Enjoy Amazing Ecuador Jungle Tour

If you have always been fascinated with the amazing rainforests while reading stories about them and watching the location in movies, and have a dream of visiting them, you should search for Galapagos Islands tours that include a visit to the Ecuador jungles. No matter how many excellent photographs or videos you watch, it is just not possible to feel the energy and majesty of a jungle, unless and until you visit it in person. Right from the air, full of humidity and oxygen, which envelops you, to the immensity of trees and the varied kinds of vegetation that surrounds you, the Ecuador rainforest will never fail to fascinate you.

Whether you have visited different jungles across the world for a number of times or are planning a jungle visit for the first time, there are a certain things that you need to keep in mind while deciding your itinerary. To begin with, you have to find what exactly you want the jungle tour to cover and then search for Galapagos Islands vacation packages that fulfill your wishes. Selecting reliable and reputed companies organizing such packages will ensure that you get your money’s worth. Remember that the Amazon rainforest is a place with endless possibilities and you might end up discovering something new and exciting at every single step you take in this dense forest.

Here is a list of the factors that you need to consider while planning an amazing Ecuador jungle tour as part of your Galapagos Islands travel plans –

• Usually, from November or December till June, it is the rainy season in the Amazon rainforest. This is the best time for any sort of kayaking and cruising adventures.
• The forest experiences dry season during the months of July to December. If you want to indulge in activities like watching birds and wildlife, hiking and fishing, consider planning your tour during this season.
• Decide if you will be able to travel on your own or would like to hire the services of any of the reputed Galapagos Islands travel agencies. Although it is possible to travel independently, you might have to face a set of complications unless you have an experienced guide to help you navigate the forest. Even enjoying a wide range of activities will become a cakewalk when you have experienced professionals accompanying you.
• Even when you are traveling on your own, you might need to hire a local tour operator who will help you with some basic facilities like food and drink as well as inland transfers. Hiring a local guide becomes mandatory if you want to visit the remotest areas of the forest. Therefore, while searching for local Galapagos Islands vacation packages, look for the ones that have a local guide who is well versed in Spanish and other indigenous language.
• Consider booking any of the Galapagos Islands vacation packages online as this will help you enjoy plenty of discounts and other benefits, especially when you are booking them well in advance. Make sure you compare the prices and services with different tour operators before choosing one and making the final payment.

There are a number of luxurious lodges in Ecuador that organize such tours. These lodges let you roam around the flooded forests, experience the unique ecosystem of Laguna Grande, witness the amazing variety of birds as well as nocturnal animal in the nightlife tours, visit the lakes by motorized canoes, and observe the exclusive fauna and flora of Amazon rainforest. In case you want to enjoy a luxurious stay during your Ecuador jungle tours, you can search for Galapagos Islands travel agencies that let you stay in these lavish lodges. So, plan well and choose the right one from several Galapagos Islands vacation packages available that ensure an authentic Amazon rainforest tour and a memorable experience for you.

An Encounter with the Flightless Bird at Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands, a part of Ecuador that lies in the waters, is the most famous holiday destination in the world. It is known for the natural beauty, conserved environment and the undiscovered species that lie under the thick forest covers. People have been visiting here mainly to take a look at the scenic beauty, the animals and birds and the different adventurous activities that are organized here. Although a Galapagos Island Tour is thought to be an expensive one, the memorable experience that you will get is worth paying for.

Since these islands are known to be a home of wide range of species that may not be found anywhere else in the world, scientists and research people find this place to be the best to study the existence and the life of different species. Once, Dr. Gustavo Jimenez along with a team from the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park went on an excursion to observe the flightless birds living here.

As they entered the rocky shore of the island, they came across a number of Galapagos Penguins. A few approached them cautiously, a few jumped into the water and the others were behaving quite indifferent with the presence of human beings around them. The team began the journey through Santa Cruz and then to Isabela.

While the team was searching around the coastline cover with lava, they came across penguin nests that had eggs, chicks and even adults. This was a pleasing sight as they were happy to see a number of penguins are still seen around. This was due to the favorable climatic conditions that kept the water cool enough to be a home for the sardines, the main food for penguins. The team then moved on to the Marielas Islands which is located off the west coast of Isabela. This island is known to have the maximum number of penguins found across Galapagos. In order to check the size, weight and population, each penguin was caught individually and tagged so as to maintain the population count. The team caught around 78 penguins out of which 37 were already tagged.

The next plan was to catch and record the existence of Flightless Cormorants. The team visited about three colonies across Punta Espinoza and Fernandina where they were to carry out the similar catch and release activity like they did for the penguins. They caught about 48 Flightless cormorants out of which only 9 were not tagged previously. This was alarming as the team observed that there was a very low population growth in these flightless birds.

The Galapagos Islands are frequently visited by such groups to make sure that the species are safe and the environment is kept favorable for them to live in. Since it is the best place to have a closer look at nature and different creatures, the Galapagos Islands can prove to be a wonderful holiday destination for those who would want to experience it. For all those who are interested in spending a vacation amidst nature, with fun and adventure and also a little educational stuff, the Galapagos Island vacation package is the best that will suit you and your needs!

List 10 of newly discovered species you didn’t Know Exist

We all know that there are varieties of animals, birds and plants that are found across the world. It has been centuries after the world actually came into existence and the first living being was formed. Ever since the first time a living thing wobbled around, there have been a lot of changes in the way things have been looking and the way they are today. There are a number of living things that have come into existence in all these years. We also know that a lot of them have become extinct leaving behind traces to show that they ever existed on planet earth. Years and centuries passed by and still there are lot more species of animals being discovered in different parts of the world. Let us take a look at a few recently discovered species that you might have never heard about before.

1. Caprellidae (Skeleton Shrimps)                                                                        The Caprellidae belong to the family of amphipods and are commonly known as Skeleton Shrimps. As the name states, these are thin string like structure beings that cannot be distinguished when they are hidden among the seaweeds. Since they are said to virtually disappear, they are also known as the ghost shrimps. It was discovered among the various specimens collected from the cave on the island of Santa Catalina near the southern coast of California.

2. Olinguito

The Olinguito is known as the smallest member of the raccoon family. It is known as a secretive tree living carnivore that is the first carnivore to be discovered in the western hemisphere in the past 35 years. There is an Oliguito present at the Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador that has been a species that is said to be a mixture of a raccoon and a teddy bear. Since this animal thoroughly depends on the cloud forest habitat, deforestation has proved to be a threat. You may grab a rare opportunity of spotting them while on Galapagos Ecuador  jungle tours.

3. Andrill Anemone

The Andrill Anemone is a kind of Anemone that was found clinging to the lower side of the sea ice. Unlike the other anemones, this new species were found living upside down and clinging to the lower portion of the ice in Antarctica. These pale yellow bodies were found clinging to the ice while their two dozen tentacles were found dangling in the water below.

4. Domed Land Snail

The Domed Land Snail is a snail that actually does not have the shell pigmentation and hence you will find just a transparent shell like structure around it. These snails were found in complete darkness about 3,000 feet below the surface in the Lukina Jama-Trojana caves in western Croatia. These snails are used to live in the dark and hence they do not have eyes.

5. Amoeboid Protist

This is a single celled organism that is considered to be a giant among the other single celled organisms that are found. This is because although it has a single cell, its size measures up to 4 to 5 centimeters. They were first discovered in underwater caves that are present miles away from the southeast coast of Spain.

6. Orange Penicillium

The Orange Penicillium also known as the Penicillium vanoranjei in scientific terms is a type of a fungus that was first discovered in the soil in Tunisia. It is distinguished from the other fungi due to the bright orange color that it displays while in the colonies.

7. Kaweesak’s Dragon Tree

This is a 12 meter tall tree that is found in the Limestone Mountain region in Loei and Lop Buri areas in Thailand. This tree has long and soft sword like leaves with white edges. This tree has cream colored flowers with bright orange filaments.

8. Leaf Tailed Gecko

A leaf tailed gecko is a lizard like animal that has a short tail shaped like a leaf. This species is said to be endemic to Madagascar, i.e. it is found only there and in no other place in the world. It is not an easy task to spot a leaf tailed Gecko as it has a sleek body with large eyes and a color that can help it to blend with the surroundings. It is usually found in the rainforests and rocky regions. Since, only a few leaf tailed geckos could actually be spotted, it is considered to be a rare species.

Tinkerbell Fairyfly

The Tinkerbell Fairyfly which is known to be counted among the smallest insects is just about 250 micrometers small. This species has been seen as an addition to the 1400 or so already known species of the family. The Tinkerbell fairyfly was found at the LaSelva Biological Station in Costa Rica.

The discovery of these new species has given us a hope that this is not the end! There is a lot more that nature can offer us with. Change in climatic conditions and the evolution in various present species has been bringing about changes and discovery of many such species. Keep an eye on all that you see! You never know it may just move and that could be a new discovery for the world to know!

 

Why Galapagos’ wildlife delight tourist?

The Galapagos Islands, located just a few miles away from the mainland of Ecuador is known for the wildlife and the variety of plants seen there. It is this scenic beauty that is mainly responsible for the great naturalist, Charles Darwin to state the theory of Evolution. There are a number of things that further to contribute to make this group of islands a favorite holiday destination for adventure enthusiasts. The different species of flora and fauna, many among which are still are not discovered make them a unique place where you will be introduced to a completely new world of nature.

Apart from the natural beauty found on these islands, there are a number of adventurous sports that has been another reason for which people prefer Galapagos Islands tours. The encounter with various animals and birds such as the marine and the land iguanas, the giant tortoises, the blue-footed and the red-footed boobies and many more that are still undiscovered is what is attracting people to come to this place.

The tour agents at Galapagos also offer a variety of exciting activities such as snorkeling, sunbathing, swimming, kayaking and many more that you can select from. These activities are organized to give you a lifetime experience that you would never get an opportunity to experience. Concentrating on the wildlife that is known to be the main attraction for tourists here, we could just think about the various animals, plants or even birds that are being discovered in recent times.

Snorkeling in the Galapagos islands islands

A well arranged Galapagos Island Tour will take you across the islands that have a lot to offer. You are given the opportunity to take a closer look into the lives of these never seen before species that will amaze you by the way they live and have fun across the islands. The place is just a perfect blend of land and water, picturesque areas that are best suitable for all adventure sports and activities that are conducted here.

 

 

 

 

 

The Galapagos Islands are a place you would surely love to visit. It has got so many reasons to make you smile and experience a memorable tour that will get you introduced to many different things that you might never have experienced and would want to see once in your lifetime. It is truly said “A Galapagos Island Tour is worth the time and the money you put in because you will experience an all together a new world that will never be found elsewhere!”

 

 

Facts about Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands – [PPT]

Charles Darwin’s Young Age photograph

Charles Robert Darwin the naturalist and the biologist is famous for his “Theory Of Evolution”. Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on 12th February 1809. He came from a long line of family of scientist, his father R. W. Darwin was famous doctor and his grandfather was botanist. From childhood Darwin had fond of exploring the nature, studying animals and observing their behavior was his niche of interest. Darwin’s father thought he will follow his steps and will be a medical doctor, but at the age of 18 Darwin took admission to Christ’s college for Bachelor of Arts.

In 1831 Darwin started his famous five year survey voyage around the world. The main aim was to study and research on zoology. Darwin visited Galapagos Islands while on voyage and did study on finches and the giant tortoises.

Darwin found that there was difference in the appearance of the animals of the same species depending on their habitat; from this research he came up with the most revolutionary theory science has ever seen “The Theory Of Evolution”.

Blue Footed Booby Mating Dance

He is going to be a tough competition to PSY Gangnam Style !!!

Related articles

• Picture of the day: Blue footed boobie at Galapagos (explorerray.com)
• A short video: Blue footed booby fishing outside Galapagos (explorerray.com)

R.I.P. Lonesome George – The only remaining Galapagos Tortoise who is no more

I terribly miss the moment when I visited Galapagos Islands last year. I had the privilege to meet George – the last one of its kind. Sharing this video from a subscribed channel..

Please share this post if you like it and keep this unique animal in your memories !!!

A tribute to Lonesome George who died in June… by Nature Galapagos & Ecuador

Lonesome George Might Not Be the Last Pinta Island Tortoise of Its Kind (via SBWire)

Tourists coming to Ecuador still may have scope to stare at Extinct Galapagos Tortoises as scientists are now planning to revive the Floreana island tortoise and the Pinta Island tortoise from hybrid breeds . Quito, Quito Canton — (SBWIRE) — 09/04…

---