Galápagos Islands

Five hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador, the Galápagos archipelago exists on its own terms. Volcanic, raw, and breathtakingly alive, these islands have been shaped by forces of nature so powerful and so isolated that the creatures who call them home evolved in ways found absolutely nowhere else on Earth. Here, snorkel with green sea turtles, walk among marine iguanas, and swim alongside playful sea lions — creatures so unthreatened by human presence they simply go about their day.

Aboard the expedition ship La Pinta, island-hop from the wildlife-packed shores of North Seymour to the pristine volcanic landscape of Fernandina — one of the most untouched environments on Earth — and on to the giant tortoises of Santa Cruz. Join Hidden Brain host and award-winning alum Shankar Vedantam, MA '93, on this unique journey around the Galapagos Islands and explore the connections between human behavior and Darwin's ideas about natural selection.