The Galapagos Islands are found in the Eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. The closest land mass to the Islands is Ecuador. The way to get to the islands is to get a way to get to Ecuador and then take a boat ride to Galapagos. It's about $190 per person to get there. You can stay in the many hotels on the islands which can range from $200-$400. While you're there you can visit the many islands and beaches, you can actually visit Charles Darwin's research center.
The islands were discovered in 1535 by Father Tomas Berlanga, who the bishop of Panama who was sailing to Peru before getting off course. It was rare for people to go to the island, the only people who really landed there were pirates looking for refuge. There's a possibility that the islands were discovered 60 earlier by an Inca King, Tupac Yupanqui. Soon people from England started to come to Galapagos Islands to take the tortoises. Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1935, he noticed that the tortoises were disappearing and hundreds of people were already living there. He stayed there studying the animal life and plants.