Best Galapagos tours

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The Galapagos, located approximately 600 miles west from the continent of South America, is possibly the very best place to observe evolution in all of its natural splendor.

Called, in Spanish, after the animal that’s without doubt the most popular of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos boasts a number of groups of small dainty islands which are born of undersea volcanoes eruptions.

Positioned directly on the equator, the Galapagos gains all of the bonuses of such a global position because all the 16 islands have warm climatic conditions all year long! If that wasn’t good enough they are at the crossroads for 2 extremely important trade winds: The North East winds (from North and the South East trade winds (coming from South America). All these winds are most likely exactly what begun the influx of self-sufficient life around the island chain – and are believed to have been the reason for the large woods spreading over the higher slopes of the islands.

These island of extreme natural splendor have triggered the evolution of various diverse, and fairly exclusive, environments that have in turn made it possible for (or otherwise forced) the local wildlife, both flora and fauna as well, to change in ways that basically has a lot of scientists stunned.

The rest of the Galapagos island chain is also a place of unique, as well as really spectacular wildlife.

When is a good time to travel the Galapagos?

Thanks to the confluence of cool water flows coming from the west and the south, the Galapagos has an unusual dry and moderate weather for the tropics and it is in general considered sub-tropical. As a result Galapagos vacation a year-round holiday choice. Galapagos weather conditions are considered tropical, chilled because of the Humboldt Current, and is also known by two principal seasons:

The hot, wet period

Late December to June is definitely the hot and wet season, with March and April generally remaining the hottest and wettest months. Close to December, the trade winds drop and the weather equator (located north of the topographical equator) changes south towards the Galapagos, producing the westward-flowing current to slow down, decreasing the upwelling and allowing warmer water coming from the Panama Current to wash the archipelago. Galapagos weather conditions are characterized by rain clouds that form once the inversion layer breaks down, along with the air warms and rises, resulting in daily mid-day rains. Even in this period; however, the small elevations obtain limited rain.

The colder, dry season

This season, also called the “garua season” runs from very late June to December, when it is comparatively cool and dry with increased cloudier skies and occasional drizzle or mist through the day. August is the coolest month. In this dry season, Galapagos climate is enjoyable, the water temperatures are lower and you will find usually clouds over the larger elevations. Line of sight is generally decreased in the water due to plankton blossom, but this mix of situations brings in a much bigger action in water and also food is abundant. Due to the fact Galapagos climate is not very hot during this period, it is also the reproduction time period for many sea birds and shore birds, marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals.

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

Because of the long distances involved, the only practical approach to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard boats, which traveling between islands, largely at night, and also make different stops every day. More than 80 vessels are licensed to operate in the archipelago and there are countless combinations of stops and paths. Most cruises go ashore two times a day: 10 full days on the ship typically means 20 shore landings, 10-20 snorkels, and several panga rides (pangas are small, open outboard-powered ships) to approximately 10 different islands.

Exploring on your own is considerably harder. Getting around independently is catchy and all traffic must be accompanied by a licensed naturalist guide at all landing sites. But four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) do have hotels of varying dimensions and criteria and a few boat operators offer day-trips.

Some cruises leave from Baltra (the dock is a five-minute drive from the air terminal). Others move out of Puerto Ayora, the tourist hub on Santa Cruz and a relatively crowded city, with a bank, ATM machine, taxis, pubs and even a theater.

GalapagosInformation.com offers an assortment of tailor-made live-aboard tours on a lot of unique vessels carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

Wildlife movements diverge greatly, and each month has its own highlights. For example, green turtles begin their own egg-laying in January; penguins socialize with swimmers on Bartolome largely from May until the end of September; humpback whales start to arrive in June; July through to the end of September is the best period for most seabird action; peak pupping for sea lions is approximately August, while their pups perform aqua-aerobics with snorkelers in November; and December is the month to get hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there’s something about to happen.

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

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

The Way to Access to the Galapagos Islands

The Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport at Guayaquil (GYE) receives flights from U.S. cities of Miami and New York, European cities of Amsterdam and Madrid, and major cities of Central and South America. Mariscal Sucre International Airport of Quito (UIO) receives flights in the U.S. through Atlanta, Houston and New York; from Europe via Madrid and Amsterdam; also out of many major cities in Central and Southern America. We recommend you to arrive in Ecuador at least 2 times ahead of your Galapagos Cruise starts and grab your international flight home at least two days after your stay in the Galapagos. It’s possible to take profit of both of these days by visiting Quito, Guayaquil, or even their surroundings. Once you’ve your trip to mainland Ecuador, getting to 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 Quito or Guayaquil, there are several 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 are the airlines that operate these paths. If you are flying from Quito, you will almost certainly have a brief stop in Guayaquil on your way into the islands. Reserve your Galapagos tour before you buy flight tickets to make sure 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.

Galapagos Animals

The Galapagos penguin is the only to be found in the northern hemisphere and to strain in the tropics.

A Galapagos tortoise can weigh around 595lb (270kg) with a carapace of 4ft (1.2m) and outlive most people.

The endemic Galapagos fur sea lions are the smallest one of the world’s seven species of fur sea lions

The Galapagos Islands are home to the world’s biggest cormorant and also the only one unable to fly.

Galapagos has among the world’s rarest ecosystems in which the herbivores at the top of the food chain are reptiles.

Galapagos Swallow-tailed gulls are the only gulls on earth to feed at night .

The Galapagos boasts the world’s largest and only red-footed booby colony.

The Galapagos is one of those few areas of the planet where turtles continue to be a common sight. Over 400 species of fish have now been recognized in the Galapagos, with 41 species unique to the islands.

At 30cm in length and using a large pair of jaws that are venomous, the endemic centipede (Scolopendra galapagoensis) is among the Islands’ most feared creatures.

A lichen poll in June 2010 by the Charles Darwin Foundation uncovered over 60 new species in the Galapagos with an estimated ten species new to science.

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