During the Christmas Season of 2017, I finally went on the trip I had anticipated for years. The Galápagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago located about 600 miles off the Pacific coast of Ecuador. This geographical isolation has facilitated the development of some of the most distinctive wildlife on Earth. The unique animals of the Galápagos Islands famously inspired Charles Darwin’s realization that natural selection is the engine that drives biological evolution. The Galápagos Archipelago consists of over one hundred islands, islets, and rocks, nineteen of which are large and four inhabited by humans.

I visited Santa Cruz, Floreana, Isabela, and Tortuga Islands during my week-long journey around the archipelago. I saw indigenous creatures such as the Galápagos Giant Tortoise, the Galápagos Iguana, the Sally Lightfoot Crab, the Galápagos Fur Seal, Sea Lion, and Penguin, and the Blue Footed Booby. Most of the wildlife on these islands has not developed a fear of humans, so there are plentiful opportunities to capture outstanding photographs of these beautiful, extraordinary creatures.