Galápagos, Ecuador
Animals that have never learned to fear people. Warm and calm Dec–May; cooler with more marine life Jun–Nov.
Best time to visit
Weather by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° | 23° | 71 mm | prime |
| Feb | 28° | 24° | 130 mm | prime |
| Mar | 29° | 24° | 148 mm | prime |
| Apr | 28° | 24° | 149 mm | prime |
| May | 27° | 24° | 55 mm | prime |
| Jun | 26° | 23° | 39 mm | prime |
| Jul | 25° | 22° | 30 mm | prime |
| Aug | 24° | 21° | 21 mm | prime |
| Sep | 24° | 21° | 23 mm | prime |
| Oct | 24° | 21° | 25 mm | prime |
| Nov | 25° | 21° | 23 mm | prime |
| Dec | 26° | 22° | 50 mm | prime |
30-year averages (1995–2024) from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo. Rain is the monthly total.
Cost
Serves travellers at Budget→Ultra-luxury level. Typically around $500 a day on the ground.
Ranges are typical costs, not quotes. Check the real price before you book.
What's on
Whale shark season starts June
Darwin and Wolf islands (Jun–Nov)
Worth knowing
Either a liveaboard boat, which reaches the outer islands, or a land base with day trips and inter-island speedboats. The speedboat crossings take a couple of hours and are rough. No car is needed anywhere.
getting around · editorial
You fly from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra or San Cristobal; there is no other way in. From Baltra the last leg is a bus, a short ferry and another bus into Puerto Ayora, roughly ninety minutes in total.
getting there · editorial
Almost every landing site requires a licensed guide and a fixed route; you cannot wander. Trails are marked and you stay on them, and there is a minimum distance you keep from animals even when they walk towards you.
know before · editorial
The country uses the US dollar. Cash matters here: cash machines on the islands run dry and card acceptance is patchy outside hotels, so bring more than you think from the mainland.
money · editorial
There is no bad season, only a trade-off: the warm months are calm and good for swimming, the cool months bring rougher crossings and colder water but far more marine life. If you get seasick, avoid the windy middle of the year.
when not to go · editorial
Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz has the most boats, restaurants and day trips. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal is smaller and has sea lions on the pavement. Puerto Villamil on Isabela is the quietest and the hardest to leave in a hurry.
where to stay · editorial
Quests
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Charles Darwin Station
The giant tortoise breeding centre in Puerto Ayora.
Tortuga Bay
Forty minutes on foot from Puerto Ayora, along a white stone path.
Los Gemelos
The two collapse craters in the highlands of Santa Cruz.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
The capital, where sea lions sleep on the benches in the square.
León Dormido
The rock split in two, two hours by boat from San Cristóbal.
See
Swim with a young sea lion that came to you
Eat
Have encebollado for breakfast in Puerto Ayora
Eat the catch of the day at the street market in Puerto Ayora
What came in on the boat in the morning, served at night.
Have an encebollado for breakfast
Fish soup in the morning. That is how Ecuador starts the day.
Moment
Sit still for half an hour watching an iguana — it is what the island teaches
Stand two metres from a marine iguana and go unnoticed
They are not afraid. That is the point of the whole archipelago.
Watch a blue-footed booby dance
It lifts one foot, then the other. It is exactly what it sounds like.
Let a sea lion decide to swim near you
You do not chase. You wait.
Water
Snorkel at a spot with reef sharks
Harmless, and even so the heart does not believe it.