Traveling to the Galapagos Islands

We've all been there before...The anticipation and excitement of traveling prevents you from thinking properly about what you need to be bringing when you're getting ready to travel across the world. When packing up for your trip to the Galapagos Islands, it's important that you think about what you should be bringing. You never want to be halfway across the world, when you realize you forgot to bring an essential item with you! Here's a short and simple checklist that you should run through before you leave your house.

• Swimsuits


• Passport


• Credit Cards/Cash/Travelers Checks


• Comfortable Shoes


• Sunscreen


• Any medications


• Underwater Camera


• Sweatshirts, and long pants for when the sun goes down

For any other questions you may have, please see this site that has a wealth of knowledge on common Galapagos Islands questions.

Because of their distance from main lands and proximity to the equator, the Galapagos Islands are visited by tourists practically year round! There are a couple of factors, however, that you should consider when planning on traveling to the Galapagos Islands.

Traveling to Galapagos on a budget - If you are on a budget, but still would like to explore the Galapagos Islands, then your best bet is to visit in what they call the "low seasons", which are April-May, and September-October. In these months, the tourism industry in general tends to lower their prices to attract more people, so if you have a tight budget, it's best to book for those months.

Exploring Wildlife - If the wildlife is what brings you to the Galapagos Islands, you have a few options. Changes in the climate during the middle of the calendar year bring on a period of increased animal activity on the islands. The dry season is between June and December, and this is the period in which wildlife is most active.

You should book any Galapagos cruises according to your budget, reasons for traveling, and availability.

Here is just a sample of some of the wildlife you may encounter during your eco-travels to the Galapagos Islands.

Galápagos Sea Lions, Zalophus californianus, closely related to the California Sea Lion, but smaller


Galápagos land iguanas


Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, the only iguana feeding in the sea


Blue-footed Booby, Sula nebouxii, popular among visitors for their large blue feet which they show off in courtship


Waved Albatross, Phoebastria irrorata, the only living tropical albatross


Other notable species native to the Galapagos Islands are

Galápagos Hawk, Buteo galapagoensis, the islands' main scavenger and "environmental police"


4 endemic species of Galápagos mockingbirds, the first species Darwin noticed to vary from island to island


13 endemic species of tanagers, popularly called Darwin's finches. Among them is the Sharp-beaked Ground-finch Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis which is sometimes called the "Vampire Finch" for its blood-sucking habits, and the tool-using Woodpecker Finch, Camarhynchus pallidus



Sea cucumbers, the cause of environmental battles with fishermen over quotas of this expensive Asian delicacy.


Flightless Cormorant, Phalacrocorax harrisi


Great Frigatebird and Magnificent Frigatebird


Galápagos Penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus, the only living tropical penguin


Galápagos tortoise (Galápagos Giant tortoise), Geochelone elephantopus, known as Galápago in Spanish, it gave the name to the islands
Galápagos Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas agassisi, a subspecies of the Green Turtle.

Wikipedia mentions that the Galapagos Islands "are an archipelago of volcanic islands", that are situated nicely along the equator off the coast of South America. Each of the islands was originally named after pirates and English nobility, however they were more recently given Spanish names.

The islands derive their name from the phrase that was used to describe them, as "Insulae de los Galopegos", which translates to Island of the Tortoises. The islands were frequently used as a hideout for English pirates who were carrying gold from South America to Spain.

In 1832, Ecuador annexed the islands and named them "Archipelago of Ecuador".

Shortly after, a young Charles Darwin visited the islands and noticed the variations in tortoises and birds from island to island. He conjectured that these variations may "undermine the stability" of the species. Upon his analysis of the wildlife specimens, he formulated the basis for his "The Origin of Species".

It wasn't until 1959, that the Galapagos Islands become a national park, and tourism flourished in the 1960's. People have been visiting these islands in increasing numbers ever since.