The Galápagos remains the world's most obliging wildlife destination because the animals never learned fear: boobies dance beside the trail, marine iguanas sneeze salt at your feet and sea lions photobomb every snorkel. Giant tortoises lumber through the Santa Cruz highlands like furniture on the move. Cruises see more islands, but land-based trips from Puerto Ayora cost roughly half as much — a fair trade for most first-timers.
Featured in Ten wild tropical trips for animal lovers · Tropical