Things to do in the Galapagos Islands.

David Orrock, from our supplier Pura Aventura, shares one of his favourite things to do in the Galápagos for culture lovers: “Floreana is particularly interesting. It has a very, very small human population – it's practically a village – but you can stay in a small lodge here and it's all run by the locals. You're there and seeing how people are living in a not entirely hospitable environment. For the first couple of hundred years after Europeans saw the Galápagos, everyone thought it was a ghastly place that no one would ever want to stay in. Its harsh, it's volcanic. The other thing about Floreana is the history, because the first proper settlers there in the early 20th century lived on Floreana and there's great stories about these slightly eccentric Germans and Austrians, and the baroness who had two lovers and one of them was murdered and the other disappeared onto a boat... it's really incredible. On each island you get your own guide and they know the island backwards. People don't really go expecting to hear about the cultural history, and they're really surprised when they do.”

Although meat and seafood are a big part of the diet in Ecuador – the empanadas in the Andes and ceviches along the coast are amazing – it’s not hard to stick to vegetarian or vegan cuisine. That goes double for Galapagos cruise vacations where an onboard kitchen team will take your preferences into account. Expect to encounter a lot of delicious fried plantains and bananas.