They were on top of my list since years:

The Galapagos Islands.

They belong to Ecuador, and it is a 2 hours flight from Quito to get there.

Galapagos are mostly famous for 3 kinds of wildlife: The giant tortoises, the Iguanas and the Blue footed Boobies.

Personally I was most interested in the Iguanas. There are and sea Iguanas, and a third species issued from the crossing of the first two. I had a bit a Jurassic Park impression when I walked through the Iguana colonies. They are not very big and mostly resting in the sun. Also, they are a vegetarian, which makes approaching them a lot more comfortable.

Next the Blue Footed Boobies. With a name like that, it is easy to understand that the T-shirts with the inscription “I love Boobies” are best-sellers here….

Another star is Lonesome George. George is a 100 year old land tortoise, and he is the last one of his species….

On Isabella Island is a lagoon that is accessible only by high tide. This is the place that the White tip sharks, nighttime predators, choose to rest at day time. The lagoon is just some 50 by 4 meters big, but I guess that there were more than 100 sharks in it.

Lonesome George