Galapagos Islands tours & holidays

Simply put, there’s no bad time to visit the Galapagos Islands. Good weather is mostly found year round, as are the animals.

This being said, November through to June is the preferred time to visit, with clearer skies, calmer seas and decreased winds. Of these, March and April have less rain, while November and December are the warmest.

July to November is the best time for divers as whale sharks can often be spotted at Wolf and Darwin islands.

Learn more about the best time to visit the Galapagos Islands

Ever since Charles Darwin brought attention to the giant tortoises, sea lions, hammerhead sharks and other spectacular wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, people have been fascinated by this archipelago of volcanic islands.

Originally a pirate hideout, people started migrating to the islands from Ecuador after it became part of the country in 1832. Of the 13 major islands and scores of smaller islands and islets that make up the Galapagos, only five of them are inhabited – about 26,000 residents spread over the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Baltra and San Cristobal.

The wildlife rules the rest of the islands, which are carefully managed to help protect the precious environment.

Located in the Pacific Ocean about 965 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago of 13 major islands, six smaller islands and more than 100 islets. Some are sparsely vegetated with largely mountainous interiors, whereas others are comparatively lush with white-sand beaches. Many of the islands are in a state of flux, as continual volcanic eruptions cause them to erode and expand.

The largest island, Isabela, makes up half the land area of the Galapagos and is characterised by three active volcanoes, a blue lagoon, clear lakes filled with flamingos and beaches where iguanas and sea lions roam. Santa Cruz is the second largest island with giant tortoises, marine iguanas and Galapagos crabs residing in Tortuga Bay. The oldest and most remote island, Espanola (also called Hood), boasts boobies, albatrosses and many species of birds and lizards not found anywhere else in the world. 

1. Sea Lions

Whether you're loafing about on the beach or snorkelling offshore, you’ll be hard-pressed not to come face-to-face with these frolicsome critters at some stage. Playful, plentiful and pretty much fearless, you’re supposed to keep a 2-metre distance from these guys at all times - though their insatiable curiosity can make this hard.

2. Marine Iguanas

The only lizard in the world that can live and forage in the ocean, the marine iguana is found solely in the Galapagos. Fierce and ferocious though these Godzilla-like reptiles may appear (Darwin called them ‘Imps of Darkness’), it’s all bluff – they only feed on algae. And with lung capacities permitting up to half an hour of underwater foraging, you’re just as likely to find them gorging on the islands’ surrounding seabeds as scampering about the craggy rocks they inhabit.

3. Hammerhead Sharks

Boasting one of the animal kingdom’s most puzzling physiologies, hammerhead sharks are found in abundance off Wolf, Bartolome, Santa Cruz and Darwin islands. Unlike most sharks, they will often merge into schools of over 100 during the day, making for some incredible and surreal photo opportunities. And with no known human fatalities and a wealth of choice natural prey on offer, diving amongst them isn’t as scary or dangerous as one might think.

4. Finches

Darwin's finches gave rise to one of the most game-changing theories of all time. By studying the differences between finches from different islands, Darwin hypothesised that the birds’ adaptations to their habitats resulted in their mutation into different species: his Theory of Evolution.

5. Giant Tortoises

No trip to the islands is complete without a visit to its most famous residents. Weighing up to 400kg, regularly living for more than 100 years, and able to go for up to 1 year without food, these gentle and slow-moving monsters are an intriguing and humbling spectacle to observe.

6. Sea Turtles

Snorkelling alongside these majestic creatures of the deep (or more accurately, the shallows) is one of those rare moments that make a trip to the Galapagos immediately worthwhile. Keep your eyes peeled on the beaches for turtle nests too - the Galapagos is a hotbed of activity for these critters. 

7. Blue-Footed Boobies

Despite essentially looking like handsome seagulls with painted toenails, blue-footed boobies, when caught hunting, serve up one of the Galapagos' most thrilling spectacles. Diving from heights of up to 100ft, groups of boobies hit the water at speeds of around 60km per hour. They usually let out a shrill whistle before letting rip, which means you'll usually have enough warning to get your camera out, too.

8. Flightless Cormorants

Granted, a flightless cormorant spotted on land isn't one of the most invigorating sights you'll see during your time here. But wait until you don your snorkel gear and spot one weaving elegantly through the water - the flightless cormorant will likely become one of your favourite discoveries in the Galapagos Islands for this reason alone.

9. Frigatebird

With its striking wingspan and deeply forked tail, the magnificent frigate bird is easily one of the most impressive birds in the skies of the Galapagos archipelago. But they don't have such a swell reputation amongst other birds. Whilst they hunt fish on the ocean's surface, they also force their winged brethren to regurgitate their food, which then they eat - a process known as kleptoparasitism.