The Galápagos Islands, located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, remained a closely-guarded natural secret for millions of years. Over that time, the archipelago evolved into a home for an all-star cast of plants and animals. The Archipelago is renowned as an iconic tourist destination – and for many good reasons. It features some of the world’s most unique and endemic wildlife species with lovely beaches .Galapagos is a group of 19 islands, 13 large and 6 small, and dozens of islets and rocks that cover an area of over 17,000 square miles.