How to Get to Galapagos Islands

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The Galapagos islands, positioned close to 600 miles west from the region of South America, is possibly the very best area to see evolution throughout its natural beauty.

Called, in Spanish, after the animal which is without doubt the most famous of the island archipelago: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers quite a few clusters of small dainty islands which are created of below surface volcanoes eruptions.

Placed directly on the equator, the Galapagos gets all of the rewards of such a perfect placement in that all the 16 islands have bright and sunny temperature all year long! If that wasn’t good enough they are in the crossroads for 2 essential trade winds: The North East winds (from North & Central America) and the South East winds (coming from South America). All these winds are most likely precisely what started the influx of sustainable life on the island chain – and are believed to have been the agent responsible for the large woods covering the higher slopes of the islands.

These island of significant natural beauty have triggered the evolution of many varied, and extremely distinctive, environments which have in turn helped (or otherwise caused) the local wildlife, both plants and creatures likewise, to evolve in a manner that quite simply has many experts surprised.

The rest of the Galapagos island archipelago is yet another scenario of rare, not to mention really beautiful fauna.

When is the best time to go to the Galapagos?

Due to the confluence of freezing waters flows from the west, the Galapagos has an strange dry and moderate weather for the tropics and it is generally classified as sub-tropical. As a result Galapagos travel a year-round holiday possibility. Galapagos weather is considered equatorial, cooled down because of the Humboldt Current, and is recognized by two main seasons:

The warm, wet season

Late December to June is considered the hot and wet period, with March and April usually actually being the hottest and wettest months. Close to December, the winds drop and the weather equator (located north of the topographical equator) adjusts south towards the Galapagos, triggering the westward-flowing current to slow down, lowering the upwelling and enabling hotter water from the Panama Current to bathe archipelago. Galapagos weather conditions are known by rain clouds which form once the inversion breaks down, along with the air heats up and rises, contributing to daily mid-day rains. Even in this period; interestingly, the low hills get restricted rain.

The colder, dry season

This season, also called the “garua season” runs from later part of the June to December, when it is comparatively dry and cool with an increase of cloudier air and infrequent drizzle or mist through the day. August is the coolest month. During this dry season, Galapagos temperature is pleasurable, the water temperature is lower and there are typically clouds around the higher levels. Line of sight is frequently decreased in the water as a result of plankton, but this combination of circumstances produces a much bigger action in the water and food is plentiful. Due to the fact Galapagos weather conditions are not very hot during this period, it is also the reproduction interval for many sea birds and shore birds, marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals.

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

Because of the long distances involved, the only sensible way to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard boats, which traveling between islands, largely at night, and make various stops each day. More than 80 boats 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 many panga rides (pangas are small, open outboard-powered boats) to approximately 10 different islands.

Exploring on your own is much more difficult. Getting around separately is catchy and all traffic must be accompanied by a licensed naturalist guide at all landing websites. But four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) have hotels of varying sizes and criteria and a few vessel operators provide day-trips.

Some cruises leave from Baltra (the pier is a five-minute drive in the air terminal).

GalapagosInformation.com provides a variety of tailor-made live-aboard tours on many unique vessels carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

Wildlife activities differ a lot, and each month has its own highlights. For instance, green turtles begin their egg-laying in January; penguins interact with swimmers on Bartolome largely 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 most 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 for hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there is something happening.

The hot, humid, slightly 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 (using 60ft-80ft visibility typical) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), so this interval is ideal for snorkeling.

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

Sierra Negra Volcano: Hiking enthusiasts are sure to love the chance of the steep ascent to the rim of Sierra Negra Volcano. The increase up takes around two hours, with fantastic vistas all around. Upon reaching the top you can feast your eyes on the world’s third-biggest caldera, surrounded by lush vegetation and home to many kinds of finch. Horse riding provides a different perspective of the gorgeous location.

Bolivar Channel: Lots of Isabela island cruises sail through the Bolivar Channel, a station that separates Isabela Island and the neighboring Fernandina Island. The coldest waters in the Galapagos area, it is normal to see dolphins and whales swimming close to your cruise ship.

Vicente Roca Point: In the north of Isabela Island, Vicente Roca Point is a top place for boating and snorkeling. The twin coves shield an array of unusual species, including sunfish, seahorses, and puffer fish.

Galapagos wildlife encounters are plentiful on excursions of Isabela Island, and you’re guaranteed to be thrilled whether you opt for a Galapagos small ship cruise, a small luxury yacht, a dinghy trip, or something different completely.

Galapagos Animals

The Galapagos penguin is the sole available from 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 humans.

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 largest cormorant and the only one struggling to fly.

Galapagos has one of the planet’s rarest ecosystems where the herbivores at the peak of the food chain are reptiles.

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

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

The Galapagos is one of those few regions of the planet where turtles are still a common sight. Over 400 species of fish have now been recognized from the Galapagos, with 41 species unique to the islands.

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

A lichen survey in June 2010 by the Charles Darwin Foundation discovered over 60 brand new species from the Galapagos with an estimated ten species new to science.

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