Museum Experience
We are developing a new, state-of-the-art Museum Experience at the Charles Darwin Research Station, in collaboration with world-class partners such as the California Academy of Sciences and Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Powered by Galapagos science and storytelling, the experience will transform wonder into understanding, connection, and action.
Carlos Espinosa-CDF
A RACE AGAINST TIME
Since Darwin’s visit in 1835, the Galapagos Islands have come under increasing pressure from human activity and environmental change. Illegal fishing and invasive species now threaten fragile ecosystems on land and sea, with introduced plants and animals outcompeting native life. As iconic species like giant tortoises, penguins, and marine iguanas face growing risk, the islands’ role as a living laboratory of evolution is at stake.
In the face of these challenges, a powerful Museum Experience is essential to help visitors understand what is at stake, why Galapagos matters, and how science and action can shape its future.
THE EXPERIENCE
Home to some of the most unique biodiversity on the planet, Galapagos inspires hundreds of thousands of visitors each year through ecosystems that retain an extraordinary level of ecological integrity. In 2025 alone, the islands welcomed an estimated 300,000 visitors. For many, this visit is a rare and powerful moment of curiosity and wonder.
The new Museum Experience builds on this moment. It presents Galapagos as a living laboratory, where visitors can explore some of the most urgent challenges facing our planet and the science shaping solutions for the future.
Through immersive storytelling and science-driven insight, the Museum Experience explores:
- Evolution: how nature is formed and continually changes
- Ecology: how life in Galapagos is deeply interconnected
- Threats: how climate change, invasive species, and human pressures impact the islands
- Solutions: how the Charles Darwin Foundation and its partners are protecting Galapagos
- Galapagos 2100: a vision of Galapagos in the year 2100, and what is possible if we work together to safeguard this extraordinary archipelago
The Impact
The Museum Experience is designed to leave a lasting impact on every visitor. Through immersive storytelling and science, guests understand that Galapagos is an iconic global treasure and one of the most important places on Earth for scientific discovery, past and future. They recognize what is at stake and why safeguarding Galapagos requires shared responsibility.
Just as importantly, visitors leave feeling deeply connected to the beauty and significance of Galapagos nature. They are energized by the knowledge that protection is possible, inspired by the essential work of the Charles Darwin Foundation and its Research Station, and motivated to support conservation efforts in Galapagos and beyond.
This is how a single visit becomes a catalyst for understanding, connection, and lasting action.
Juan Manuel Garcia-CDF
Your support is critical
Help us create a lasting legacy that inspires and educates generations to come. Together, we can bring this experience to life and turn moments of wonder into understanding and meaningful action for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
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