galapagos islands
Galápagos Islands and the surrounding waters are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are included in the the Galápagos National Park, and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The area represents one of the world’s unique ecosystems with rich biodiversity. Not surprising Charles Darwin collected material and thoughts for his discoveries in evolution. You have to visit Galapagos islands at least one time if you are interested in nature, wildlife and biology. There is no other place on our planet in terms of wildlife, on land and in the water. You can visit one or several islands, on land only or on a small cruise ship. For divers, best SCUBA diving is from a live-aboard ship.
The main activity is to explore the wildlife and enjoy the majestic views. However, ways to explore the wildlife is a bit different for land and cruise based trips.
- Santa Cruz is the island you need to visit through any itinerary. We stopped there on our SCUBA cruise route. There are a number of points of interest: At the Charles Darwin Research Station you can see animals and read about the biodiversity of the islands, their history etc.
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Lava tunnels are interesting geological phenomenon that looks like a subway tunnel, except it is natural.
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El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve is right next to the lava tube. Giant tortoises roam free in the area.
- Black Turtle Cove is a mangrove area with many aquatic animals.
- Tortuga Bay is a beautiful white sandy beach where you can also see land and aquatic life.
- La Lobería on San Cristóbal Island is a beach where sea lions are resident. Ample opportunities for interactions. You may also see wild iguanas, lava lizards, yellow warblers and frigates. The beach is close to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
- Bird watching is a popular activity. Ask about bird watching tours at the hotel where you stay.
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SCUBA and sknorkelling. You can snorkel and dive from general cruise ship or as a day trip. For example, there are SCUBA day trips from Santa Cruz island. Obviously you will have access only to local areas. The most impressive diving is at the northern Wolf and Darwin islands. Only dedicated SCUBA liveaboards venture there. Diving in Galapagos is challenging. Our advice is that you go on a liveaboard only if you are comfortable and experienced, at least at basic level, to dive in cold water, strong currents, limited visibility, and a chance to get separated from the group.
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Water temperatures. We were diving in January, at the beginning of the calm and warm period. Water temperatures still could drop to 16 degrees Centigrade (60 Fahrenheit) at the south-west coast of Isabella Island. Water around Wolf and Darwin islands was warmer but we still needed a 7mm semi-dry suit + vest + gloves + hood. At Isabella island we could not stay longer than 20 min as temperatures dropped to 13 degrees below second thermocline. Filling your suit with warm water right before you jump into the water buys you extra 2-3 min. Be careful interpreting water temperature posted online, it usually represents surface temperature while most diving is below thermocline. Our conclusion was that a dry suit is a must between May - November. Personally, I would take a drysuit all year round. A 7mm semi-dry suit + vest + hood + gloves is not less in terms of hassle, limits flexibility, chokes you if it is small and lets cold water in if it is large.... but still does not save you from cold.
- Diving conditions. Getting lost is a real possibility. They give you GPS beacons, to find you if you get swept away. We where lucky, there were no big waves as we went during the calmer period. However, currents were strong. There are no corals and they do not use reef hooks. So, I would either have to wedge a knee between the rocks or deflate and ground myself to stabilize for filming and photo. Several times my wife and I would simply drift away from the group and do our own route, where the current drifts you. The boatmen were good, they followed bubbles and we would see a boat almost every time we would surface. However, a couple of times we needed to blow a sausage and float on the surface for some time. All was doable and safe because we were prepared and experienced but a complete novice or an occasional tropical all-inclusive diver may get in trouble. Another point was sea sickness. We never get sea sick, but the first long overnight passage to Darwin & Wolf made all divers sea sick. At some point we actually wanted to be in the water as soon as we could, to stop the feeling. The rest of the trip was calmer and we slowly adjusted. So, you need to be dedicated to diving. It was worth it though.
- Marine life. The main point to dive in Galapagos is to see LARGE marine animals in LARGE numbers. The amount of fish around Wolf and Darwin is overwhelming. Schools of hammerheads could fill your entire "sky", like those bombers filled the sky in the WWII movies. At times, it was likely 50+ of hammerheads within our visibility. As they were moving over us, we realized that it could be over 100. As we stayed on the rocks we were surrounded by smaller fish and watched the big game behind the wall of small fish. The Galapagos sharks are also large and impressive. They get closer to people. Sometimes, when we were drifting alone they would circle around us. The sharks get scared by the faster moving animals like dolphins and sea lions. We saw first time in our diving experience how fast sharks get be chased. They can move fast as well when get scared. We also saw turtles, rays, barracudas etc. We did not see whale sharks as January was not a good season for them. A good place to see whale sharks is in Papua. Our surface intervals were filled with boat excursions to watch iguanas, penguins, sea lions and the birds. There was also the famous Darwin's Arch for photo opportunities. Sadly, it collapsed after our trip. Diving at Isabella island was cold, very cold. We had to sink through the second thermocline to see the large sea horses. We also saw the highly unusual large Mola-Mola fish and were played by the sea lions. The lions were fast moving and playful. It is very difficult to photograph them as they fly by around you, sometimes touching you. At another dive spot were encountered a large school of medium size fish, a bit larger than sardines. The amount of fish was comparable to the sardine run. The place had low visibility, and together with fish surrounding you at 360 degrees the only way to know where is up and down was to watch your bubbles. Ovearall, if you are an experienced diver the trip is very much worth it. It was one of our most memorable diving trips.
When to go
Winter is reverse to travelers from the Northern hemisphere. The islands are on the Equator, but the Humboldt current brings air and water from the Antarctic and this cools down air and, to a greater degree water. The warmest water is between February - April, but this is also the slightly more rainy period. There is also another current from the north which brings warm air and water to the northern islands such as Darwin and Wolf. If you are not a diver you can come at any time, but for divers colder months mean diving in a dry suit and possible rough sea. You can check for more information here.
Up until 1969 the only way to reach the islands was on a ship. Presently there are regular flights to the islands. First you will need to fly to an international airport in Ecuador, either the capital Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE). Unless you live in South America there will be a stop to change planes. After arrival in Quito or Guayaquil (most likely Quito) you will need to fly with a domestic flight to either Baltra (GPS) or San Cristobal (SCY) islands in Galapagos. The place of landing depends on your land or cruise itinerary. Please double check from which island you start your tour in Galapagos. The international flights can take anywhere from 8+ (North America) to 14+ hours (Europe) and longer from Asia. The domestic flight is about 3 hours. We booked through GalapagosIslands.com who took care of all logistics, stopover hotels and even trip extensions to Machu Picchu and Amazon.
There are several options to explore the islands. The most popular is a cruise on a medium size ship. Some ships are luxurious. As there are different islands with different wildlife, cruising gives you best chances to see and explore the full range of Galapagos biodiversity. If you prefer to stay on land you can stay at one island (Santa Cruz) or do island hopping. The Darwin's Station, the headquarters of the National park, the lava tunnels and the Giant tortoises are on Sana Cruz island. All trips include this island as a must do stop.
Our itinerary
Day 1: Land in San Cristobal airport, transfer to the boat, sail to Lobos island, check dive
Day 2: Sail to Santa Cruz island, visit to El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve, sail to Seymour
Day 3: Overnight passage to Darwin island (can be rough as you cross open sea)
Days 3-5: Diving at Darwin and Wolf islands (best diving in Galapagos)
Day 6: Overnight pasage to Isabela Island, diving (coldest water), Fernandina Island, diving
Day 7: Santiago Island, diving, sail to Santa Cruz
Day 8: Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station, sail to San Cristobal
Day 9: Departure
