Luxury Yachts Galapagos Islands

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The Galapagos, situated about 600 miles west from the region of South America, is very possibly the absolute best location to watch evolution in all of its natural glory.

Called, in Spanish, after the animal which is without any doubt the most famous of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers numerous clusters of minor dainty islands all of which are born of below surface volcanoes eruptions.

Placed directly on the equator, the Galapagos gains all of the bonuses of such a global placement in that all the 16 islands have sunny climate throughout the year! If that wasn’t enough they are in the crossroads for 2 extremely important trade winds: The North East winds (from North & Central America) and the South East trade winds (from South America). These winds are most likely what begun the influx of sustainable life on the island chain – and are believed to have been the agent responsible for the vast forests covering the higher mountains of the islands.

These island of extraordinary natural beauty have ended in the evolution of several varied, and very distinctive, habitats which have in turn granted the regional wildlife, both plant life and animals as well, to evolve in such a way that basically has a lot of scientists surprised.

The rest of the Galapagos island chain is also a place of completely unique, inter-dependent, as well as fairly breathtaking wildlife.

Galapagos Islands Monthly Weather Averages

The Galapagos Islands, located on the Pacific Ocean, around a thousand kilometers (600 miles) west of Ecuador, enjoy a distinct weather conditions, tropical and semi-arid, which has a hot and comparatively stormy season coming from January to May, along with a cool and dry weather, as well as foggy and misty, through July to November.

The landscapes of the Galapagos are dry, except in the highlands of the larger islands, which usually receive far more abundant precipitation. As was already observed by Charles Darwin, who as we know studied the details of the species living in the isles, their climate is colder than a person could expect from a place based at the Equator, as a result of Humboldt Current, which touch the region right after flowing in the ocean west of South America. Anyway, here the weather is not the same from one year to the other, since there are various sea currents which meet or take turns in the region (additionally there is a hot current coming from Central America, which flows at a small distance and is much more active on the years of El Niño), which means conditions are difficult to estimate.

As mentioned, in this island destinations there are two seasons: a hot season from January to May, having highest temperatures around 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), along with a reasonably cool period coming from July to November, named Garua, with daytime temperature ranges around 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, evening conditions stay favorable, around 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), although you’ll notice often mists, which result in the condensation of small droplets (known as garua from where the season receives its name), and the atmosphere is typically covered by low clouds (as a result of thermal inversion generated by the cool water current). This period is the least stormy of the year in shorelines and flatlands (considering that the Garua really doesn’t create substantial rain accumulations), while on inland, there may be several real rains. The highest peak is the Vulcan Lobo, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, positioned on Isabela Island.

It needs to be declared precipitation is intermittent, and can become more rich in the seasons of El Niño. During the most severe El Niño years, such as 1982-83 and 1997-98, the climate of Galapagos turns into entirely tropical, having high temperature conditions and considerable rainfall. In the years of La Niña, on the other hand, the rains are more rare, and there’s a decrease in both air and sea temperatures.

When you should visit

Typically, the Galapagos can be traveled to all year round. However, the best time to visit the islands, in case you also want to go swimming and take sunbathes, runs from February to May, because it is the most warm and sunniest, although there could possibly be some rains or thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The cool period, from July to November, is usually encouraged to explore the outdoors, mainly because it hardly ever rains in the plains and the climate is pleasant, even though you have to take into consideration mists, haze and foggy air. From September to November the ocean can be a little tough, and this can upset those who suffer from motion illness, during boat trips from one isle to the next.

What clothes you should bring

From December to May (warm period): light outfits, a lightweight sweatshirt for the night time, light raincoat or umbrella for bad weather showers; sun hat. For trekking in the hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit warmer sport shirt and raincoat, trekking shoes.

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

For the reef, equipment for surfing, water shoes or plastic soled footwear.

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

Due to the long distances involved, the only sensible approach to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard boats, which traveling between islands, largely at night, and create various stops each day. More than 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 full days on the boat typically means 20 shore landings, 10-20 snorkels, and many panga rides (pangas are little, open outboard-powered boats) to about 10 different islands.

Exploring on your own is considerably harder. Getting around independently is tricky and all visitors must be accompanied by a qualified naturalist guide at all landing websites. However four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) have hotels of varying dimensions and criteria and a few boat operators provide day-trips.

Following in Darwin’s footsteps involves a trip from Quito or Guayaquil, on the mainland, to Baltra or San Cristobal. 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 town, with a bank, ATM machine, taxis, pubs and even a cinema.

GalapagosInformation.com provides an assortment of tailor-made live-aboard tours on a lot of different vessels carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

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

The seas are usually calmer and clearer now of year (using 60ft-80ft visibility average) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), therefore this period is best for snorkeling.

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

The most Well-known months for Galapagos cruises are between June and August and again from the middle of December to January. Plan ahead in the event that you want to see during the high season. Visiting out of those periods will still offer plenty of experiences and wildlife experiences, but costs may be lower with fewer other tourists around.

With minimal variation in water and air temperatures throughout the year, and many species that are not migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is a fantastic adventure at any moment. Generally, but the waters are clearer between January and March, making this an ideal time for avid snorkeling fans. The driest months are typically between August and December, ideal for beach lovers.

Visit the Galapagos in January to watch green sea turtles coming and laying eggs on the shores, also in April to see the eggs hatching. Bird spotters will probably prefer to see Isabela Island between August and March, when the range of migratory birds is at its peak. October is the breeding period for fur seals, although brown nodes are active in November. December is the best month if you wish to witness the hatching of giant tortoises.

Before joining any Galapagos cruises, you will first have to create your strategy to mainland Ecuador. International flights generally arrive in the country’s capital city of Quito, though it is also likely to take an international flight to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave daily from both Quito and Guayaquil.

Many visitors visiting Galapagos are amazed to be greeted by desert-like vegetation–most are expecting a continuation of the lush greenery that they observed on mainland Ecuador. In fact, the majority of the archipelago’s land area is covered by the brown and gray vegetation often found in deserts. The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Dry Belt, also in typical years only the greatest altitudes of the larger islands receive enough rainfall to support tropical plant life.

The flora of Galapagos could be grouped into three major vegetation zones: the coastal zone, the more arid zone, and the humid highlands.

Coastal plants are found in the narrow zone close to the coast and are distinctive because of their tolerance to sour conditions. Mangrove trees are among the most common plants found within this zone, and they serve a significant function as the breeding sites for many birds, such as pelicans and frigate birds. They also provide much needed shade regions such as iguanas and sea lions, as well as refuges for sea turtles.

The arid area is easily the most extensive zone in Galapagos and is comprised of plant species which are highly adapted to drought-like states, such as succulent cacti and leafless shrubs that blossom and grow leaves just in the short rainy season.

Located above the dry zones would be the very lush and green, humid zones. The humid zone is only found on the bigger, higher islands. Nearly all islands in the archipelago do not rise in altitude over the arid zone.

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