Most people who go to the Galápagos Islands are there to see the wildlife. On my recent five-day cruise with Hurtigruten Expeditions, the passengers chattered about which animals they were most excited to see. Birders, binoculars in hand, anticipated a flightless cormorant sighting. I dreamed of swimming with a marine iguana. And everybody wanted to see the iconic blue-footed boobies do their mating dance.
Africa has its Big 5 of charismatic megafauna. But in the Galápagos, wildlife enthusiasts relish the scaly, smooth, or feathered glory of the Big 15. Here’s what you can see if you visit these remote islands 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.