The Galapagos Islands in Photos
A few weeks ago, I fulfilled a life long dream and visited the Galapagos Islands. They were beautiful. They were breathtaking. They were everything people said they would be. I’ve never been to a place where the wildlife was so abundant and the geography was so diverse in such a close space. But since a picture is worth a thousand words, this post will be worth ten thousand. There’s no better way to show you the beauty of the islands than with pictures. I have so many great photos that there will be another photo (and video) post later this week (and one about the tour). But, for now, enjoy this first batch:
Santa Fe Island
Multi-Colored Land Crab
Masked Booby
Giant Land Iguana
Blue Starfish
Giant Tortoise eating lunch
Blow hole on Espanola Island
Male Red Lizard
One of the few underwater shots I have
Sunset in the Galapagos Islands (last day)
Yellow Flowers
Blue Footed Booby (my favorite!)
Close up of a young Sea Lion
Disclaimer: My trip to the Galapagos Islands was free as part of my Wanderers in Residence partnership with Gap Adventures.
42 Comments
You love the boobies! Great photos….
The blue starfish photo is gorgeous. I like how it appears slightly warped by the surface water.
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Awesome photos. I had the opportunity to visit GI last year and did a dive trip while visiting the different islands. It was a dream trip. I love the wildlife. I actually got stalked by a shark and saw a sea lion biting a shark!
Grace, that’s pretty awesome since usually sharks are the predators not the other way around! Next time I go back, I am definitely diving.
Love the blue-footed booby! It’s the silliest-looking bird!
Such great shots! So many different animals there…really want to visit someday
Wonderful and beautiful photos! Thanks! I remember learning about the Galapagos Islands as a youngster and thought, even then, what a magical place it must be. It’s on my list of places to see before I die.
Great photos! The Galapagos islands are very high on my list of places to visit!
Gorgeous photos. My biggest regret about our year in South America was not being able to afford the Galapagos. Oh well, it’s an excuse to go back.
I can get you 10% off a Gap Adventures tour if you decide to go!
I love Galapagos Islands….mi país es hermoso…..las fotos están espectaculares….congratulations…
Wow great photos! I’d love to visit Galapagos Islands some day.
Wow, brilliant! I’ve always wanted to go too.
They are gorgeous islands. GO! GO! GO!
Super!! I love the photos. I really like to go to places were there is a lot of wildlife. If I go to the Galapagos, I get crazy running around and taking pictures.
I took about 900 photos in 5 days.
Wonderful photos! My favourite is the Giant Land Iguana – he looks like he’s about to say something really cutting!
I’ve been waiting to see some of these!! Cool pictures
Can’t wait to read more about it!!
More is coming!
The Galapagos was our biggest highlight of our trip around S.A. – an incomparable location for all the reasons you stated.
LOVED the blue footed boobies too – they were so funny!
Blue footed boobies are my favorite!
The young sea lion! Wow. Such a beautiful animal.. I love how close you can get..
They just sort of lay there sleeping. Hardly move.
Thanks for sharing those photos Matt. Did you visit Galapagos on a cruise trip or independently? I did independent trip to Galapagos, traveling between the islands using small boats locals use as public transport, but next time I go to Galapagos (which I hope will happen) I’ll probably try w cruise
I went with Gap Adventures. I find them to be the best tour company and have been using them since I started traveling. I highly recommend them.
OMG! there are soooooooo beautiful.All of them.Someday i will visit this galapagos island.Definitely.Thanks for sharing all those beautiful picture.
Since I knew you were goin to Galapagos I was wating to see the pictures. I live in South America and still didn’t went there, but for sure is on the top of the list!
Thanks for sharing!
Wow !!! so beautiful photos… Blue starfish is so cute..
Stunning Galapagos photos! I just included Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site in my 10 Digital Nomad Blogs You’ll Love.
Thanks so much! That’s awesome.
Dream trip, dream trip! Me and the kids are enjoying your photos, Matt! They got so excited looking at your animal / bird shots. This is really motivating us to save up for a family trip. We’d all rather go here than Disneyland!
The large iguana in your pic is a marine iguana, not a land iguana.. Land iguanas are yellow in color. Marine iguanas are black on all islands except on Espanola where they are black with pink or green spots.. The one in your pic is unmistakably a marine iguana. By the way, loved the islands. We just got back 6 days ago!
Thanks for the clarification. What boat did you go on when you were there? What islands?
Ahhh the tortoise!! Love the pics!
Love the tortoise – they look like such wise, magical animals.
Fantastic photos! I just picked up Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle, and it’s great to see the beauty in color!
What?! I alwayyysss thought the Blue Footed Booby was extinct!! I learned something new today… Haha.
Ive always wanted to go here so much but have heard its becoming quite over-run and almost ruined by tourists and is now almost a moral issue as to whether to go or not? Is going to see a thing you love actually destroying it and only benifiting yourself? Would you agree? Now i don’t know whether i should go or not!
If you visit using a good tour company and leave no trace, then there should be no moral issue. It’s like hiking, leave only footprints.
Galapagos is truly a wonder of nature just pray for that man does not remember it and destroy it has done around the world.
Tks for all the information about Galapagos. It was not easy to find on the net such subject…congratulations
Really amazing photographs, particularly the blue starfish.
We got back from the Galapagos earlier this week and I’m describing the trip.