The Galapagos

The Galapagos islands, a group of volcanic islands, are the most spectacular and unique islands on the face of the earth and lie approximately 970km to the west of the Ecuadorian Pacific coastline.

Suggested Ecuador itinerary including Galapagos

The uniqueness of Galapagos is largely due to the remoteness of the Archipelago which has never been connected to the lands of the South American continent. This has left the animals, plants, bird life, reptiles and marine life who have either migrated or arrived by sea to develop somewhat differently to their mainland brothers and sisters, for example the various types of reptiles inhabiting the islands are all exclusive to the islands while 25% of the nearby shore fish and over 50% of all plants are also unique only to the islands and found nowhere else on earth.

The islands are famous for their fearless and friendly wildlife, as well as the many endemic species such as the giant tortoise. The islands are often referred to as a living laboratory. It was the Galapagos Islands that Charles Darwin visited as a naturalist on HMS Beagle in 1835 and started to form his theory on evolution. His book "On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection" brought the world’s attention to the Galapagos Islands and since then they have been a focus for the interest of scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike.

Of the six major islands namely San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Isabela and Floreana, only Santiago and Fernandina are completely uninhabited. In addition there are further 12 small islands namely Baltra and the uninhabited islands of Santa Fé, Pinzón, Española, Rábida, Daphne, Seymour, Genovesa, Marchena, Pinta, Darwin and Wolf and 40 other smaller islets also spread throughout the archipelago.

The fish, sea-lions and penguins will let you swim with them and are playful in friendship with their newly found playmates. It is also a paradise for snorkelling and you can view several multicoloured glistening fish and invertebrates including rays, turtles and sharks. A visit here is a once in a life time experience for most visitors and it is worth booking a long way in advance. Christmas and New Year cruises are often booked up years in advance. 

The Galapagos Archipelago consists of 4,897 square miles of land over 28,000 square miles. The group consists of 16 main islands, 6 smaller islands and 10 rocks and islets. The islands are located at the Galápagos hotspot, a place where the earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes. More...

The Galapagos Calendar
On the Galapagos Islands you can see wildlife all year round, therefore unless you have something particular you want to see (for example the Waved Albatross, is absent from January to March), you can travel there anytime and always look forward to seeing something different. More...

Weather
There is no ‘best’ time to visit Galapagos.  The definition of ‘best’ depends on what type of weather you prefer. 

There are two general seasons: warm and wet season:  December to May; cool and dry season (‘garua’ season): June to end of November.

Click here to obtain the official word on the weather in The Galapagos from the BBC.

The seas are the roughest during August and September.  More…

Getting there
The Galapagos islands are accessed by air from Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador. All flights to the Galapagos which originate in Quito and touchdown in Guayaquil en route. The return trip is the same. Aerogal is the main airline serving the islands. 
 
Time Difference
The Galapagos Islands are GMT -6 (Ecuador mainland GMT -5)

Tips for visiting. More…

Galapagos Packing checklist. More...