As part of the Galapagos National Park Regulations, a naturalist guide will join you along your whole visit to the Islands. He or she will inform you about what is allowed or not during the visit. We need you to follow the rules to preserve , for future visitors, the paradise you are enjoying.

If your plan is travel to Galapagos Islands without hiring a naturalist guide, you need to keep in mind the next rules and regulations:

	Do not disturb or remove plants, rocks or animals from the islands.
	Be aware of not transporting alive animals to the islands. Verify you are not carrying insects or seed in your clothes before you land.
	Do not touch the animals.
	Do not feed the animals.
	Always stay inside the routes designed for tourists.
	Always stay next to your guide.
	Do not frighten any animal or bird from its nest or resting place. Be extremely careful inside or around reproduction colonies.
	Do not go through any bushes (specially blackbery plants). This will destroy plants life and you could get seeds attached to your body.
	Do not litter while on land or sea.
	Do not buy souvenirs made with parts of native animals, coral or plants, except some kind of wood.
	Do not write on rocks, destroy plants or rocks on the Islands.
	Please notify to the authorities if you see damage been made.
	Conservation is everyone’s business. Please do not hesitate to show your conservationist attitude.

The park was established on 14 May 1936 by Executive Decree No. 31 and ratified on 4 July 1959 by Decree No. 17, Official Registry No. 873.

At that time the boundary of the national park was fixed to include all Galapagos Islands, except those which had already been colonised as of 20 July 1959. After final establishment of the boundaries in 1968, 97% of the land area of the archipelago was included in the park.

The Galapagos Islands were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978 and were internationally recognised as a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1984.

Galapagos yacht sun deckIn 1986, the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve (GMRR) was established including all waters within 15 nautical miles (40 Km) of a baseline joining the outermost points of the Galapagos Islands.

This was upgraded to a Biological Reserve of Marine Resources in December 1996.

The Galapagos National Park contributes to the development of the insular region in accordance with the characteristics and capacity of the unique Galapagos ecosystems.