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Galapagos cruise trip really should be on top of most parent’s destination checklist. For a lot of, the Galapagos Islands appeals to a prodigious amount of intrigue to those in search of one of the few surviving awesome fauna encounters on earth. With its raw, organic beauty and amazing wildlife, the remote Galapagos Islands should be visited by yacht, and more specifically, a high-class ship providing the very best standard of accommodation on-ship. Traveling in a Galapagos small ship cruise ensures that you get access to several of the finest visitor places, many of which are generally sealed to greater luxury cruise ships.

Galapagos Islands Weather Averages

It is a regularly asked question: When is the optimum time to go to Galapagos? There are many answers, depending on what you need from your Galapagos trip. If you wish to see the reptiles and mammals that the Galapagos Islands are famous for, you may want to consult this calendar to help you plan your trip.

The same as the birds, the mammals and reptiles in Galapagos follow certain cycles of reproduction along with other life functions. These behaviors change during various times of the year and from island to island. For instance, if you want to find the bright red-and-green “Christmas Iguanas” of Española, you should go in December or January.

Galapagos Islands Cruise Itineraries

Every accredited vessel sailing the Galapagos follows a 15-day route established and approved by Galapagos National Park. Throughout this period of time, a ship might not visit the exact same site twice, with the exception of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz. How lines segment the 15 times can vary, but four-, five- and eight-day choices are the standard. Passengers can often combine these sections into 11-, 12- and 15-day cruises.

All boats basically follow the same protocol, irrespective of itinerary: Island visits and extra-curricular tasks are done during the day, and also nearly all navigation is performed overnight.

All cruises begin or end at one of two islands with an airport: Baltra, a U.S. military outpost during WWII turned Ecuadorian air base, or San Cristobal, the Galapagos’ second most populated island and home to the capital of their state, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Since the approach to cruising continues to be standardized, picking the proper itinerary includes a whole lot to do with cruisers deciding which visitor websites are on their must-visit lists. Port research — especially photo searching — is key. Remember that the longer the cruise, the further west the ship will reach. That’s not to mention the western islands are better — it is a matter of personal taste. If you rail is also an important consideration.

There’s one main exception: “Live aboard” boats carrying experienced divers are the only craft to visit the northern islands, Darwin and Wolf, prime spots for ski lovers. In Darwin, where there is not any landing website, schools of hammerheads are known to congregate.

Galapagos cruises are often 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 wish to visit during the peak tourist times. Visiting out of these periods will still offer lots of adventures and wildlife encounters, 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 are not migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is a fantastic experience at any time. Generally, but the waters are better between January and March, which makes this a perfect time for avid snorkeling enthusiasts. The driest months are typically between August and December, ideal for beach lovers.

Visit the Galapagos in January to observe green sea turtles arriving and laying eggs on the shores, and in April to find the eggs hatching. July is the prime month for visiting whales off the western coast of Isabela Island. Bird spotters will probably prefer to see Isabela Island between August and March, once the range of migratory birds is at its peak. October is the breeding period for fur seals, although brown nodes are sexually active in November. December is the best month should you want to see the hatching of giant tortoises.

Before joining any Galapagos cruises, you will initially need to make your strategy to mainland Ecuador. International flights usually arrive at the country’s capital city of Quito, even though it is also likely to take an overseas trip to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave every day from the Quito and Guayaquil. Flights from Guayaquil are briefer, and many departures from Quito stop in Guayaquil in route to the Galapagos Islands.

Most of visitors visiting Galapagos are surprised to be greeted with desert-like vegetation–most are anticipating 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 frequently located in deserts. The Galapagos Islands are situated in the Pacific Dry Belt, also in typical years only the greatest altitudes of the bigger islands receive enough rainfall to support tropical vegetation.

In Geological terms, the islands are young, and much of the island’s vegetation reflects this fact; many species appear to be in the midst of the evolutionary process, making classifying them a difficult endeavor. So far, the islands are believed to be home to between 552 and 614 indigenous species of vascular plants and roughly 825 introduced species, the majority introduced by humans. More than 100 of those introduced species have become established in the wild, with many of these extremely invasive and of major concern. Three introduced plant species are eradicated. The disparity between species number on the Islands and the southern highlights the fact that the Galapagos Islands are separated from the continent with a hostile saltwater barrier decreasing the prospect of arrival and, after a plant has come, institution is tough due to the harsh surroundings. It is worthy of note that more than 30% of indigenous plant species found in Galapagos are endemic (not found anywhere else in the world).

Coastal plants are observed in the narrow zone close to the coast and are distinctive due to their tolerance to salty conditions. Mangrove trees are one of the most frequent plants found within this zone, and they serve a significant role since the breeding sites for many birds, such as pelicans and frigate birds. They also give much needed shade areas for iguanas and sea lions, in addition to refuges for sea turtles.

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

Located over the dry zones are the very green and lush, humid zones. In parts of the zone, Scalesia trees form a very dense forest in the humid zone, with their branches adorned with mosses, liverworts, and epiphytes–non-parasitic plants that use bigger trees only for support. The humid zone is only found on the larger, higher islands. Nearly all islands in the archipelago don’t rise in altitude over the arctic zone.

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