How to Travel to Galapagos

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Galapagos cruise vacation should be high on virtually all parent’s destination bucket list. For numerous, the Galapagos Islands appeals to a certain amount of intrigue to those seeking out one of the few surviving breathtaking fauna encounters on the globe. With its raw, magnificence and astounding fauna, the remote Galapagos Islands should be traveled to by boat, and specifically, a high-class cruise giving the very best degree of comfort on-ship. Taking a Galapagos small catamaran makes sure that you will get entry to a number of the finest visitor places, many of which are sealed to greater cruise ships.

When is the perfect time to go to the Galapagos?

The Galapagos Islands, located on the Pacific Ocean, around a thousand kilometers (600 miles) west of Ecuador, have a very distinct weather, warm and semi-arid, that has a hot and relatively wet period coming from January to May, along with a dry and cool period, but also foggy and misty, coming from July to November.

The areas of the Galapagos are dry, except in the highlands of the bigger islands, which obtain far more abundant rain fall. As was already observed by Charles Darwin, who as we know analyzed the peculiarities of the species living in the islands, their weather conditions are cooler than one could be expecting from a place based nearby the Equator, because of the Humboldt Current, which gets to the location after moving in the water west of South America. Anyway, here the weather is not the same from one year to the other, since there are different water flows that encounter or alternate in the area (there is also a warm current from Central America, which runs at no great length and is a lot more powerful on the periods El Niño), therefore, the climate is difficult to anticipate.

As said before, in these islands there are two seasons: a warm season from January to May, with maximum temperatures around 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), along with a fairly cool period coming from July to November, known as Garua, with day temperature ranges about 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, evening conditions remain acceptable, around 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), but there are often mists, which result in the condensation of very small droplets (known as garua from which the season takes its name), and the sky is frequently covered by low clouds (because of the thermal inversion created by the cool sea current). This interval is the least rainy of the entire year in shorelines and plains (because the Garua does not create substantial rain accumulations), while on inland, there can be quite a few tremendous rains. The top peak is the Vulcan Lobo, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, situated on Isabela Island.

Nevertheless, visitors run to the beach locations through the rainy period, due to the fact, it is the one in which the sea is definitely the most warm.

It needs to be stated that rainfall is unpredictable, and can be a little more abundant in the years of El Niño. During the more serious El Niño years, like 1982-83 and 1997-98, the climate of these Galapagos becomes fully tropical, with high temperature conditions and also copious rain. In the periods of La Niña, alternatively, the rains are more scarce, and there is a reduction in both air and ocean temperature.

When to visit

Typically, the Galapagos could be traveled to throughout the year. However, the optimum time to go to the islands, if you also wish to go swimming and also take sunbathes, runs from February to May, because it is the hottest and sunniest, even though there may be a few rains or thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The cold season, from July to November, is often recommended to explore nature, because it almost never rains in the flatlands and the temperature is nice, even when you need to take into consideration mists, haze and gloomy skies. From September to November the sea can be a little rough, and this may affect those who have problems with movement illness, during catamaran travels from one island to the next.

What clothes you should bring

From December to May (hot season): light clothes, a light sweatshirt for the evening hours, light raincoat or umbrella for bad weather showers; sun hat (in the end, we are at the Equator). For hiking in inland hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit more comfortable sport shirt and raincoat, hiking shoes.

From June to November (cold cycle): light clothing, t-shirt and lightweight jacket for the evening.

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

Galapagos Islands Cruise Itineraries

Every accredited vessel sailing the Galapagos follows a 15-day path established and approved by Galapagos National Park. During this period of time, a ship may not visit the same site twice, with the exception of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz. How lines section the 15 days may fluctuate, but four-, five- and eight-day choices are the standard. Passengers can frequently combine these segments into 11-, 12- and 15-day cruises.

All boats basically follow the identical protocol, irrespective of itinerary: Island visits and water-based activities are done during the day, and also the majority of navigation is done overnight.

Since the method of cruising continues to be standardized, picking the right itinerary includes a lot to do with cruisers deciding which visitor sites are on their must-visit lists. Port research — especially photo searching — is essential. Remember the longer the cruise, the further west the ship will reach. That’s not to say the western islands are better — it’s an issue of personal preference. If you cruise is also an important factor.

There is one major exception: “Live aboard” boats carrying experienced divers are the only craft to see the northern islands, Darwin and Wolf, prime spots for scuba enthusiasts. In Darwin, where there is no landing website, schools of hammerheads are known to congregate.

Galapagos cruises are usually paired with land-based visits to Peru’s Machu Picchu, the Ecuadorian rain forest or other South American hotspots. Most passengers will at least spend a day or two exploring Quito or Guayaquil pre or post-cruise. It is basically necessary, provided the flight logistics.

Plan ahead if you want to see during the high season. Visiting outside of these periods will still provide lots of adventures and wildlife experiences, but costs may be reduced with fewer other tourists around.

With minimal variation in water and air temperatures throughout the entire year, and many species that aren’t migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is a fantastic adventure at any moment. Generally, however, the waters are better between January and March, making this an ideal time for enthusiastic snorkeling enthusiasts. The driest months are generally between August and December, perfect for beach lovers.

Pay a visit to the Galapagos in January to observe green sea turtles arriving and laying eggs on the beaches, also in April to see the eggs hatching. Bird spotters will probably prefer to visit Isabela Island between August and March, once the number of migratory birds is at its summit. October is the mating 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 have to create your way to mainland Ecuador. International flights usually arrive at the country’s capital city of Quito, though it is also possible to take a long trip to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave daily from the Quito and Guayaquil. Flights from Guayaquil are briefer, and lots of departures from Quito stop in Guayaquil in route to the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos Islands Birds

Bird life in the Galapagos is a lot more copious and diverse simply due to the fact that it was considerably easier for birds to achieve the islands than mammals or reptiles. For a reptile or mammal to reach Galapagos, it had to survive for weeks or even months at sea, clinging to a floating tree or mass of vegetation. Once it landed, it had to beat the odds and somehow locate food and an environmental space where it could luckily survive. Birds, however, could fly to and from Galapagos effortlessly. Even smaller species like finches could be arrived to Galapagos by sudden storms. Today, it’s generally these smaller Galapagos species that have mutated to eventually become endemic. Like many creatures, birds’ seasonal lives, they mate, migrate and nest at certain time of year. Here is your guide to make sure you can see your favorite Galapagos bird species on your next trip!

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