Being surprised is the order of the day for any visitor to Galapagos, an element that appeals to travellers hungering for adventure and off the beaten path experiences. No two tours through the Galapagos Islands are ever the same.

Travellers addicted to the thrill love the myriad opportunities to encounter animals up close and personal on Galapagos, a world filled with intriguing seagoing lizards, flightless cormorants and penguins, comical boobies, ancient tortoises and numerous finches inhabiting this secret world.

Active individuals relish the closeness to nature and wildlife they can experience while visiting the Galapagos. Travellers can choose to relax on the beach and just observe the intriguing show of flora, fauna and wildlife surrounding them, or take to the pristine Pacific waters for some swimming, diving or snorkeling to encounter the fascinating sealife that surrounds these lava-formed islands.

Adventure is yours for the taking on Galapagos, declared a National Park in 1959, with volcano summits and rock towers, remove mangroves, forgotten pirate hideouts, tranquil inland lagoons and highlands lush with birds all there for the exploring.

The Galapagos’ thriving wildlife provides stimulating adventures no matter what time of year the Adventure Traveller visits. Experience the migration of land birds and the nesting of Marine inguanas in winter, the migration of the giant tortoises in early summer or the birth of sea lion pups in late autumn.

The fragile yet fascinating ecosystem preserved on this unique chain of islands for centuries is a paradise for photographers. Many of the seals, iguanas, tortoises and birds allow the Adventure Traveller to capture them up close and on film in a way that no zoo or animal park could provide.

For a travel destination that’s synonymous with adventure — go Galapagos!