The Galapagos Islands are a nature lover's paradise. Isolated from the mainland for thousands of years, some of the most unusual species in the world evolved here, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and even the world's only equatorial penguin. The islands comprise the Galapagos National Park and were recently named a "World Heritage Site". Nearly all uninhabited, these islands can only be visited with a certified naturalist guide on one of the Galapagos yachts approved by the park service.