Galapagos Cruise Ship Ratings 2023
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Recommended reading: Wonderful Pictures of the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos islands, located close to 600 miles west of the region of South America, is fairly possibly the absolute best location to watch evolution in all of its purely natural glory.
Called, in Spanish language, after the animal that is definitely the most famous of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers many clusters of minor dainty islands which are born of undersea volcanoes eruptions.
Positioned on the equator, the Galapagos gains all the bonuses of this overseas location because the 16 islands have warm weather conditions all year long! If that wasn’t good enough they are at the crossroads for 2 extremely important trade winds: The North East trade winds (from North & Central America) and the South East trade winds (coming from South America). These winds are likely what initiated the influx of self-sufficient life on the island chain – and are considered to have been the agent responsible for the large woods spreading over the higher slopes of the islands.
These island of significant natural beauty have generated the evolution of countless diverse, and pretty rare, habitats which have in turn granted the native wildlife, both plants and creatures likewise, to change in manners that quite simply has some experts stunned.
The rest of the Galapagos chain is yet another scenario of rare, inter-dependent, as well as quite beautiful fauna.
Galapagos Weather by Month
Because of the confluence of cold waters currents from the west and the south, the Galapagos has an strange dry and gentle weather for the tropics and is commonly classified as sub-tropical. As a result Galapagos vacation a year-round family vacation possibility. Galapagos climate is considered equatorial, refrigerated because of the Humboldt Current, and is characterized by two main conditions:
The warm, wet period
Late December to June is definitely the hot and wet season, with March and April typically remaining the hottest and wettest weeks. Close to December, the trade winds go down and the weather equator changes south towards the Galapagos, producing the westward-flowing current to slow down, lowering the upwelling and enabling hotter water coming from the Panama Current to bathe archipelago. Galapagos weather conditions are characterized by rain clouds which develop once the inversion layer breaks down, along with the air heats up and rises, resulting in daily afternoon rains. Even in this season; interestingly, the small hills obtain restricted rainfall.
The colder, dry season
This time of year, generally known as the “garua season” runs from the later part of June to December, when it is comparatively cool and dry with increased overcast atmosphere and infrequent drizzle or mist during the day. August is the coolest month. Throughout this dry season, Galapagos climate is relaxing, the water temperatures are lower and you will find generally clouds on the greater hills. Line of sight is often lower in the water as a result of plankton blossom, but this combination of conditions produces a much bigger action in the water and food is abounding. Simply because Galapagos climate is not too hot during this time of year, it is also the reproduction time period for many sea birds and shore birds, iguanas, sea lions and fur seals.
The Islands are famous for their unique vegetation and vast number of native species existing nowhere else on the planet. These include; reddish and blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, giant colorful tortoises, flamingos in addition to sea and marine iguanas.
You may also match your unforgettable cruise experience with a few extra nights at Galapagos hotels to enjoy the calmness and tranquility of these enchanted islands. Prior or after your Galapagos cruise, you can reserve one of our recommended resorts in the main Islands of the Archipelago. We’ve selected for you some of the best hotels in the Galapagos. Each resort provides excellent services, a friendly atmosphere, and comfortable rooms for relaxation and rest.
We also have an attractive alternate to unite the experience, as like the cruises, we’ve got different price ranges based on what you require. We provide the combined hotel and cruise packages to the Galapagos Islands. Our combined tours are the perfect way to see all the main attraction of the Galapagos, and enjoy a stay in some great accommodations. Each of tours provides trips in the Islands where an English-speaking naturalist will come together to pass along advice and answer all of your questions. We provide several tours selected for you in order to fit all your particular needs.
The Way to Access to the Galapagos Islands
The Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport at Guayaquil (GYE) receives flights out of U.S. cities of Miami and New York, European cities of Amsterdam and Madrid, and important cities of Central and South America. Mariscal Sucre International Airport of Quito (UIO) receives flights from the U.S. via Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami and New York; from Europe via Madrid and Amsterdam; also from several major cities in Central and Southern America. We recommend you to arrive at Ecuador at least 2 days ahead of your Galapagos Cruise begins and grab your international flight home at least 2 days following your stay in the Galapagos. It’s possible to take benefit of these two times by visiting Quito, Guayaquil, or their surroundings. As soon as you have your trip to mainland Ecuador, getting into the Galapagos Islands is simple. Located nearly 1,000 km (600 miles) off of Ecuador’s coast, the only way to travel is by plane. Whether from Quito or Guayaquil, there are numerous flights every day that take passengers to the archipelago. You can land on Baltra Island or in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island. TAME, AVIANCA and LAN will be the airlines which run these routes. If you’re flying from Quito, you’ll almost certainly have a short stop in Guayaquil on your way into the islands. Reserve your Galapagos tour before you buy flight tickets to ensure correct dates. Check with your Galapagos tour or cruise company for information on booking your trip to the Galapagos including optimal arrival days to the Islands based on cruise/program plans.
Most of tourists traveling in Galapagos are surprised to be greeted by desert-like vegetation–many are anticipating a continuation of the lush greenery that they observed on mainland Ecuador. In fact, the majority of the archipelago’s land area is covered by the brown and gray vegetation frequently located in deserts. The Galapagos Islands are situated in the Pacific Dry Belt, also in average years just the highest altitudes of the bigger islands get enough rain to support tropical plant life.
Geologically talking, the islands are young, and much of the island’s vegetation demonstrates this fact; several species appear to be in the midst of the evolutionary changes, which makes classifying them a difficult endeavor. So far, the islands are believed to be home to between 552 and 614 indigenous species of vascular plants and roughly 825 introduced species, nearly all introduced by people. More than 100 of the introduced species have become established in the wild, with many of these exceptionally invasive and of big concern. Three introduced plant species have been eradicated. Mainland Ecuador, on the other hand, has approximately 20,000 species. The discrepancy between species number on the Islands and the southern highlights the fact that the Galapagos Islands are separated from the continent with a hostile saltwater barrier reducing the potential for arrival and, once a plant has arrived, establishment is difficult due to the harsh environment. It’s worthy of notice that more than 30% of indigenous plant species located in Galapagos are endemic (not found anywhere else in the world).
Coastal plants are observed in the narrow zone close to the shore and are distinctive due to their tolerance to sour conditions. Mangrove trees are among the most frequent plants found in this zone, and they serve a significant function since the breeding sites for many birds, such as pelicans and frigate birds. They also provide much needed shade regions for iguanas and sea lions, as well as refuges for sea turtles.
The dry area has become easily the most broad zone in Galapagos and is comprised of plant species which are highly adapted to drought-like conditions, such as succulent cacti and leafless shrubs that blossom and grow leaves just in the short rainy season.
Located over the dry zones would be the very green and lush, humid zones. The humid zone is only located on the larger, higher islands. Nearly all islands in the archipelago don’t rise in elevation over the arctic zone.
GALAPAGOS CRUISES 2024
NEMO 3
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