Cruise Ships in Galapagos Islands 2023

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The Galapagos islands, located about 600 miles west of the region of Latin America, is fairly possibly the best destination to watch evolution in all of their purely natural splendor.

Called, in Spanish, after the species which is unquestionably the most famous of the island archipelago: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos boasts numerous clusters of little dainty islands which are created of undersea volcanoes eruptions.

Located entirely on the equator, the Galapagos gains all the bonuses of this overseas position in that the 16 islands have warm weather all year long! If that wasn’t enough they are on the crossroads for two really important trade winds: The North East trade winds (coming from North and the South East winds (coming from South America). All these winds are most likely exactly what started the influx of sustainable life on the island chain – and are believed to have been a major contributor to the large woods covering the higher hills of the islands.

These island of extraordinary natural beauty have triggered the evolution of many diverse, and quite exclusive, environments which have in turn helped (or even forced) the local wildlife, both plants and creatures as well, to change in a manner that in simple terms has many researchers astonished.

The rest of the Galapagos chain is yet another scenario of specific, as well as really amazing wildlife.

Galapagos Islands Weather Averages

Good Weather conditions for visiting throughout every season. Galapagos is actually over the Equator although the weather conditions are not really tropical. Temperatures vary from 69°-84°F / 21°-30°C.

Warm months are from January to June.

Dry months are from July to December.

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

Due to the long distances involved, the only practical way to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard ships, which travel between islands, mostly at night, and create various stops every day. Over 80 vessels are licensed to operate from the archipelago and also there are an infinite number of combinations of stops and routes. Most cruises go ashore twice per day: 10 total days on the ship typically means 20 shore landings, 10-20 snorkels, and several panga rides (pangas are small, open outboard-powered boats) to about 10 different islands.

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

Some cruises leave from Baltra (the dock is a five-minute drive in the air terminal). Others move from Puerto Ayora, the tourist hub on Santa Cruz and a relatively busy 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 different vessels carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

Wildlife movements divergea lot, and each month has its highlights. By way of instance, green turtles begin their egg-laying in January; penguins socialize with swimmers on Bartolome largely from May until the end of September; humpback whales begin to arrive in June; July through the end of September is the ideal period for many seabird action; peak pupping for sea lions is around August, while their pups play aqua-aerobics with snorkelers at November; and December is the month to get hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there’s something happening.

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 tend to be calmer and clearer now of year (using 60ft-80ft visibility typical) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), therefore this period is ideal for snorkeling.

The trendy, drier, windier year (with intermittent drizzle or mist) is from June to November. Sea temperatures at this time of year drop to as low as 66F (19C) and visibility often goes to 30ft-50ft, whilst sea swells can make some landings tricky.

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 out of those periods will still offer lots of adventures and wildlife encounters, but costs might be reduced with fewer other tourists around.

With minimal variation in water and air temperatures throughout the year, and numerous species that aren’t migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is an excellent experience at any moment. Generally, however, the waters are better between January and March, which makes this an ideal time for avid snorkeling fans. The driest months are typically between August and December, perfect for beach lovers.

Visit the Galapagos in January to watch green sea turtles coming and laying eggs on the beaches, and in April to see the eggs hatching. Bird spotters will likely prefer to visit Isabela Island between August and March, when the number of migratory birds is at its summit. October is the mating period for fur seals, although brown nodes are sexually 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 have to create your way to mainland Ecuador. International flights generally arrive in the nation’s capital city of Quito, even though it’s also possible to take an overseas flight to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave every day from the Quito and Guayaquil.

Galapagos Facts

The estimated age of these islands is between 3 and 10 million years. The Islands lie on the Nazca tectonic plate and are the plate’s main land mass. Intense heat caused by the plates being pushed apart leads to eruptions which make new volcanoes and will form new islands (‘Hot spot’ theory. There happen to be around 13 volcanic eruptions in Galapagos at the last century.

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