingspan of any other bird on the planet.
Marine Iguanas Galapagos Islands Pictures
Two marine iguanas hug on Fernandina Island.
Nazca Booby Baby Galapagos Islands Pictures
A Nazca booby nurtures its young on Genovesa Island.
Volcanic Coastline Galapagos Islands Pictures
Standing on the edge of a rocky cliff. The volcanic coastlines on the Galapagos Islands are remarkable!
Sea Lions Galapagos Islands Pictures
A harem (which is the collective noun for a group of females with one male) of sea lions chilling on a white sand beach on San Cristobal Island.
Giant Tortoise Galapagos Islands Pictures
Jazza hanging out with a giant tortoise on Santa Cruz.
Flamingo Galapagos Islands Pictures
Pink flamingoes flock to the Galapagos Islands every year. We found this one on Santa Cruz Island.
Cactus Beach Galapagos Islands Pictures
In the Galapagos you get cacti growing right on the beach. A pretty incredible thing to see!
Espanola Island Baby Sea Lion Galapagos Islands Pictures
A mother sea lion checks on her baby on Espanola Island.
Red Footed Booby Galapagos Islands Pictures
The Galapagos Islands are home to three types of ‘boobies’ – Red-footed, blue-footed and Nazca boobies. This juvenile red-footed booby was resting on a tree on Genovesa Island.
Bartolome Island Galapagos Islands Pictures
One of the most famous views in the Galapagos Islands is overlooking Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island. A short hike has you at the top.
Swimming With Penguins Galapagos Islands Pictures
Where else in the world can you go swimming with penguins this close to you?
Sea Lion Gopro Galapagos Islands Pictures
Or have sea lions come up to check out your GoPro like this?
Marine Iguanas Galapagos Islands Pictures
Walking through a mess (an perfect collective noun if ever we’ve heard one) of marine iguanas on Fernandina Island. You need to watch your footing everywhere you go in the Galapagos!
Sea Lion Origin Galapagos Islands Pictures
A sea lion stares us down in front of Ecoventura’s Origin yacht.
Bartolome Island Galapagos Islands Pictures
Admiring the views over Bartolome Island.
Santa Cruz Marine Iguana Galapagos Islands Pictures
A lonesome marine iguana crosses the beach on Santa Cruz.
Kayaking Galapagos Islands Pictures
One of the best activities to check try is kayaking in the Galapagos Islands. You can see the iconic Kicker Rock in the background here.
Isabella Sea Lion In Tree Galapagos Islands Pictures
You’ve heard of sea lions, but have you ever heard of a tree lion? In the Galapagos you can even find sea lions hanging out on branches in the mangroves of Isabella Island.
Magnificent Frigatebird Galapagos Islands Pictures
One of the most common birds you’ll see flying around your ship is the magnificent frigate bird.
Penguin Galapagos Islands Pictures
The Galapagos Islands are home to the only penguin colonies north of the equator.
Sunset San Cristobal Galapagos Islands Pictures
A stunning sunset over San Cristobal, the capital of the Galapagos Islands.

[box] Our journey to the Galapagos Islands was made possible as part of our partnership with Ecoventura. All thoughts, opinions and thousands of pictures of baby sea lions are, as always, our own.[/box]

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About the Author - Alesha and Jarryd

Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

12 thoughts on “The Magic Of The Galapagos Islands In Pictures”

  1. Were headed to the Galapagos the first week of May but had to cancel due to the Coronavirus. Rescheduling for next year sometime. Was wondering what month you went that you got to see the blue footed boobies mating.

    • So glad you rescheduled. It is a stunning place and one of a kind. I think it was in September. We saw the mating dances the boobies do and chicks. They were so cute. Have a wonderful time.

  2. Thanks for sharing those amazing photos. I was planning to make a visit to Galapagos Island soon.

    • Thank you so much. You are going to have a great trip. We loved exploring this place. Say hi to the penguins for us. 🙂

  3. So fortuitous, we are leaving tomorrow for an ecoventura adventure in the isles of Galapagos. I so loved seeing your photos, and they have piqued my interest. Muchimas gracias.

    • So happy for you. You will have a great time. They are a great company. 🙂

  4. Fantastic!Thanks for the wonderfull pictures!

    • Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

  5. Amazing photo collection guys. Looks like Galapagos island is giant sanctuary for rare wild creatures like sea lions, sharks, birds , iguanas and many more. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun there while interacting with animals. Keep travel guys. Stay safe. Cheers.

    • Thank you so much. Definitely is an amazing place for lots of different creatures. It is great as Galapagos have a great protection program for the animals and are very strict on the rules. It is great. It is a stunning part of the world.

  6. AMAZING pictures guys. Your trip looked like so much fun. I need to make it down there soon. 🙂

    • Thanks so much Dave. It is an amazing part of the world. We felt going on a cruise was an great way to see the Galapagos Islands. There is so much to see. Definitely get there sooner.

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