The name sailors have for the Galápagos Islands may be more descriptive than their true name: "Las Encantadas," or the Enchanted Islands.
They certainly are unique... a laboratory of evolution that Charles Darwin used extensively, and a magnet for eco-tourism today. Science writer Henry Nicholls gives a fresh look at the islands, and the ongoing challenge of balancing their environmental sensitivity with their attractiveness.
Nicholls's book is The Galápagos: A Natural History.