The Galapagos Islands consist of 20 islands. Some large, some small but all with different stories, vegetation, animal life and unique beauty. Below you'll find links to the 14 main islands that will give you more information.

Baltra:

A small island noth of Santa Cruz, Baltra is a basaltic plateau which geologically belongs to Santa Cruiz, faulted in an east-west direction. Some fossiliferous tuff beds, between laval flows, are the proof of an ancient tectonic uplift. Sheer cliffs rise to the north to the east and south. The entire island leans towards the west.

On the west coast, Aeolean Cove offers smooth sand beaches. This port is used by the Ecuadorians navy and is also the site of an air force base. Departures and arrival of numerous tourist boats are made from there. A few cargo ships which visit the archipelago also call in. Baltra Airport was built by the Americans during World War II. The army base was intended to defent the Panama Canal against Japanese air raids, but the attack never came. Rumor has it that the Americans were partly responsible for the eradication of land iguana on the island, aided by the presence of feral goats, which ate all the vegetation edible to iguanas.

After a 40 year absence, land iguanas were reintroduced to Baltra by the Galapagos National Park. On June 19, 1991m 35 iguanas from the breeding center in Santa Cruz were freed on the island. The following year, in April 1992, 12 land iguanas were released.

Baltra is connected to the island of Santa Cruz by a ferry that daily crosses the Itabaca Channel.

Santa Cruz:

The most populous of the islands, Santa Cruz possesses a radio which transmits at 1410 KHz since 1974. Of the five inhabited islands of the Galapagos, Santa Cruz and particularly Puerto Ayora, the tourist capital, have for the last 15 years had the highest immigration rate in the archipelago. The population of Santa Cruz Island is estimated to be about 12,000 people.

All the begetation zones are represented on Santa Cruz, stretching from the littoral zone up to the fern zone at the top of Mount Crocker. The windward side is more humid and diversified than the leeward side, which is very dry. Geologically, Santa Cruz is well eroded, and the oldest formations are found on the northeast. Facing the Plazas Islands is Cerro Colorado (the Red Hill), a tectonically uplifted hill in which basaltic lava and fossiliferous tuff are layered with volcanic tuffs of Miocene geological times.

The human history started in the 20th century when European and American settlers arrived between the two world wars. The soil being fertile, the villages of Bellavissa and Santa Rosa were founded in the tropical humid zone of the highlands. A great number of exotic plants were introduced: sugarcane, coffee, bananas, oranges, lemon trees and avocado trees.

A colony of land iguanas may be observed at Conway Bay, on the northwest coast. Facing the bay, on Eden Islands, is a small colony of sea lions. Marine iguanas are well represented on the shores all around Santa Cruz, but a colony is established on Isla Coamano and on Punta Nunez. Eight species of finch are found on the island and the Hawaiian petrel nests in the highlands. Almost all the species of birds found in the Galapagos have been observed on Santa Cruz.

Santa Fe:

Another island uplifted by tectonic action, where some of the oldest basaltic rocks of the archipelago have been dated at 2.7 million years. Santa Fe is to the southeast of Santa Cruz and can be easily seen from Puerto Ayora.

In the middle of a sunny day, the lagoon of Santa Fe turns into an eye-catching turquoise blue. The white sandy bottom is only a dozen feet below the surface. On the beach, sea lions bask lazily in the sun. A trail leads inland to the top of a cliff, from where the view is breathtaking. Two species of land iguanas inhabit the archipelago, but one of these, the endemic Conolophus pallidus, dwells only on Santa Fe.

The vegetation is of the arid type. The forest of the giant prickly pear cacti is striking for the size of the trunks. On the cliff, Radiate headed scalesia is an attractive bush with white flowers and exquisite fragrance. The Galapagos hawk often overlooks the beach from the top of a salt bush or a palo santo. Sea lions, sea turtles, small white-tip reef sharks, spotted eale rays and round stingrays are common to the small bay.

Santa Maria (Floreana):

Santa Maria is of volcanic origin, very old, and its numerous volcanoes have reached an advanced stage of erosion. No volcanic activity has been reported for a long time. In the highlands, the vegetation is diversified and luxurious. Since Santa maria was the first colonized island in the 19th century, it contains many species of plants introduced by the settlers. The visitors sites include: Punta Cormorant, Corona del Diablo (Devil's Crown), Post Office Bay and Black Beach.

Tragedy and Mystery of Black Beach- In 1929 and German dentist named Friedrich Ritter arrived on the deserted island (Santa Maria) with his assistant and mistress Dore Strauch. Both of them lived alone for the next three years before the arrival of the Wittmers in 1932, a German family of farmers. Later that year a Baroness, von Wagner de Bousquet, found the island. She made residence with her two lovers Lorenz and Philipson.

The Baroness envisioned a hotel for millionaires to be built but nothing came of it. Soon, she claimed the island for her own and declared herself "Empress of Floreana" and imposed rule by force. In 1935 however, the Baroness and Philipson "disappeared" without a trace. Lorenz escaped with a Norwegian fisherman from San Cristobal and a few months later was found dead and mummified on a deserted beach of Marchena Islands. Just days later, Dr. Ritter, the dentist, died and it is suspected the he was poisoned by his mistress Dore. It showed he had spoiled chicken in his gestational tubes but was an avid vegetarian. Dore returned to Germany where she published a book entitled "Satan Came to Eden."

So what happened with the Baroness and Philipson? Nobody knows, or ever will but the book hints that Lorenz killed the baroness and Philipson with the help of the Wittmers and Dr. Ritter. Margret Wittmer, the last survivor, lived on Black Beach with her daughters where she owned a small hotel and souvenir shop until March of 2000.

Española:

Española, or Hood, Islands is located in the extreme southeast of the archipelago and is considered, along with Santa Fe, one of the oldest, at approximately four million years. A popular tourist stop, Isla Española is the most southerly island in the Galápagos Archipelago.

Gardner Bay has a very long sandy beach facing an island of the same name. Sea lions bask in the sun and Espanola mockingbirds sward on the beach. Punta Suárez hosts a great variety of seabirds and land birds. Albatrosses nest on the island between mid-March and mid-December. Boobies are inland or on the cliffs all year round. Swallowtail gulls, oystercatchers, lava herons, night herons, doves, small ground finches and more prove the richness of the fauna on this island.

San Cristobal:

This island is the administrative center of the archipelago. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital. Two distinct parts of the island compose its geography. The west side has a central volcano and the east side is mad e of spatter cones and lava flows. The slopes facing the north are arid and desolated and those oriented to the south are more humid.

Wreck Bay shelters the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Over the years it has given way to concrete buildings and houses made of volcanic rock. It's now a booming town full of a quaint charm. Eight miles away lies an old penal town founded by Manuel Cobos in 1888 named Progreso. Cobos created a sugarcane factory where convicts were put to hard work.

The humid zone of San Cristobal does not produce sugarcane any longer but does produce bananas, oranges, grapefruits, lemons, guavas, avocados and coffee. There are some fantastic spots to visit on this island. Laguna El Junco is a freshwater pool, the only one on the islands, about 2100 feet above sea level, 20 miles from the capital. La Soledad is a small village in the highlands that boasts beautiful vistas of the north coast. It also has a small church opened on the weekends called "Café del Mirador". Leon Dormido (Sleeping Lion), also known as Kicker's Rock, has vertiginous cliffs and is home of a number of sea birds and sea lions. Facing it stands Cerro Brujo (Sorcerer's Mountain) at the end of a long white sand beach. It hosts a wonderful colony of sea lions and is a great place for a stroll at sunset!

Genovesa:
A small northern island, Genovesa is flat and looks a bit like a parrots beak that opens towards the rest of the islands. The central volcano has been filled with sea water nearly 230 feet deep. The main attraction to the island is Darwin Bay. The bay is a huge collapsed caldera submerged by sea water. Red footed boobies, nazca boobies and great frigates nest on salt bushed that border the beach year-round.

Marchena:

This islands is location about 50 miles west of Genovesa. It sits atop a large shield volcano which first erupted in 1991. Marchena is not officially open to visitors. Playa de los Muertos (Death Beach) is where Lorenz was found dead in 1934 (see Santa Maria).

Pinta:

Most famously, the island is known for being the home of Lonesome George, the last survivor of the giant tortoise. George now resides at Darwin Station. In 2000, scientist searched for any more survivors for the giant tortoises with no luck.

Darwin and Wolf:

Also known as Culpepper and Wenman, these two islands seem to be distant outcasts many miles to the northwest of the main island group. They are eroded summits of two large calderas which rise nearly 6000 feet from the bottom of the ocean.

Santiago:

Also knows as James or San Salvador is an island with many volcanic eruptions in the past century. The vegetation is now very dense in the highlands. The main visitor areas are Playa Espumilla, Buccaneer's Cove and Sullivan Bay.

Playa Espumilla (foam) is a gorgeous sand beach that is bordered with mangroves. Two lagoons lie behind that homes flamingos, common stilts, bahama pintail duck and simipalmated plovers. Turtle nest are often found under the mangrove trees in the sand.

Bucaneer's Cove homes a red-purple sand beach where pirates would visit to repair boats, search for water and tortoises. Old jars were found at the bottom of the bay filed with wine and jelly. Sea lions also frequent the beach often.

Sullivan Bay on the east coast of Santiago is home of a curious intestinal figures in the landscape created by lava flow. It's also a fantastic place for those looking to catch oysters!


Bartolomé:

A favorite amongst island visitor, Bartolomé has a wood stairway that way constructed by the National Park to stop the island's quick erosion caused by daily visitors. From the top of this little island are extraordinary views some believe to be the best in the Galapagos. Vegetation is scarce on the island. One plant growns in the volcanic sand here called Chamaisyca which forms a small green or red bush with tiny white flowers.

Near Pinnacle Rock is a great place for underwater sea life and snorkeling. This is one of a few places on the islands that homes a colony of penguins. The south beach is not a good place to swim due to a large amount of sting rays, small whitetip and black tip sharks. Although, it is a good place to spot black turtles in November and December, when they come to lay eggs on the beaches.

Isabela:

Accounting for half of the archipelago's land mass, Isabela is by far the largest island. The island is made of six volcanoes, five our which are calderas: Serra Negra, Alcedo, Darwin, Wolf, and Cerro Azul. The equator passes through Wolf. In 2004, a base camp for helicopters was constructed and aerial hunting of feral goats has been carried out on nearly the entire island and low densities of goats remain.

Punta Albermarle at the northern tip of Isabela is an old World War II radar base. The largest form of marine iguana in the Galapagos and a fur sea lion colony is also found on the point. Punta Vicente Roca is a popular area that is shaped like a seahorse. It provides good anchorage for boats and is very sheltered. You'll find a salt water lagoon inland with a small colony of blue footed boobies.

Puerto Villamil is the most visited area of Isabela and with good reason. It is one of the most beautiful sites of the entire archipelago with beautiful white sand beaches that stretch for miles! There is a dirt trail that heads inland at the end of the beaches where visitors travel and pass tourists sites like Playa del Amor and Tunel del Estero, a lava tube going underground. Finally you'll reach the Muro de las Lagrimas, Wall of Tears. This wall was erected from lava blocks by convicts of a penal colony. Famous for cruel and tough conditions, more than 200 convicts were forced to hard labor. Life was very difficult and the cruelty of the guards is legendary. Soon a mutiny arose which was leaked to the press. After the leak, the penal colony was closed down and blown up. The only thing left is a huge wall of basalt, 150 feet long, 15 feet thick and 24 feet high.

Beyond the Wall of Tears you'll find a beach frequented by feral cars and wild pigs at sunset looking for turtle nests. On your way back to Puerto Villamil you'll notice a solitary coconut tree on the right. Some 30 years ago a pirate's treasure was discovered there by a Frenchman. The only trace he left on the island was a big hole in the sand and some rusted pieces of iron.

Fernandina:

One of the most active volcanoes in the world sits on Fernandina, the islands just west of Isabela. Twelve eruptions have occurred in the past 150 years. The vegetation belongs to the arid zone and sitting atop the volcano, high grasses and scalesia bushes are dominant.
The only visitor site on the island is on the northeast side. Penguins and flightless cormorants are rare to see, but they are established here.

The most exciting history of this island is often referred to as the "Pepinos Affair." Pepinos, or sea cucumbers, are a delicacy to the Asian culture. In 1992 local pirates discovered along the shoreline of Fernandina. They sent women and children to dwell and fish on the "no man's land." The would catch and dry the pepinos on the lava rocks, bag them and ship them back on Japanese fishing boats. The pepinos are ecologically important because they help to clean seawater by recycling organic waste. So a ban was placed that same year in 1992, but the fisherman went on strike and pressured the government to lift the ban. The government did and as of July 15, 1994, they allow pepino fishing for three months of the year.