Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

September 7 - 14, 2016

Undiscovered by Europeans until the 16th century, the Galapagos Islands hold a central position in modern history as the birthplace of the theory of evolution. Join fellow alumni on the deluxe Isabela II for a wondrous journey to one of the most biologically unique places on earth. Each island in this volcanic archipelago has species that are exquisitely adapted to the available food sources and surrounding environments: the marine iguana, which eats mostly algae and is the only sea-going lizard in the world; the flightless cormorant, whose vestigial wing feathers are testament to the abundance of its preferred food; and the Galapagos tortoises, some species of which were hunted to the brink of extinction by 18th- and 19th century whalers. You can also see how species have evolved to interact with each other - certain Darwin's finches have developed a symbiotic relationship with land iguanas, which will obligingly raise themselves up from the ground so that the birds can more easily pluck parasites from their bellies. Because the human presence is still relatively minimal, many of the animals are remarkably unafraid of visitors. This will allow you to observe and photograph them at very close range, either sitting quietly in the midst of a colony of tropical penguins or snorkeling with inquisitive and playful sea lions.