7-Nights Galapagos Ocean Cruise Multi-Adventure Tour from $12,199

Puerto Ayora is located on the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is a charming port town where sea, sun, seabirds and sailboats coexist. On the town's outskirts are the headquarters to the world-renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. Many travelers just pass through on the way to see Lonesome George (a 150-year old tortoise; the last of his species) at Darwin Station. Puerto Ayora is a lively seaside town offering international cuisine, oceanfront hotels, outdoor bars, scuba diving schools and an avenue of boutiques with everything from tie-dyed sarongs to Panama hats. Relish the Islands' crescent slices of sand, spectacular diving, mountain top vistas, and tropical climate. Visit select islands and choose from an array of outdoor activities, such as kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding and mountain biking. Puerto Ayora provides the most convenient base for island hopping. Three boats, the Delphin, Esmeraldas III and Santa Fe, offer day trips to Florena, Bartoleme, North Seymore and Plazas.

Here, the Charles Darwin Station offers insight into ongoing research and conservation in the Galapagos. Also located on this island is Cerro Dragon, one of the best places to spy land iguanas.

Among the many sights of this island is Punta Suarez, a rocky point of land where guests may observe various colonies of sea birds as well as other fauna found nowhere else on the planet.

Located off the northern tip of Baltra, this island is home to the largest colony of frigate birds in the Galapagos, as well as blue-footed boobies and playful sea lions.