Friends and readers often ask us about the Galápagos. Is it worth the expense, they say. Would you recommend going?

The truth is it’s hard to encourage people to visit when we’ve seen first hand the damaging effects of human presence on the islands. Equally, it’s hard to discourage people from visiting because a) it would be hypocritical and b) underneath the frenzied tourism lies a unique destination with some of the best beaches we’ve seen and the best diving we’ve ever done (sharks, rays, sea lions and turtles). Clearly, the islands are worth a visit.

We were recently reminded of this dilemma when we stumbled upon an infographic listing 10 places to see before they’re gone. The graphic is a few years old but remains largely relevant today.

We’ve seen five out of 10 of these places and would love to see the rest. The question is: should we? While most of the items on the list are threatened by general environmental factors and not pure tourism, the reality is that tourism doesn’t help. With this in mind, we pose one question to our readers below.

Source: Daily Infographic

Lead image: Atlas & Boots