Best Luxury Galapagos Cruises

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The Galapagos Island chain, positioned close to 600 miles west of the region of Latin America, is probably the best possible location to see evolution throughout its purely natural splendor.

Named, in Spanish language, after the species that’s unquestionably the most famous of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers quite a few clusters of minor dainty islands which are born of below surface volcanoes eruptions.

Positioned directly on the equator, the Galapagos gains everyone of the rewards of this perfect position in that all the 16 islands have sunny weather all year long! If that wasn’t enough they are on the crossroads for 2 extremely important trade winds: The North East winds (from North & Central America) and the South East winds (coming from South America). All these winds are in all probability exactly what initiated the influx of self-sufficient life around the island chain – and are considered to have been the reason for the vast forests spreading over the higher mountains of the islands.

These island of significant natural beauty have triggered the evolution of several diverse, and very rare, environments that have in turn allowed (or otherwise forced) the local wildlife, both plant life and animals the same, to develop in ways that to put it simply has numerous experts surprised.

The rest of the Galapagos island chain is yet another place of extraordinary, not to mention really gorgeous wildlife.

When is the best time to travel the Galapagos?

It’s a frequently asked question: When is the best time to visit Galapagos? There are many responses, depending on what you want from your Galapagos trip. If you want to see the reptiles and mammals the Galapagos Islands are famous for, you may want to consult this calendar to help you plan your trip.

The same as the birds, the mammals and reptiles in Galapagos follow certain cycles of breeding as well as other life functions. These behaviors vary during various moments of the year and from island to island. For instance, if you would like to see the bright red-and-green “Christmas Iguanas” of Española, then you ought to go in December or January.

The Galapagos were discovered by chance in 1535 by Father Tomas Berlanga, priest of Panama.

Due to the long distances involved, the only sensible approach to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard ships, which travel between islands, largely at night, and create different stops every day. Over 80 vessels are licensed to operate from the archipelago and there are countless combinations of stops and paths. Most cruises go ashore two times per day: 10 total days on the ship typically means 20 coast landings, 10-20 snorkels, and many panga rides (pangas are little, open outboard-powered ships) to approximately 10 distinct islands.

Exploring on your own is considerably more difficult. Getting around separately is catchy and all visitors should be accompanied by a qualified naturalist guide at all landing sites. But four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) do have hotels of varying dimensions and standards and a few vessel operators provide day-trips.

Following in Darwin’s footsteps involves a trip from Quito or Guayaquil, on the mainland, to Baltra or San Cristobal. Some cruises leave from Baltra (the dock is a five-minute drive in the air terminal).

GalapagosInformation.com provides an assortment of tailor-made live-aboard tours on many unique boats carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

Wildlife actions vary a lot, and each month has its highlights. For instance, green turtles begin their own egg-laying in January; penguins interact with swimmers on Bartolome mainly from May until the end of September; humpback whales start to arrive at June; July through to the end of September is the ideal period for most seabird activity; peak pupping for sea lions is around August, while their pups play aqua-aerobics with snorkelers in November; and December is the month for hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there’s something about to happen.

The hot, humid, slightly rainy season (with occasional tropical showers) is from December to May (March and April are generally hottest and wettest). The seas are usually calmer and clearer at this time of year (using 60ft-80ft visibility typical) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), therefore this period is ideal for snorkeling.

The cool, drier, windier season (with intermittent drizzle or mist) is from June to November. Sea temperatures at the time of year fall to as low as 66F (19C) and visibility often goes to 30ft-50ft, whilst sea swells may make some landings catchy.

Plan ahead in the event that you want to see during the high season. Visiting outside of those periods will still provide plenty of adventures and wildlife encounters, but prices might be lower with fewer other tourists around.

With minimal variation in water and air temperatures throughout the year, and numerous species that are not migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is a fantastic experience at any moment. Ordinarily, however, the waters are better between January and March, making this an ideal time for enthusiastic snorkeling enthusiasts. The driest months are typically between August and December, perfect for beach lovers.

Visit the Galapagos in January to watch green sea turtles arriving and laying eggs on the beaches, and in April to see the eggs hatching. Bird spotters will likely prefer to see Isabela Island between August and March, when the range of migratory birds is at its summit. October is the mating interval for fur seals, although brown nodes are sexually active in November. December is the best month should you wish to witness the hatching of giant tortoises.

Before joining any Galapagos cruises, you will first have to create your way to mainland Ecuador. International flights generally arrive at the nation’s capital city of Quito, even though it’s also likely to take an international trip to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave every day from both Quito and Guayaquil.

Baltra Island gets the busiest airport on the Galapagos Islands, but flights also arrive on San Cristobal. Your tour operator will typically organize transfers from the airport for your cruise departure point from Baltra or by San Cristobal. Isabela Island cruises generally depart from Puerto Ayora, a significant port on Santa Cruz Island.

Giant Tortoises

The giant tortoises of Galapagos are among the most famous of the unique fauna of the Islands. While giant tortoises once thrived on most of the continents of the Earth, the Galapagos tortoises currently represent among the remaining two types of giant tortoises in the whole world -another band living on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The Galapagos Islands were named for their giant tortoises; the Spanish term galapago meant saddle, a term ancient explorers used for the tortoises on account of the form of their shells.

Although there’s a good deal of variation in size and form among Galapagos tortoises, two primary morphological forms exist -that the domed shells (like their ancestral form) as well as the saddle-backed carapace. Domed tortoises are normally considerably bigger in size and don’t have the up thrust into the front of the carapace; they live on the larger, higher islands having humid highlands where forage is usually plentiful and readily available. Saddle-backed shells evolved on the arctic islands in response to the absence of accessible food. The front of the carapace angles upward, allowing the tortoise to extend its mind higher to reach the greater vegetation, for example cactus pads.

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