Best Island to visit in Galapagos
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The Galapagos Island chain, positioned approximately 600 miles west of the region of South America, is quite probably the best possible place to witness evolution throughout its purely natural magnificence.
Named, in Spanish language, after the species that’s without any doubt the most famous of the island archipelago: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos boasts many groups of little dainty islands which all are created of undersea volcanoes eruptions.
Located on the equator, the Galapagos gains all of the rewards of this perfect position in that all the 16 islands have sunny climate all year round! 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 likely exactly what begun the influx of self-sufficient life around the island chain – and are considered to have been the reason for the huge woods spreading over the higher hills of the islands.
These island of extreme natural charm have resulted in the evolution of many varied, and exceptional, environments which have in turn allowed the regional wildlife, both flora and fauna likewise, to evolve in a manner that basically has many researchers astonished.
The rest of the Galapagos archipelago is also a place of exceptional, inter-dependent, as well as really breathtaking fauna.
When is the right time to travel the Galapagos?
The Galapagos Islands, based in the Pacific Ocean, around a thousand kilometers west of Ecuador, have a particular weather conditions, tropical and semi-arid, that has a very hot and comparatively wet season through January to May, plus a dry and cool season, as well as foggy and misty, coming from July to November.
The areas of the Galapagos are barren, except in the highlands of the larger islands, which usually obtain far more considerable rain. As was already noted by Charles Darwin, who as you may know observed the peculiarities of the species located in the isles, their weather conditions are cooler than an individual would expect from a location situated nearby the Equator, due to the Humboldt Current, which usually reaches the area right after moving in the sea west of Latin America. In any case, here the weather is varied from one year to another, because there are completely different water flows that encounter or alternate in the region (there’s also a hot current coming from Central America, which usually runs at no great length and is far more powerful in the years of El Niño), therefore, the weather is hard to estimate.
As mentioned, in these island destinations there are two seasons: a warm season from January to May, with maximum temperature ranges close to 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), as well as a reasonably cool season coming from July to November, called Garua, with day temperature ranges about 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, night-time conditions stay favorable, around 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), however you will find frequently mists, which result in the condensation of small drops (called garua from which the season takes its name), and the sky is typically covered by very low clouds (as a result of thermal inversion produced by the low-temperature ocean current). This time period is the very least stormy of the year in shorelines and flatlands (since the Garua doesn’t produce significant rain accumulations), while on inland, there may be many actual rains. The highest peak is the Vulcan Wolf, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, positioned on Isabela Island.
The warm period, from January to May, is instead the rainiest period, although normally the rains usually are not copious, and in any occasion they happen in the shape of morning showers, which do not overshadow excessively the sunlight. The rainiest month is March.
On the coasts, the rainfall amounts to less than 500 millimeters (20 inches) every year, so it’s in no way abundant. This is actually the average rainfall in Puerto Baquerizo; we could see the simple fact that within the hot season, few millimeters (a few tenths of an inch) per month accumulate, due mostly to drizzle and dew formation.
Nevertheless, tourists head to the beach locations during the rainy period, due to the fact in addition to being the sunniest, it is the one in which the water is the most warm.
Typically, the Galapagos could be visited all year long. However, the perfect time to travel to Galapagos, if you also want to go swimming and sunbathe, runs from February to May, because it is the warmest and sunniest, although there could be several downpours or severe storms in the mid-day.
The cool season, from July to November, is usually encouraged to discover nature, mainly because it very rarely rains on the flatlands and the temperatures are nice, even though you have to take under consideration mists, haze and cloudy air. From September to November the ocean can be a little tough, and this may bother those that have problems with motion illness, during boat journeys from one island to the other.
What clothes you should bring
From December to May (hot period): light clothing, a lightweight sweatshirt for the evening, light raincoat or umbrella for bad weather showers; sun cap. For hiking in inland hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit warmer sport shirt and raincoat, hiking footwear.
From June to November (low-temperature season): light outfits, t-shirt and lightweight jacket for the night.
For the ocean, equipment for snorkeling, water shoes or rubber soled footwear.
In order to keep the natural beauty of the Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos National Park have decreased the number of visitors by requiring ships to wait for 14 days before returning to the exact same location. This means that many boats offer alternating itineraries to cover as many of the best Galapagos sites as possible. Ours Galapagos ship cruises have between 4-16 passengers, ensuring that a more personalized service and experience.
The Galapagos Islands were made famous when Charles Darwin established his ‘Theory of Evolution’ on his findings there. Made up of a cluster of approximately 13 volcanic islands, around 95% of the area is currently part of the Galapagos National Park program and announced a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A Galapagos cruise will provide a truly unique experience. In the stunning landscapes which resembles something in the Jurassic era, to the endemic wildlife with up to 26 species native to these islands and within their natural habitat, there really is nowhere else on earth like the Galapagos Islands.
The most popular months for Galapagos cruises are between June and August and in the middle of December to January. Plan ahead in the event that you wish to see during the high season. Visiting outside of these periods will still provide lots of experiences and wildlife encounters, but costs may be lower with fewer other tourists around.
With little variation in air and water temperatures throughout the year, and numerous species which are not migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is a fantastic adventure at any moment. Ordinarily, however, the waters are clearer between January and March, which makes this a perfect time for enthusiastic snorkeling enthusiasts. The driest months are typically between August and December, perfect for beach lovers.
Visit the Galapagos in January to observe green sea turtles arriving and laying eggs on the beaches, and in April to see the eggs hatching. July is the prime month for seeing whales off the western coast of Isabela Island. Bird spotters will probably prefer to visit Isabela Island between August and March, once the number of migratory birds is at its peak. October is the breeding interval for fur seals, although brown nodes are active in November. December is the best month if you wish to see the hatching of giant tortoises.
Before linking any Galapagos cruises, you will initially need to create your strategy to mainland Ecuador. International flights generally arrive at the country’s capital city of Quito, even though it is also possible to take an international trip to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave daily from the Quito and Guayaquil.
Baltra Island gets the busiest airport on the Galapagos Islands, however flights arrives too at San Cristobal Island. Your tour operator will typically arrange transfers from the airport for your cruise departure point from Baltra or from San Cristobal. Isabela Island Tours normally depart from Puerto Ayora, an important port on Santa Cruz Island.
Giant Tortoises
The giant tortoises of Galapagos are among the most famous of the temples of the Islands. While giant tortoises once thrived on most of the continents of the world, the Galapagos tortoises now represent one of the remaining two groups of giant tortoises in the entire world -another group living on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The Galapagos Islands were known for their giant tortoises; the old Spanish term galapago meant saddle, a term ancient explorers used for the tortoises on account of the shape of their shells.
Even though there is a great amount of variation in size and form one of Galapagos tortoises, two main morphological types exist -that the domed shells (like their ancestral form) as well as also the saddle-backed carapace. Domed tortoises are normally much bigger in size and do not have the upward thrust into the front of the carapace; they reside on the bigger, higher islands having humid highlands where forage is generally plentiful and readily obtainable. Saddle-backed shells evolved on the arid islands in reaction to the lack of available food during drought. The front part of the carapace angles upwards, allowing the tortoise to extend its mind higher to reach the greater vegetation, for example cactus pads.
GALAPAGOS CRUISES 2024
NEMO 2
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