After Charles Darwin made the Galapagos Islands world famous (with his studies of the theory of evolution and natural selection on the islands), he was celebrated with an incredible honor: his name on an iconic natural elevation, an arch of rock.

Darwin’s Arch was a famous stop on exploration tours of the Island, it was located in the northwest of the archipelago and was part of Darwin Island. This formation sat on an irregularly submerged rocky plateau, and was nicknamed “the theater”. The incredible thing about this place, beyond this amazing natural structure caused by the natural erosion of the rock, is its underwater life. The diversity of its fauna and flora is an attraction for divers, especially because of the hammerhead sharks and whale sharks; however, diving is the only way to go around the islands and islets, visiting them on foot is prohibited.

On May 17, 2021, the Darwin Arch collapsed. The natural erosion of the rock, due to waves and wind, caused the bridge to fall, changing its form into two towers. The news spread quickly and soon the famous Darwin’s Arch that ceased to exist became the “Pillars of evolution”.

In a statement, the Galapagos Conservancy declared a beautiful truth about the islands: “The beauty of nature lies not in its permanence, but in its constant transformation. Galapagos, more than any other place on Earth, is a symbol of evolution and change, so although we are saddened to lose this iconic structure due to natural erosion, it is a reminder of the power of nature’s architecture and the need to preserve wild places while we still can.”

As long as we continue to take care of it, we will be able to appreciate it up close, each species, each rock is worth the visit. If you keep thinking about visiting, think you’ve waited long enough. Come to the Galapagos, check the itineraries of the Legend, Coral I and Coral II so you can know when you can visit the islands.