City Info
Ecuador | Galapagos

Silvia, internship at the tourist office on the Galapagos Islands: "I think it is great that short-term internships (of 4 weeks) are also possible. This allows the participation of workers like me, who wish to gain experience abroad, but who can't or do not want to leave their job. In my case, (almost) everything with the organisation (work, accommodation, journey) worked out wonderfully, although the people in South America are not very organised (no agenda, a lack of communication etc.). That's why they must be so spontaneous! The services offered by PractiGo are one-of-a-kind. I had been looking for a 4 week internship for a long time, and thanks to the Internet I finally found it. PractiGo arranged the internship exactly to meet my needs, as did the people at my location. My time on the Galapagos Islands was a unique experience. The host family really welcomed me into their home and looked after me in such a caring way that I quickly felt at home and learnt a lot about the lifestyle and culture. My work colleagues were also very friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the work at the tourist board, especially as I could learn Spanish and a lot about the Galapagos at the same time. Although the internship had nothing to do with my usual career, it was worth it. I recommend everyone to live and work in another country at least once in their life, as it is a great personal experience and can also be really useful for your professional career."

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator, approximately 965 kilometres (about 600 miles) west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. The group consists of 13 main islands, 6 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The islands are located at a geological hot spot, a place where the earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes. The oldest island is thought to have formed between 5 and 10 million years ago. The Galápagos archipelago has a population of around 40,000 and the principal language on the islands is Spanish.

The islands are famed for their vast number of endemic species and the studies by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle that contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

The archipelago has been known by many different names, including the "Enchanted Islands," because of the way in which the strong and swift currents made navigation difficult and also because of the beautiful geography and biodiversity.

The Galápagos archipelago is a province of Ecuador, and the islands are all part of Ecuador's national park system. In 1959, the centenary year of Charles Darwin's publication of The Origin of Species, the Ecuadorian government declared 97.5% of the archipelago's land area a national park, excepting areas already colonised. In 1986 the surrounding 70,000 square kilometres (43,496 sq mi.) of ocean was declared a marine reserve, second only in size to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. In 1990 the archipelago became a whale sanctuary. In 1978 UNESCO recognised the islands as a World Heritage Site, and in 1985 a Biosphere Reserve. This was later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve. Currently, most resident scientists pursue conservation goals; most visiting scientists' work is oriented towards pure research

An internship is especially possible in Tourism or Biology. But there are of course other sectors in which we can offer an internship for you on the Galapágos Islands.