Top Rated Galapagos tours

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Visit Galapagos Islands in Ecuador is a truly tropical paradise, some of the most unbelievable animals on the earth is located over the Galapagos Islands. A vacation to the Galapagos is definitely the holiday of their existence for the majority of people. The fauna in Galapagos that you encounter can’t be located any place else, but here ocean and land wildlife and birds are friendlier.

You could find Boobies, giant tortoises, iguanas among others, might be found nearby during your tours. If you want surfing or diving, sea lions will be playing with you and beneath them, turtles and may be encounter.

Galapagos Islands Weather Today

The Galapagos Islands, situated on the Pacific Ocean, about a thousand kilometers (600 miles) west of Ecuador, enjoy a unusual climate, tropical and semi-arid, with a hot and comparatively stormy season coming from January to May, along with a dry and cool weather, as well as cloudy and misty, from July to November.

The landscapes of the Galapagos are dry, with the exception of the bigger islands, which usually get much more considerable rain fall. As was already noted by Charles Darwin, who as you may know observed the peculiarities of the species located in the isles, their weather conditions are much cooler than a person would likely be expecting from a place positioned at the Equator, because of the Humboldt Current, which usually reaches the region right after running in the sea west of Latin America. However, here the climate is varied from one year to another, because there are diverse marine currents that encounter or take turns in the area (there is also a warm current from Central America, which flows at no great distance and is far more active in the years of El Niño), meaning that the weather conditions are tough to anticipate.

As mentioned, in this island destinations there is two seasons: a warm season from January to May, with maximum temperatures about 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), along with a relatively cool season from July to November, named Garua, having daytime temperatures about 24/25 °C (75/77 °F). In the latter, evening temperatures remain favorable, around 18/19 °C (64/66 °F), although there are often mists, which cause the condensation of very small droplets (called garua by which the season takes its title), and the sky is usually covered by low clouds (due to the thermal inversion produced by the low-temperature water current). This period is the least stormy of the entire year in shorelines and plains (considering that the Garua doesn’t create significant rain accumulations), though on inland hills and mountains, there might be many tremendous rains. The highest peak is the Vulcan Lobo, 1,707 meters (5,600 feet) high, situated on Isabela Island.

It needs to be stated that rainfall is intermittent, and can be abundant in the seasons of El Niño. During the more severe El Niño years, such as 1982-83 and 1997-98, the climate of islands becomes absolutely tropical, with higher temperatures and copious rainfall. In the periods of La Niña, alternatively, the rains are more rare, and there’s a reduction in both air and sea temperatures.

In general, the Galapagos could be visited all year round. However, the best time to travel to the islands, if you also wish to swim and sunbathe, runs from February to May, since it is the warmest and sunniest, although there may be several downpours or severe storms in the morning.

The cold season, from July to November, can be suggested to explore nature, because it very rarely rains on the plains and the temperatures are pleasant, even when you have to take into consideration mists, haze and cloudy skies. From September to November the ocean can be a little challenging, and this situation can affect people that have problems with movement sickness, during boat journeys from one island to another.

What equipment you should bring

From December to May (warm period): light clothing, a lightweight sweatshirt for the night, light raincoat or outdoor umbrella for bad weather showers; sun cap (in the end, we are at the Equator). For walking in the hills and the Vulcan Wolf, a bit warmer sweatshirt and raincoat, walking footwear.

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

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

The Galapagos were discovered by chance in 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, mostly at night, and also create different stops each day. Over 80 vessels are licensed to operate from the archipelago and also there are an infinite number of combinations of stops and paths. Most cruises go ashore two times per day: 10 full days on the ship typically means 20 coast landings, 10-20 snorkels, and many panga rides (pangas are little, open outboard-powered boats) to approximately 10 different islands.

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

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

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

Wildlife movements diverge, and each month has its own highlights. For example, green turtles begin their egg-laying in January; penguins socialize with swimmers on Bartolome largely from May until the end of September; humpback whales start to arrive at June; July through the end of September is the ideal period for most seabird activity; peak pupping for sea lions is approximately August, while their pups perform aqua-aerobics with snorkelers at November; and December is the month for hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there is something going on.

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

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

How to Access to the Galapagos Islands

Planning your trip to the Galapagos Islands? Not certain how to get to the archipelago? It’s simple. Your destination is mainland Ecuador. Whether you are traveling from the United States, Europe or any place else, you should book an international flight to Guayaquil or Ecuador’s capital, Quito. Their isolation is just one of the qualities that make them so special. You may be wondering just how one arrives to the islands. Charles Darwin went to the Galapagos Islands on the Beagle, but modern-day explorers arrive by jet. The sole real daily flights to the Galapagos Islands depart in the cities of Quito and Guayaquil on mainland Ecuador. International travelers should ensure to arrive to the city in order to start their Galapagos adventure. From the Quito and Guayaquil, there are daily flights linking Ecuador with cities across the Americas and in Europe. Direct flights in the US cities of Miami, Houston, Atlanta, and New York arrive every day. From Europe there are direct flights coming from both London and Barcelona. After on mainland Ecuador, passengers continue to one of 2 airports in the Galapagos Islands. The second airport is located around San Cristobal Island. Flights from Quito and Guayaquil fly every day bringing people into the enchanting islands. From the airports at the Galapagos, passengers transfer to their cruises or hotels in the port cities of the islands. When booking a cruise in the Galapagos, it is highly advised to book your flights along with the cruise. This ensures an on-time entrance and averts the chance of missing the cruise death. Our expert trip advisors are able to help you organize every detail of your trip to the Galapagos Islands. Get in touch with them today to book your flights and cruise from Quito or Guayaquil. The flight from Quito the Galapagos is about 2.5 hours, and it takes a bit less time out of Guayaquil. Once you get to the mainland, you are just a few hours away from viewing the blue-footed boobies and tortoises and swimming with sea lions.

Giant Tortoises

The giant tortoises of Galapagos are among the most well-known of the temples of the Islands. While giant tortoises once thrived on most of the continents of the Earth, the Galapagos tortoises now represent one of the remaining two groups of giant tortoises in the entire world -another group living on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The Galapagos Islands were known for their giant tortoises; the Spanish word galapago meant saddle, a term ancient explorers used for its tortoises on account of the form of their shells.

The closest living relative of the Galapagos enormous tortoise is the little Chaco tortoise from South America, though it’s not a direct ancestor. Scientists believe the first tortoises came to Galapagos two–3 million years back by traveling 600 miles from the South American coast on vegetation rafts or in their own. They were already massive creatures before coming in Galapagos. Colonizing the eastern-most islands of Española and San Cristobal very first, they then dispersed throughout the archipelago, eventually establishing at least 15 separate populations on ten of the biggest Galapagos Islands.

Although there’s a great deal of variation in size and shape among Galapagos tortoises, two primary morphological forms exist -that the domed shells (like their ancestral form) and also the saddle-backed carapace. Domed tortoises tend to be considerably bigger in size and don’t have the up thrust to the front of the carapace; they live on the larger, higher islands with humid highlands where forage is generally abundant and readily obtainable. Saddle-backed shells evolved over the arctic islands in response to the absence of accessible food. The front part of the carapace angles upwards, letting the tortoise to expand its head higher to achieve the higher vegetation, for example cactus pads.

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