This fascinating group of islands off the coast of Ecuador are a must for lovers of nature.. with the amazing wildlife, such as Galapagos tortoises, blue footed boobies, flightless cormorants, land and marine iguanas, penguins on the equator, sharks you can swim with, and many more. A trip here is nature overload!

However, they also have a very curious history -Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, explorers, quirky European settlers, pirates and some captivating scandals. These are well documented in John Treherne’s ’The Galapagos Affair’ and the soon to be released film ‘Eden' - a true-life tale of the Baroness of Floreana, full of scandal, mysterious disappearances and murder.

The murder mysteries were never solved. On my first visit to Galapagos we visited Margaret Wittmer, one of the original European settlers who was still living on Floreana. It was suggested that we use the ‘buddy system’ - so everyone returned to the boat, after the visit -  in jest ...perhaps.

Before a visit to the Galapagos we highly recommend a read of the novel ‘Galapagos Affair’ so that not only will you be dazzled by nature, but also intrigued by the history of the ‘Islas encantadas'. 

By Robyn Smith