The unique Galapagos Islands, in all their dramatic and desolate volcanic beauty, lie 600 miles west of mainland Ecuador's Pacific coast.

Made famous by a Mr Charles Darwin and considered by many to be the birth place for the theory of evolution; if you stay here for even a short time you'll soon see how such a wonderful variety of wildlife can inspire someone to such a great level of thinking.

Made up of 17 isolated oasis islands the whole area is actually an official national park of Ecuador and even today only 5 of these islands are inhabited.

It's positioning at the top peak of South America means the South American current flow (known as the Humboldt) brings all the nutrients right to Galapagos's door step and is the reason that the islands see such an amazing assortment in wildlife.

Despite it's positioning on the equatorial belt the Galapagos Islands do not get a great deal of rain and enjoys a relatively dry climate. The hot season is considered to be between January and May when the temperature usually stays above 30 degrees with the rest of the year being a comfortable 25 degrees.

The 16,000 inhabitants of the island are known for their friendliness towards tourists; tourism is the main source of income for Galapagos so they're always very welcoming. These people live mostly in the towns of the major islands, although many live more remotely making a living through traditional means like fishing or farming.

A great way to navigate around the islands is by a chartered sailing boat. Travellers sailing around the islands can come within unimaginably close contact with an impressive array of animal and bird life including fur seals, hammerhead sharks, iguanas, boobies, manta rays, penguins, turtles, and tortoises in this, the greatest wildlife sanctuary on earth.

The Galapagos Islands is the perfect place to come, relax, switch off the mobile phone and simply get away from the stresses of modern life. You won't find many trendy wine bars or huge shopping centers here, this is simply living as evolution intended where the fantastic scenery and wildlife is all the entertainment you'll ever need.