Following in Darwin's footsteps in Galapagos visit

Climbing onto Bartolome felt like landing on the moon. We hiked up a wooden staircase to the peak, some 120 yards (meters) up the volcanic cone, which was topped with a small lighthouse. The reward was a breathtaking view.

We then sailed around the corner to Pinnacle Rock, a spearheaded obelisk that juts out from an adjoining land mass and is the best-known landmark of the Galapagos. We went snorkeling in the rain, spotting penguins, octopus, blue-spotted fish, starfish and even a huge lobster as we swam to a beach. We were soaked by the storm on our way back to the dock, but we enjoyed another lunch of grilled fish as we sailed back to port for the last time before flying off to the Ecuadorian capital of Quito the next day.

If You Go...

GALAPAGOS: Visitor numbers are limited and access is regulated, so a packaged tour or cruise is a must. Rates vary depending on time of year, length of stay and type of accommodations. Ecuador's official tourist site - Ecuador.travel — offers basic information and sample pricing at http://bit.ly/pKrDqK. One website for U.S.-based tour operators is http://www.discovergalapagos.com.

GETTING THERE: Fly from Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador, to the Galapagos islands of Baltra or San Cristobal. A $100 per-person fee ($50 for children) is required at the airport for access to the Galapagos National Park, http://www.galapagospark.org/.

CHARLES DARWIN FOUNDATION: http://www.darwinfoundation.org/english/pages/index.php