For more than 20 years, National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions have collaborated to connect curious travellers with transformative experiences. These pioneers defined modern expedition travel, and now they are setting new standards with immersive and illuminating voyages led by passionate expedition teams - veteran and local naturalists and photographers who are explorers at heart.

In the 1960s, the Galápagos Islands were known around the world as the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, but the destination had only been seen by a privileged few. Explorer Lars-Eric Lindblad was lured by the prospect of witnessing Darwin’s famous finches and other creatures that illustrate the power of evolution in isolation.

Astounded by what he found there, Lindblad recognised the potential for tourism in the archipelago and was compelled to share its wonders—and so, he took the first international tourists to Galápagos in 1967. He had a vision for travel that was grounded in sustainability, long before the green travel movement was mainstream.