Researchers said the rare species “abruptly disappeared” from the region following an El Niño event. Now it is thriving.

Of the 9,000 species here, many are unique to the Galapagos. Fauna consists of fish, birds and reptiles — like the islands’ famous giant tortoises; there are no land mammals.

Fish swim at the North Seymour Island dive site in the Galapagos archipelago on March 8, 2024. (Ernesto Benavides/Getty-AFP) Sea lions rest under the sun at the Galapagos Islands. (xeni4ka/Getty) ...

Galapagos short-eared owl hunting on Genovesa Island.Nick Dauk Swimming with spotted eagle rays, making way for blue-footed boobies, and tiptoeing around giant tortoises is unforgettable.

You can visit the Galapagos Islands with Celebrity Cruises. It has a seven day round-trip, departing from Baltra Island on 27 September, costing from £6,016pp. Book now ...

Celebrity Flora in the Galapagos Islands, Chile. The Galapagos will forever be associated with Charles Darwin’s 1835 visit, which seeded the embryo for his theory of natural selection.

I saw nearly all of the “Big 15”—the Galápagos Islands’ version of the “Big 5” animals travelers try to spot while on safari in Africa. But, overall, the archipelago is home to more than 9,000 species ...

When we landed on Baltra Island (home to one of only two major airports in the Galapagos), we were greeted by a member of the airport staff who brought us to a nearby VIP lounge.

We landed Sept. 11 at Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport , a former military installation that is located on Baltra Island just north of Santa Cruz.

On South Plaza island for example, an original population of 2,000 plants in the 1960s dwindled to around 400 individuals by 2014. Some scientists believe that climate change is making El Niño ...