Club Meeting - A Trip to the Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands are on the Equator some 6-700 miles west of Ecuador, south America, and are part of that country. They gained fame when they were visited by Charles Darwin as part of the scientific expedition of the Beagle. He noted the striking variations in species in the islands and in particular from his study of finches in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin derived and evidenced his theory on the evolution of species.

The islands are all volcanic and the western islands still have active volcanoes. The islands were not populated until the 1800s with arrival of Europeans.

Unfortunately the endemic species which Darwin saw have been badly affected by introduced species. The whole of the islands and the seas surrounding them are now designated a national reserve which means access for allis strictly controled to protect endemic species. There is also a programme to eradicate some introduced species such as feral goats.

Some of the many pictures take on the trip are shown on this page to give an indication of the fascinating wildlife and natural habitat to be found on these islands.