20 Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean in South America are a unique place in many ways because they have lots of endemic species. This means that many animals and plants you find there do only exist on the Galapagos Islands and nowhere else in the world. Some of the most famous are the giant Galapagos tortoise, the marine iguana and the Galapagos penguin - the only penguin species to be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, people have brought invasive species like rats to the islands which threatened many native animals to a point where they were almost extinct.

Today the Galapagos Island National Park protects 97% of the archipel and is - to me - a role-model for nature preservation. A trip to the Galapagos Islands is very expensive and takes very long. But it is incredibly exciting and beautiful at the same time.