Best Galapagos tours for Singles 2023
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The Galapagos islands, positioned approximately 600 miles west from the region of South America, is possibly the absolute best place to witness evolution throughout its purely natural splendor.
Called, in Spanish language, after the species which is unquestionably the most popular of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers several clusters of small dainty islands which are born of undersea volcanoes eruptions.
Positioned on the equator, the Galapagos gets all of the bonuses of such a overseas placement because all the 16 islands have sunny weather conditions all year round! If that wasn’t enough they are at the crossroads for 2 vitally important trade winds: The North East winds (from North and the South East trade winds (coming from South America). These winds are most likely exactly what begun the influx of sustainable life around the island chain – and are considered to have been a major contributor to the vast forests covering the higher hills of the islands.
These island of significant natural charm have led to the evolution of countless diverse, and extremely unusual, habitats which have in turn allowed the local wildlife, both plants and creatures as well, to change in such a way that to put it simply has many experts shocked.
The rest of the Galapagos island archipelago is also a scenario of unique, as well as really spectacular wildlife.
When is the best time to see the Galapagos?
The Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, around a thousand kilometers (600 miles) west of Ecuador, have a particular climate, tropical and semi-arid, which has an incredibly hot and comparatively wet period from January to May, and a cool and dry period, as well as foggy and misty, from July to November.
The landscapes of the Galapagos are barren, with the exception of the bigger islands, that obtain much more considerable rainfall. As was documented by Charles Darwin, who as we know examined the details of the species located in the islands, their climate is much cooler than a person would be expecting from a place positioned near the Equator, due to the Humboldt Current, which often touch the location right after running in the sea west of South America. Regardless, here the weather is not the same from one year to another, since there are diverse water currents which meet or alternate in the region (additionally there is a hot current from Central America, which runs at no great range and is far more active on the periods El Niño), therefore the climate is hard to forecast.
As said before, in these isles there’s two seasons: a hot season from January to May, with maximum temperature ranges about 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), along with a relatively cool period from July to November, called Garua, with daytime temperature ranges about 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, evening temperatures stay appropriate, approximately 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), however there are frequently mists, which result in the condensation of small drops (called garua from which the season receives its title), and the atmosphere is typically covered by low clouds (due to the thermal inversion produced by the low-temperature ocean current). This time is the very least rainy of the entire year in shorelines and plains (since the Garua does not produce considerable rain accumulations), though inland, there might be numerous actual rains. The highest peak is the Vulcan Wolf, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, positioned on Isabela Island.
The hot period, from January to May, is on the other hand the rainiest period, although most of the rains usually are not copious, and in any kind of event they happen in the form of morning rains, which do not eclipse too much the sunlight. The rainiest month is March.
On the shorelines, the rainfall amounts to less than 600 millimeters (20 inches) a year, therefore it is in no way copious. This is actually the typical rainfall in Puerto Baquerizo; we could notice the fact that in the hot season, only a few millimeters per month accumulate, due mostly to drizzle and dew formation.
Interestingly, people head to the beaches during the rainy period of time, because in addition to being the sunniest, it is the one in that the water is definitely the hottest.
When you should go
Typically, the Galapagos may be visited all year round. However, the best time to visit the islands, in case you also want to go swimming and take sunbathes, runs from February to May, because it’s the warmest and sunniest, though there could possibly be a number of downpours or thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The low-temperature period, from July to November, is usually recommended to explore nature, since it almost never rains in the flatlands and the climate is pleasurable, even though you must take into account mists, haze and foggy skies. From September to November the ocean could be a little rough, and this situation may upset those that have problems with motion illness, during catamaran trips from one island to the next.
What clothes you should bring
From December to May (hot cycle): light outfits, a lightweight sweatshirt for the night, light raincoat or outdoor umbrella for bad weather showers; sun cap (in the end, we are at the Equator). For trekking in inland hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit more comfortable sweatshirt and raincoat, trekking shoes.
From June to November (low-temperature cycle): light outfits, t-shirt and lightweight coat for the evening hours.
For the reef, gear for scuba diving, water shoes or rubberized soled shoes.
The Galapagos were discovered by chance in 1535 by Father Tomas Berlanga, Bishop of Panama.
Because of the long distances involved, the only sensible approach to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard ships, which traveling between islands, largely at night, and also create different stops every day. More than 80 vessels are licensed to operate in the archipelago and also there are an infinite number of combinations of stops and paths. Most cruises go ashore twice a day: 10 full days on the boat typically means 20 shore landings, 10-20 snorkels, and several panga rides (pangas are small, open outboard-powered boats) to approximately 10 distinct islands.
Exploring on your own is much harder. Getting around independently is tricky and all traffic must be accompanied by a qualified naturalist guide at all landing websites. But four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) do have hotels of varying dimensions and standards and a couple of boat operators provide day-trips.
Following in Darwin’s footsteps calls for a flight 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). Others move out of Puerto Ayora, the tourist hub on Santa Cruz and a comparatively busy city, with a bank, ATM machine, taxis, pubs and even a cinema.
GalapagosInformation.com offers a variety of tailor-made live-aboard tours on many different boats carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.
Wildlife movements vary a lot, and each month has its highlights. By way of example, green turtles start 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 in June; July through the end of September is the ideal period for many seabird activity; peak pupping for sea lions is approximately August, while their pups perform aqua-aerobics with snorkelers in November; and December is the month for hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there is something about to happen.
The hot, humid, somewhat 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 average) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), therefore this interval is ideal for snorkeling.
The trendy, drier, windier year (with occasional drizzle or mist) is from June to November. Sea temperatures at this time of year fall to as low as 66F (19C) and visibility often goes down to 30ft-50ft, while sea swells may make some landings tricky.
The Way to Get to the Galapagos Islands
Planning your trip to the Galapagos Islands? Not sure how to reach the archipelago? It’s simple. Your first destination is mainland Ecuador. Whether you’re traveling from the USA, Europe or anywhere else, you need to book an global flight to Guayaquil or Ecuador’s capital, Quito. Their isolation is just one of the qualities that make them so unique. You may be wondering just how one arrives to the islands. Charles Darwin moved to the Galapagos Islands on the Beagle, but modern-day explorers arrive at jet. The only daily flights to the Galapagos Islands depart in the cities of Quito and Guayaquil on mainland Ecuador. International travelers must make sure to land in the city in order to begin their Galapagos experience. From both Quito and Guayaquil, there are daily flights linking Ecuador with cities around the Americas and in Europe. Direct flights from the US cities of Miami, Houston, Atlanta, and New York arrive Daily. From Europe you will find direct flights coming from both London and Madrid. Once on mainland Ecuador, passengers continue to one of 2 airports in the Galapagos Islands. The next airport is located around San Cristobal Island. Flights from Quito and Guayaquil fly there daily bringing passengers into the enchanting islands. In the airports at the Galapagos, passengers move to their cruises or hotels in the port towns of the islands. When booking a cruise in the Galapagos, then it is highly recommended to reserve your flights together with the cruise. This ensures an on-time arrival and avoids the risk of missing the cruise departure. Our specialist trip advisors can help you organize every detail of your trip to the Galapagos Islands. Get in touch with them today to reserve your cruise and flights from Quito or Guayaquil. The flight from Quito the Galapagos is approximately 2.5 hours, and it takes a bit less time from Guayaquil. Once you get to the mainland, you are just a couple of hours away from seeing the blue-footed boobies and tortoises and swimming with sea lions.
Most of tourists in Galapagos are amazed to be greeted with desert-like vegetation–many are expecting a continuation of the lush greenery that they witnessed on mainland Ecuador. In fact, nearly all the archipelago’s land area is covered by the brown and gray vegetation often found in deserts. The Galapagos Islands are situated in the Pacific Dry Belt, and in average years just the greatest altitudes of the larger islands receive enough rain to support tropical vegetation.
In Geological terms, the islands are young, and much of the island’s vegetation reflects this; many species appear to be in the midst of the evolutionary changes, which makes classifying them a challenging task. So far, the islands are thought to be home to between 552 and 614 indigenous species of plants and roughly 825 introduced species, nearly all introduced by humans. Over 100 of those introduced species have become established in the wild, with many of them exceptionally invasive and of major concern. Three introduced plant species are eradicated. Mainland Ecuador, on the other hand, has approximately 20,000 species. The disparity between species number on the Islands and the southern highlights the fact that the Galapagos Islands are divided from the continent by a hostile saltwater barrier decreasing the prospect of arrival and, once a plant has arrived, institution is tough due to the harsh surroundings. It’s worthy of notice that over 30% of indigenous plant species located in Galapagos are endemic (not found anywhere else in the world).
The structures of Galapagos could be grouped into three major vegetation zones: the coastal zone, the more arid zone, and the humid highlands.
Coastal plants are found in the narrow zone near the shore and are distinctive because of their tolerance to salty conditions. Mangrove trees are among the most frequent plants found in this zone, and they serve an important 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, in addition to refuges for sea turtles.
The arid area has become easily the most broad zone in Galapagos and is comprised of plant species which are highly adapted to drought-like states, such as succulent cacti and leafless shrubs that flower and grow leaves only in the brief rainy season.
Located over the dry zones would be the very lush and green, humid zones. In portions of the zone, Scalesia trees form a very dense forest in the humid zone, with their branches adorned with mosses, liverworts, and epiphytes–non-parasitic plants that use larger trees only for support. The humid zone is only found on the bigger, higher islands. Nearly all islands in the archipelago don’t rise in altitude above the arctic zone.
Learn more: Photo gallery of the beaches of Galapagos
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