If you have no exciting vacation plans coming up, don't fret: Google Street View has you covered. It'll soon take you on a virtual journey through the Galápagos Islands.
The virtual views won't be live until later this year, but Google will then take you on a trip through these Pacific islands via Street View, as explained in the video above. The Guardian reported that a team of hikers captured the panoramic images on the Galápagos Islands by using 42-pound, backpack orb cameras and underwater gear.
These special backpack-mounted street view cameras from Google -- called the Trekker -- feature 15 lenses that are controlled by an Android device. The cameras automatically capture photos about every 2.5 seconds, and then they're stitched together to create panoramic images.
This team of hikers captured 360-degree panoramas of natural formations, wildlife (including some underwater) and the environment around the Galápagos Islands.
This project is not only meant for a virtual travel adventure, but also for some useful science. The Charles Darwin Foundation, The Catlin Seaview Survey and the Galapagos National Parks Directorate are going to use these captured images to study the environments and see how they change over time.
"We truly believe that in order to protect these Galápagos Islands, we must understand them," Raleigh Seamster, project lead at Google Maps, wrote in a blog post. "As they say, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'"
Charles Darwin would be so proud.