Also known as “the enchanted islands”, Galapagos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is the most unique living museum of evolutionary changes with a variety of exotic species endemic to the Archipelago. The Charles Darwin Research Station has been revolutionary in supporting the continuing work of scientists from all over the world and in developing our understanding of life on earth. The animals you see are so different from anywhere else in the world and are seemingly undaunted by human presence. Maintaining the ecological balance on the island is imperative and achieved with no outside species having being introduced. The animal life includes the giant Galapagos tortoise, a variety of birds and marine mammals such as iguanas, sea lions, dolphins, whales and a great range of fish. The range of flora includes mangroves and endemic cacti on the island of Santa Cruz, and on other islands you will find enormous variations in flora, from the cacti of the dry areas on the smaller, flat islands to rainforest and ferns in the more mountainous and volcanic areas.