Travel agents and deals

Disney Packages and News

cruise travel agent near me

Travel Packages & Deals

Travel Agents Near Me

ASTA Accredited Agency
American Airlines Travel Agents
Disney Authorized Travel Agents
Universal Certified Travel Agents
Sandals Certified Travel Agents
Disney EarMarked Agency
ALGV Travel Agents
WeddingWire Agency
Aulani Travel Agents
IATAN Accredited Agency
TheKnot Agency
College of Disney Knowledge Travel Agents
Travel Leaders

Galapagos Islands Disney Travel Agents Near Me

We recognize that Disney vacations are not just an investment, but often the highlights of our lives, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want to ensure you have the best vacation experience. Interested in a job in travel? Click here to learn: How to Become a Disney Travel Agent

Jump to section: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

See our Disney travel agents near me.

Overview

Introduction

Penguins and dolphins, sea lions and iguanas, tropical birds and giant tortoises—this collection of species comes together in a single destination on the equator. It's no surprise that these islands, 600 mi/970 km off the coast of Ecuador, are so special. Their remoteness from other landmasses and the absence of human settlements until the past century allowed their animal inhabitants to live with little fear of predators. As a result, the islands have an abundance of animals, birds and reptiles that are easily viewed, with or without binoculars.


The islands are best known as the home of giant tortoises that can weigh up to 500 lb/227 kg and live over 100 years. Visitors will also see marine iguanas (the only seagoing lizards in the world); scarlet-breasted frigate birds; blue-footed, red-footed, masked and Nazca boobies; tiny penguins at home in the tropics; mammoth sea lions; and giant, graceful albatrosses. About half of the species are endemic to the islands, found nowhere else on Earth.


Volcanic in origin, the archipelago has 13 large (and six lesser) islands whose terrain is mostly stark and barren, consisting primarily of a lava rock- and cacti-filled landscape in an arid climate. However, the highlands of the larger islands are dominated by volcanos and cloud forests, with lush vegetation and cooler temperatures.


One of the most famous visitors was Charles Darwin, whose five-week stay in 1835 led him to note that some species of birds had changed both physically and behaviorally because of their environment and evolved into distinct species over time. His famous book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) and the theory of evolution were influenced greatly by what he saw there.


These days, most visitors see the islands as part of a cruise tour. Small boats, or pangas, drop travelers off on individual islands, where knowledgeable naturalists introduce the lifestyles and mating rituals of the native species. Swimming and snorkeling are possible at most sites and are often enhanced by curious sea lions, sea turtles, an occasional penguin and scores of tropical fish. The marine environment of the Galapagos is a protected area; it is one of the largest marine reserves in the world after the Great Barrier Reef and newer reserves in Antarctica and Hawaii.


Strict rules imposed by the Galapagos National Park require that licensed guides accompany all visitors and that visitors stick to the 60 designated sites on the islands, most of which are uninhabited. Visitors may walk only on marked trails and cannot touch or feed the animals, even though the animals often come close.

Geography

The Galapagos Islands lie 600 mi/970 km off the coast of Ecuador. Thirteen of the islands are larger than 6 sq mi/15 sq km, and the rest of the archipelago is made up of six smaller islands and more than 100 islets. The entire area (approximately 3,089 sq mi/8,000 sq km) straddles the equator, which passes directly through Isabela, the largest of the islands, representing more than half of the entire surface area of the islands combined.


The entire chain of islands is the result of volcanic activity. There is an oceanic "hot spot" where the islands of Fernandina and Isabela are now located and where all islands to the east once were. There, magma rises from the Earth's mantle to form the volcanic islands, some of which continue to be shaped by recent eruptions. As the Nazca plate moves slowly southeast, at approximately 1.6 in/4 cm per year, it takes the islands with it. Over time, this series of events has produced the current archipelago.

History

Because the Galapagos Archipelago is so far from other landmasses, the islands were ignored by humans for centuries. Tomas de Berlanga, a bishop of Panama in route to Peru, wrote the first account of the islands in 1535, telling the king of Spain he had seen tortoises big enough to carry a man. His tales put the islands on the map. European rivals of Spain, including British pirates, used the islands as a refuge in the 16th and 17th centuries in their attacks on the Spanish colonies in South America. Whalers also began using the islands in the late 1700s, where they, too, hunted tortoises and birds for food and seals for fur.

Years of human destruction of Galapagos fauna left fur seals nearly extinct and approximately 200,000 tortoises dead. At various times, sailors released goats onto some of the islands, which provided meat to passing ships but led to the elimination of many native Galapagos plants. Today, the tortoises, seals and other Galapagos animals are highly protected, but the eradication of goats is still in progress.

The islands' first known resident was Patrick Watkins, an Irish castaway who arrived on the island of Floreana in 1807. Watkins didn't stay long—only eight years—nor did many others, until Darwin arrived on the HMS Beagle in 1835. Darwin's writings about evolution stimulated interest in the islands among scientists, wealthy explorers and several groups of eccentrics.

Ecuador, which claimed the islands in 1832, officially designated about 97% of the islands a national park in 1959 to protect them from development. In 1978, UNESCO made the islands a World Heritage site. The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created in 1998; it is one of the world's largest after the Great Barrier Reef and recently created reserves in Antarctica and Hawaii.

The islands' growing popularity as an ecotourism destination has created its own set of problems. Since the 1970s, population growth on the islands has increased by 6.2% each year as the result of births and immigration. About 25,000 people, many of them impoverished Ecuadorians, now live on the islands. Many have moved there seeking a better life and jobs, at first in fishing but now in tourism. Along with them have come nonnative animals and plants that are altering the unique heritage of the islands.

The Ecuadorian government has taken steps to limit immigration and eradicate such animals as feral goats. It also regulates the number of visitors and the size of boats allowed to tour the islands. Fishing boats caught in park waters have been detained and their owners fined. But tensions run high in the islands regarding their management. There have been several strikes by fishermen, as well as by national park wardens. Many believe the Ecuadorean government is still falling short of adequately safeguarding this unique archipelago for future generations.

In March 2007, the same year the World Heritage Committee added the Galapagos to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites in danger, the Ecuadorian government signed a national decree that declared the islands' management as a top priority, favoring its conservation and protection. Initial results are hard to quantify, but this step implies that stricter rules may be put into effect regarding development on the islands.

As it stands, permission is not required to build a hotel (hence the burgeoning size of Puerto Ayora), but tour operators must secure permits to enter the national park, which is managed by the Ministry of Tourism. Some boats are authorized to disembark onto various islands, but others must anchor in the waters offshore. As of 2012, no vessel is permitted to visit the same site more than once in a 14-day period. Illegal immigration to the islands, illegal fishing, introduced species and poor education of the local population remain dangers to the Galapagos.

Potpourri

British Capt. James Colnett set up a post office barrel on Floreana in 1873. It was originally used by whalers, who dropped their letters into the barrel as they went out to sea; the mail was relayed by those heading home. Today, this area is called Post Office Bay, and the barrel is often used by tourists.


The late Kurt Vonnegut wrote the novel Galapagos in 1985 about the last survivors of the human race being shipwrecked on the islands.


The Galapagos Islands is the only place where penguins live north of the equator. This makes the species the only tropical penguin on Earth.


There were once up to 15 subspecies of giant tortoises on the islands. Only 11 of those species remain.


The only nonflying cormorant in the world lives in the Galapagos Islands. It evolved to hunt fish by diving from shore and eventually lost the use of its wings for flight.


This entire island chain is named after the tortoise, which translates to "galapagos" in Spanish.


The archipelago was known as the Enchanted Islands because of the way strong and shifting currents made navigation difficult. After he visited the islands, Herman Melville used this name as the title of a short story he wrote about the Galapagos.

Location

A bus or taxi from the Baltra or San Cristobal airport terminal transports cruise travelers to a nearby port or dock to board a waiting Zodiac, which takes them to a boat anchored offshore. There are no docking facilities for ships on the islands—not even in populated areas. Ships must anchor offshore.



Shore Excursions

Shore excursions to uninhabited islands are always made with a naturalist guide and must follow the strict rules of the national park. Activities include scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, hiking, bird-watching, photography, sea kayaking and glass-bottomed-boat tours. Inhabited islands, such as Santa Cruz, offer biking, scuba diving, horseback riding, surfing, snorkeling and sailing.


Read More

Travel Tips: Galapagos Islands Points of Interest

Vincent Vacations - Authorized Galapagos Islands Vacation Planner
Questions? Call us at
1 (888) 976-0061

No-Obligation Galapagos Islands Vacation Quote Request Form

Free Vacation Package Quote


For Groups of 10 or more rooms, or 8 or more Cabins, please use of Group Form
Click Here for our Group Department


Popular Locations & Brands - Experiences All Over The World!

Click on a location below to learn more. We recognize that vacations are not just an investment, but often the highlights of our lives, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want to ensure you have the best experience.

Business
Become A Travel Agent

Have you got what it takes to become a travel agent?

  • Do you have a huge love of everything travel?
  • Do you have a huge passion for helping people answer questions, like friends and families, who are booking their trips?
  • Maybe you love to talk about travel, even if it's not your own trip, or maybe you obsess over every single detail for your upcoming trip!
  • Have you been booking your own vacations for a long time?

All of these are signs that you are a great fit to become an independent travel agent, and turn your love of travel from passion into profit!

Learn More

Latest Blogs - Our Agents, All Over The World!

Our motto at Vincent Vacations is, we go so you know! We want to ensure you have the BEST experience, whether it's a river cruise, or a corporate group incentive trip, we want to ensure your vacation is a success.

Our services

Many of our travel agents have been in travel since 2002! With Vincent Vacations, all travel components are taken care of - this includes accommodations, air, transfers, tours, activities, insurance, contracts, EVERYTHING.

Romance Travel

Destination weddings, Anniversaries, vow renewals, honeymoons, engagements, elopements, retie the knot, babymoons, proposal trips and more

Group Travel

Corporate group retreats and incentive trips, seniors-only river cruises, friends & family getaways, special group anniversary celebrations and more

Family

All-inclusive resorts, Hawaii, cruises, Europe, African Safaris, exotic Fiji and the islands, there are so many travel options for families

Disney

Adventures by Disney, Disney Cruise Lines, Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Resorts, Aulani, Universal, MyDisneyExperience, Disney Genie, characters dining, and more

Europe

We know Europe! Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Swiss Alps, Prague, Amsterdam, Venice, Athens, Vienna, Madrid, let's go!

Cruises

Ocean cruising, river cruising, yacht charters, expeditions, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Viking, Lindblad, there are so many options when it comes to cruising

And SO Much More!

We create custom travel itineraries and trips, and we know travel - Whether it's Universal, river cruises, safaris, yacht charters, Australia, Thailand and more!

Get A Free Quote

Our Great Team is Ready to Make Your Vacation a Success

We serve customers all across the USA
Debt free and in business since 2013. Vincent Vacations has agents in Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Shreveport, Little Rock, Roswell, Oklahoma City and more locations.

Get your FREE Why Use A Travel Agent Guide Our FREE Guide
Get your FREE Why Use A Travel Agent Guide
Download Now

Travel agents can help save time and stress by doing the research and handling all your bookings for you. An experience travel agent is best at finding great deals and packages, as well as providing you with helpful information and tips. They can also help you plan special activities and experiences that you may not have thought of on your own. All in all, using a travel agent can be a great way to make sure you get the most out of your trip.

View our latest DEALS on our Facebook

About Us

In travel since 2002, and in business since 2013, our travel team serves clients all over the US! Planning a vacation away from home takes a great team. We have taken the time to build a team of dedicated, smart, hard-working personnel who are each committed to excellence and service. We work side-by-side, creating and ensuring INCREDIBLE vacation experiences for you and your group. Our store front in-office team, and our travel consultant independent contractors, work all around the US.

travel agent near me
travel agent near me

Start Your Next Trip With Vincent Vacations Today!

In business since 2013, we are your #1 source for travel!

Free Vacation Package Quote