Ecuador Galapagos Travel Guide

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Galapagos holiday cruise have to be at the top of almost all parent’s destination checklist. For many, the Galapagos Islands offers a lot of intrigue to those looking for one of the handful of remaining unique wild animals encounters in the world. Having a primitive, natural beauty and impressive fauna, the isolated Galapagos Islands must be explored by boat, and more specially, a luxury catamaran offering the finest degree of accommodation on board. Taking a Galapagos little ship cruise ensures that you will gain entry to the best visitor places, many of which are generally sealed to bigger cruise lines.

When is a good time to go to the Galapagos?

The Galapagos Islands, based in the Pacific Ocean, about a thousand kilometers west of Ecuador, have a particular weather, warm and semi-arid, which has a hot and comparatively stormy couple of years through January to May, and a cool and dry time, but also cloudy and misty, from July to November.

The areas of the Galapagos are barren, with the exception of the highlands of the larger islands, that get more considerable rainfall. As was observed by Charles Darwin, who as we know examined the peculiarities of the species located in the islands, their weather conditions are colder than an individual would likely anticipate from a place located near the Equator, due to the Humboldt Current, which gets to the region after flowing in the sea west of Latin America. Regardless, here the weather is varied from one year to the other, as there are different marine flows that encounter or alternate in the area (there is also a hot current from Central America, which runs at a little distance and is a lot more powerful in the periods El Niño), therefore the weather conditions are challenging to forecast.

As mentioned, in this islands there’s two seasons: a hot season from January to May, having maximum temperatures close to 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), along with a relatively cool season coming from July to November, known as Garua, with daytime temperature ranges around 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, evening conditions stay tolerable, close to 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), however you’ll notice often mists, which cause the condensation of small droplets (known as garua from which the season takes its title), and the atmosphere is typically covered by low clouds (due to the thermal inversion created by the low-temperature marine current). This period is the very least rainy of the entire year in coasts and flatlands (since the Garua really doesn’t produce substantial rain accumulations), though on inland hills and mountains, there may be some real rains. The top peak is the Vulcan Lobo, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, positioned on Isabela Island.

The warm season, from January to May, is alternatively the rainiest period, although normally the rains aren’t copious, and in any kind of occasion they happen in the shape of mid-day rains, that do not eclipse excessively the sun’s rays. The rainiest month is March.

When to visit

Typically, the Galapagos could be visited all year round. However, a good time to visit Galapagos, in case you also desire to swim and also sunbathe, runs from February to May, since it is the most warm and sunniest, even though there might be a number of downpours or thunderstorms in the mid-day.

The cold period, from July to November, is often recommended to explore the outdoors, because it hardly ever rains in the plains and the temperature is enjoyable, even though you must take into mind mists, haze and gloomy skies. From September to November the ocean could be a little tough, and this situation can affect those who are afflicted by motion illness, during boat trips from one island to another.

What to bring

From December to May (warm cycle): light clothes, a light sweatshirt for the night, light raincoat or umbrella for bad weather showers; sun hat (after all, we are at the Equator). For hiking in inland hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit more comfortable sport shirt and raincoat, walking footwear.

From June to November (cold cycle): light clothes, sweatshirt and lightweight jacket for the evening hours.

For the reef, gear for snorkeling, water shoes or rubber soled footwear.

To be able to keep the natural beauty of Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos National Park have reduced the amount of guests by requiring ships to wait for 14 days before returning to the same area. This usually means that most ships offer alternating itineraries to be able to show as many of the finest Galapagos websites as possible. All Galapagos boat cruises have between 4-16 passengers, making sure that a more personalized service and experience.

The Galapagos Islands became famous when Charles Darwin established his ‘Theory of Evolution’ on his discoveries there. Made up of a bunch of approximately 13 volcanic islands, around 95 percent of this area is currently a part of the Galapagos National Park program and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Galapagos cruise will offer a really unique experience. In the magnificent landscapes which resembles something from the Jurassic age, to the endemic wildlife with up to 26 species native to these islands and within their natural habitat, there really is nowhere else in the world like the Galapagos Islands.

Each of the Galapagos’ official visitor websites has something special to offer, but travelers will have the ability to experience the best strikes — sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, endemic birds — about the majority of islands. Listed below are a few of the most well-known spots.

Santa Cruz features the Galapagos’ most populous “town,” Puerto Ayora, and is the island chain’s most important tourism hub. The island offers visitors the sole opportunity to experience the Galapagos’ inside high-lands, one of a couple areas to see giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Even the Charles Darwin research laboratory, a visit to which will be contained on each travel, can be situated there.

Champion Islet’s waters transform into a aquarium teeming with life during September and October, once the water temperatures fall. Sea plants flourish, which brings the marine creatures, which in turn brings in the sea birds. Sea lions, especially the curious juveniles, frequently zip past and round the awkward humans in fins and masks.

South Plaza encompasses less than one-tenth of a mile in place and is among the Galapagos’ smallest visitor websites. Nevertheless, the very small island, that was shaped by volcanic uplift, makes a strong impression with its color-changing ground vegetation, sea birds and colony of Galapagos land iguanas. The successful male iguanas could be seen standing guard in front of a cactus tree, waiting patiently to offer a hungry female with a piece of prickly fruit.

Rabida: makes a bold statement when you arrive during its iron-rich red beach. Just inland is a brackish lagoon where visitors often see flamingos, heads plunged submerged to spoon up crustaceans and algae using their bowl-like beaks.

Espanola is the southernmost island, home to the famous waved albatross, a child-sized bird having an eight-foot wingspan. According to the Galapagos Conservancy, every year the Whole world’s population of adult Waved Albatrosses yields to Espanola during the nesting season from April to December. “Spiritual experience” is a common descriptor.

Fernandina, the Galapagos’ youngest and westernmost island is famous for its not-infrequent volcanic eruptions, the latest of which was in 2009. It is situated at the locus of the “hot spot” which generated, and is still creating and shaping, the Galapagos. As people step across lava flows and around the massive population of land iguanas, they develop a firsthand understanding of the ancestral roots of the islands.

Floreana is the place you can find the Galapagos’ very famous barrel-mailbox at Post Office Bay. For centuries, those seeing the famous Ecuadorian isles relied upon the unspoken responsibility of fellow pirates and whalers to get letters to a planned destination. A mariner would leave a dispatch, then pick through the stack for missives he can send (travel schedule permitting). The tradition continues today; cruise passengers visiting the site can leave and take postcards out of a (modern) barrel. Floreana is home to the Galapagos’ famous barrel-mailbox at Post Office Bay. For centuries, those seeing the famed Ecuadorian isles relied upon the unspoken duty of fellow pirates and whalers to Puerto Villamil and Nearby Areas – Isabela Island Cruises take in a variety of interesting things around the massive island. Puerto Villamil is a little vent in the south east of the island, and it’s home to the majority of the island’s inhabitants. You can enjoy this fishing-community vibe, sample tasty freshly caught fish, participate with the cheerful children, shop for souvenirs from the stores that are vibrant, and admire the islets that dot the shore. Stroll along the boardwalk, resulting through mangroves, and watch flamingos, gallinules, whimbrels, and more. The Tortoise Breeding Center sits at the end of the boardwalk, helping to conserve ocean tortoises. The harbor is often filled with little luxury yachts and other sailing boats, many of which take passengers on thrilling Galapagos cruises.

Isabela Island Cruises enable guests to find the natural beauty of the biggest island of the Galapagos. Straddling the Equator, Isabela Island is in the western part of the Galapagos archipelago, close to the volcanic Galapagos hotspot that created the island group. A lesser-visited region, it is also among the most varied, which is no mean feat in an area that is already famous for being among the most diverse areas on Earth.

Early human activity on the islands was very damaging for its wildlife because pirates and buccaneers took giant tortoises aboard for meals. 24% of plant species and 50% of vertebrate species are still considered as endangered as a result of human action in earlier times. Clandestine fishing of black coral, lobster, shark fin, sea cucumber and sea horse is incredibly damaging to the marine life. Population growth brought on by tourism is placing a strain on the unique and delicate environment.

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