Gardner Bay's long curve of white-sand beach is a pretty sweet place to spend the day.  

Each morning on a Galapagos cruise, guests wake up to another incredible sunrise over yet another unique island. This one: the island of Bartolome.  

Frigate birds puff out their bright red pouches to attract a mate. Maybe this fellow got lucky later in the day.  

Yes, blue-footed boobies have remarkable, memorable blue feet.  

These lovebirds are a pair of waved albatross on Espanola, courting after spending the first years of their lives out on the open ocean.  

On the island of Santa Cruz, visitors stop at the Darwin Research Center where residents like this land iguana are part of efforts to increase declining populations.  

Small gems of hotels can be found on several islands in the Galapagos, like the Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge on Santa Cruz.  

No matter where you are in the Galapagos Islands, wildlife is nearby—even lounging by your hotel pool.  

You can see these gentle giants in the wild in the highlands of Santa Cruz, lumbering slowly along forest trails.  

Looking like a cross between a Star Trek alien and Godzilla, the marine iguanas of the Galapagos, like this one from the island of Santiago, are the only ocean-going iguanas in the world.  

Just one of the many evocative creatures that populate what appears at first glance to be a barren landscape but that is, in fact, a startlingly rich and diverse habitat.  

Only about three to four percent of red-footed boobies are white, like this one on Genovese.  

Sea lions are abundant in the Galapagos, and although they're sweet looking and unafraid of humans, it's important to remember that they are wild animals.  

The hike up to the top of Bartolome is well worth the effort, for panoramic views like this one.  

On any given day of a Galapagos cruise, you're likely to get a photo op like this one, where a sea turtle and Sally Lightfoot crab are having a stare-down.