Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
I still find it hard to believe how amazing it is here. The Galapagos Islands, actually the tips of underwater volcanoes, lie some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Surrounded by empty sea, their complete isolation means that many of the species found on them are endemic- all the reptiles, half the birds, a third of the plants and a quarter of the fish are completely unique to the area. From ancient giant tortoises with shells rising higher than your hip lumber...