The Galápago Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km (525 nmi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000. The archipelago constists of 14 main islands (5 are populated) and over 100 small and mini islands.
The first crude navigation chart of the islands was made by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684. He named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after the British noblemen who helped the privateer’s cause. More recently, the Ecuadorian government gave most of the islands Spanish names. While the Spanish names are official, many users (especially ecological researchers) continue to use the older English names, principally because those were the names used when Charles Darwin visited.
Options for flying into the Galapagos is limited to two islands San Cristobal and Balta. Balta is for private aircraft as it is the airport equipped with overnight plane accommodations. Balta airport was recently renovated to accommodate larger private planes. Until 2006 the only way to visit was on a private Boat based tour. These Boat hotels are the main source of overnight accommodations in the Galapagos. These are yachts and ships equipped for overnight guests, but are limited by the government to less than 100 passengers. In 2006 the Balta military governed island, was opened up to limited overnight camping. Balta also requires permits by the military government for overnight habitation on the beach. Other inhabited islands also allow camping on the beaches designated as “recreational” use to the locals. All of these camping accommodations are limited to number of people and nights, with most nights not to exceed 3.
Land based hotels are opening on the inhabited islands of San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Balta and Isabela. Hotels are limited to guests per night and per room. As the impact to local area has not been assessed yet the limitations for land based hotels is strict and expensive compared to the Boat Hotels. There are only 116 visitor sights in the Galapagos, these include 54 land sights and 62 water sights. Small groups are allowed to visit in 2-4 hour shifts only to limit impact on the area.
