We have lost the last giant tortoise of a unique species (Geochelone Abingdon) a male called by the Galapagos National Park Lonesome George, he was found over 44 years ago in Pinta Island when an expedition was set to find survivors of this particular giant tortoises species that where assume already extinct, then during the expedition in 1972 one of the rangers Fausto Llerena found a male.

Not another single tortoise was found and the expedition returned to Santa Cruz Island with the only survivor of its species Lonesome George from that moment on, the Charles Darwin station a scientific organization created to research, study and the restoration of the fauna and flora of the archipelago began with an ambitious project the reproduction of Lonesome George, the giant was placed in corral made of volcanic rock inside the Charles Darwin Station, shortly after a female from other species  originally from  the volcano wolf on Isabela Island  was also placed inside the same corral, after 15 years of  research, study and lots of patience Lonesome George finally mated with her companion, the event was very encouraging for everyone who was involve in the project but the hope of saving a whole species was eradicated, the eggs the female had lay where never fertilized and the hatching  of the eggs never came it was disappointing for the project.

They keep on trying and few other females from Española Island which were closer genetically to the iconic giant were place in the corral but they never mate till the day of its dead on June 25th 2012.

The giant was famous all over the world and every visitor that had come to Galapagos had stop by its corral to admire the last specimen of its kind, now after its dead the giant´s body will be embalmed   for future generations to admire it and to remind us that we need to change our way of relating with our environment we need to start before is to late even for us just like it was for this special creature.

Lonesome George´s dead is tragic not only because a whole species had disappear is also a lesson of how fragile our world is and how our impact through centuries of abuse from mankind towards our planet and its fragile ecosystems, creatures and resources. From Pirates to whalers the giant tortoises had suffer man´s devastation and now on 2012 after almost 3 centuries from the discovery of the islands and its unique creatures we finally manage to place another species on our extinction list, this should be a wakeup call for us.

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The Galapagos National Park and other governmental institutions have decided to shift to 15 days cruising itineraries. This new regulation will run from January 2012, its main goal is to protect the fragile ecosystem of the visiting sites from tourism overcharge. In the past decades, most yachts operating in the Galapagos follow set itineraries given by the Galapagos National Park with cruising options from 4 days/3 nights, 5 days/4 nights and 8 days/7 nights allowing the yacht’s operator the opportunity to exchange passengers in the mid week. Passengers who had booked 8 days cruises had the opportunity to see more visiting sites at the Islands.

The main reason of the new regulation is aiming to a more eco friendly tourism activity at the islands by spreading all the yachts cruising in Galapagos. The park service is expecting to withdraw the tourist over charge in most existing visiting sites, also the park service will be opening new visiting sites to balance the itinerary. This means that travelers will enjoy less crowded visiting sites, and will have the opportunity to see more of the islands wonder’s that where not open to tourism before this new regulation.

New Itineraries will be a 15 day/ two week cycle with no visiting sites repetition rather than the one week cycle of the traditional itinerary currently used by most yachts. Yacht’s operators will be able to book for the entire cycle, the two weeks for those clients wishing to visit the entire archipelago or divide the cycle into two or three options. The advantages for exclusive charters that now days are starting to be more usual at the archipelago, will also translate into more visiting sites options for private and exclusive clients who are often more demanding.

The advantages to the ecosystem of the new itinerary are worth the effort, by shifting to this new option fragile visiting sites will have a chance to recover in a long term from the tourism overcharge. This doesn’t only applies to land sites but as well to snorkeling and diving sites that have been visited many years interruptedly having a negative impact on the marine and land life at the visiting sites. During the past two decades tourism traffic has increase dramatically and the Galapagos National Park effort to maintain the sites have been enormous by doubling the itinerary’s length. The traffic is expected to be reduce at least to half of what is today, the impact this will have on the ecosystem will not only be positive is now days a necessity and our responsibility if we wish to keep the Galapagos Islands as it is for future generations. Any type of regulation aiming to conservation and a more sustainable tourism activity at this unique natural paradise will not only benefit the ecosystem, but the visitor as well who will have the extraordinary opportunity to visit new sites that where not open in the past as well as less crowded visiting excursions.

Galapagos belongs to the world and the new upcoming generations should have the opportunity to enjoy this paradise, is our duty to do everything that is on our hands to maintain and protect its unique beauty.

Most yacht brokers know very little about the Galapagos Islands and consider them as a complicated destination. In order to understand how Galapagos works we need to go back few years into the past. 97.5% of the Galapagos Islands surface was declare a national park by the Ecuadorian government in 1959 and in 1986 the 70.000 square kilometers surrounding the archipelago were declare a marine reserve. The status of the Galapagos Islands as a national park was complemented with several regulations for the tourism activities.

Galapagos is well known around the world for its unique ecosystem and most people had heard about them at some point. The tourism activities within the protected areas are regulated by the national park administration, the park is responsible to enforce the rules at all levels.

Many tour operators claim to be the yachts owner and this is far from being truth, the main problem is that there is not an association who will regulate prices and service onboard the yachts operating at the archipelago and the competition is brutal; the lack of reliable information is the main reason why yacht brokers have that perception of Galapagos in addition to the mess on the internet where hundreds of web pages sell the same yachts with different prices and they all claim them self’s as the yachts operator, this whole scenario makes Galapagos less attractive for yacht brokers who are not willing to take the risk on a destination where basic things are not that clear. Logistics at the Islands are also a complication; everything is shipped from mainland Ecuador and there is certain produces that are forbidden to enter the archipelago due to conservation policies.

Companies like Galapagos Luxury Charters are trying to educate yacht brokers giving them real information on how the destination works. G.L.C has been working with yacht brokers explaining and assisting them on what to do in order to have successful charters at this unique destination, taking care of all necessary logistics and upgrading the yacht’s service with a professional bilingual staff. Galapagos Luxury Charters knows both the Galapagos Islands regulations and the luxury yachting industry needs, making us an exceptional allied for yacht brokers wishing to include this wonderful islands on their charter destination list.

Traditional yacht charter locations like the Caribbean are consider exquisite and exiting settings for a perfect vacation, the mixture of cultures, white sand beaches, and amazing natural anchorage sites makes it desirable for anyone wishing to get away from the mundane city rush and spend a memorable time with family and friends; on the other hand less known charter destinations like the Galapagos Islands offer a special experience to the visitor. Incredible natural settings, unique wildlife preserve untouched welcomes the adventurer and embraces them with joy; snorkeling with juvenile sea lions playing around, ancient giant tortoises sharing a look of wisdom and mystery with the traveler, prehistoric marine iguanas who had witness wild volcanic eruptions and new islands raising above the sea level, are unique to this fragile ecosystem.

The Galapagos Islands are an Ecuadorian National Park therefore they are protected by the government; regulations and rules must be followed by every visitor regardless they charter a yacht or they visit the islands on land base tours. The only yachts that are available for charter at the Islands are the ones from the local fleet currently operating at the archipelago. Private yachts can cruise the Galapagos after they have been granted a permit to do so, all yachts cruising in the Galapagos Islands have a set itinerary given by the Galapagos national park , even the private yachts must followed this rule. Where as in the Caribbean any yacht can cruise and charter in most Islands, there are not set itineraries and regulations more than the mandatory migration procedures for each nation. Both destinations are worth the try, one should always evaluate what kind of vacation is seeking adventure or a relaxing escape from the daily normal routine places like the Caribbean and the Galapagos Islands have so much to offer that shouldn’t be so difficult to decide where your next Yacht Charter Vacation will take place, certainly both places are on everyone’s must do list.

Exotic destinations around the globe rather than the traditional ones are now days more desirable by luxury travelers. High end exotic destinations are getting more inquiries than ever before; most of those destinations had set eyes on the yacht charter industry, among them the Galapagos Islands. Located on the Equator in the vast Pacific Ocean the archipelago has a unique and fragile ecosystem, no other destination compares to the Galapagos Islands, due to their status as a National Park and Marine Reserve completely protected by the government of Ecuador who has kept the 90% of this paradise untouched by human’s settlements and pollution.

Yacht Charters in the Galapagos are starting to be very popular as an option to spend a memorable vacation with family and friends in an environment friendly setting, where one can enjoy nature in its purest state. Galapagos Yacht Charters are frequently booked from December to May and in special dates like Easter however the weather in this part of the world is very benign through out the year since the archipelago is sitting on the equator, visitors can enjoy good conditions at any given time.

The regulations set by the Ecuadorian Government and the Galapagos National Park are aim to conservation and to protect the local human population economy. Therefore, the Yachts that are allow to cruise the islands and do tourism activities must have Ecuadorian flag and they need a special permit for this activity. Most of the yachts based in the islands are for sixteen passengers and they must have an Ecuadorian crew onboard. These regulations had kept big cruise liner companies from exploiting the unique destination, but also from the luxury yachting industry. Today super yachts can only visit the Galapagos Islands under special conditions and permits given by the Galapagos National Park & Ecuadorian government; they can not do commercial charter activities. This situation leaves us with the local fleet operating in the Islands, most of the vessels have been constructed in mainland Ecuador-Guayaquil, all of them comply with the highest security standards set by the international marine organization and the Ecuadorian navy some are more luxurious than others and they operate under different categories from luxury to economic class. Guayaquil is the main Ecuadorian Harbor; the city has a close relation with the maritime industry. Yacht construction is in constant evolution new yachts are being built for tourism purposes with the latest technologies, this means the Galapagos Islands local Fleet will keep evolving into more efficient, environmental friendly and luxurious Yachts available for upcoming charters.

Chartering a yacht in the Galapagos requires special care in selecting the right yacht for your cruise, companies like www.galapagosluxurycharters.com offer the most exclusive yachts operating at the Galapagos Islands and will personalized the service onboard with a special staff  just for your charter, they can arrange any special request for your Galapagos Yacht Charter.

The death of our beloved “Lonesome George” has shocked the world. His age was estimated 100 years which may seem old in human years but is actually middle-aged for giant tortoises. George, the last surviving member of the Pinta Island subspecies (Chelonoidis abingdoni) received his nickname of “Lonesome George” after years of unsuccessful attempts to breed him by conversations at the Charles Darwin Station.

The biologist Joseph Vagvolgyi discovered George in 1971, it was the last endemic specie of the Pinta Island. Today, there are about 20,000 giant tortoises remaining on the islands and a few hybrid species of Pinta Islands breed.

Galapagos scientists and Ecuadorian government are working hard to keep alive  George’s legacy  in some form.

Among the tortoise population research is being conducted to find and breed other hybrids of his subspecies.

As Galapagos Luxury Charters it is our hope  that his death will raise awareness of the ever increasing need for conservation in the Galapagos Islands. Good bye  Lonesome George, we will miss you.

A private and exclusive charter through the enchanted Galapagos Islands is an unforgettable experience. Nowhere else in the world offers such unique blend of relaxation and adventure. While island hopping through this stunning archipelago in luxury and style, you’ll discover some of the world’s most unique wildlife such as marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Snorkel or dive with playful sea lions and Galapagos penguins, then step onshore the volcanic islands to visit the giant tortoises and lava lizards.