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Galapagos Islands
Surrounded by Volcano summits, tortured lava flows, remote mangroves, pirate hideouts, cliffs and coasts, inland lagoons and dramatic rock towers. Superbly remote yet surprisingly easy to get to, the Galapagos is a world within itself, with the largest collection of weird and wonderful creatures un-phased by your presence it a little bit like you just stepped into Narnia, truly magical.
The Galapagos Islands really are like no where else
on earth, home to such an amazing mix of wildlife with
tropical and polar species living side by side from
penguins and seals to flamingos and tropical fish, there
are so many species present on the Galapagos Islands
you’ll never remember them all. Watch giant tortoises,
waved albatrosses and sea turtles in some of their last
habitats on earth.
Situated 965 km of the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a unique archipelago made up of 13 larger volcanic islands, 6 smaller islands and hundreds of rocks and islets. The first islands where formed by tectonic activity between 10 and 5 million years ago whilst the youngest islands (Isabela and Fernandina) are still in the process of formation with the most recent volcanic activity in 2005.
The Galapagos Islands are located on one of the most active volcanic regions on earth: the Nazca Plate. This plate moves eastward towards South America because of the spreading of the sea floor, at a rate of 2.75 inches per year. This plate moves over a stationary area of intense heat or "hot spot" which "builds" the islands. Thus, the oldest part of the archipelago is found at the east of the cluster.
There are a huge number of endemic species that
inhabit the Galapagos and it was here that Darwin
carried out
studies which culminated in his world famous theory
of evolution by natural selection. It was here he
discovered that far from the ravages of the continents,
life evolved
into a strange sub-world of specialized creatures
who adapted to their harsh environment in an amazing
variety
of ways.
When you set foot on the harsh jagged black rocky
coastline born from flowing lava which never completed
its journey to the coastline, you can imagine why
early explorers, compared the islands to hell on
earth. However almost instantly you will become
lost in each island, each one like stepping into
a new
world, a profound and enchanting wildlife preserve
with distinctive climate, terrain, and a haven
of discovery.
Climate
The climate in and around the Galapagos Islands is determines largely by the ocean currents. In general from June – December the cold currents from the south create a misty fog (garua) creating a cool and dry climate. Around December time this current tends to move surrounding the islands in the warm Panama currents from the north, this means that until June the weather is usually hot and sunny in the mornings and cloudy with occasional showers in the afternoon.
As the islands lie directly on the Equator, you can expect it to be warm for most of the year. The hottest season is generally from January to April with average temperatures ranging from a low of 70 to a high of 84 F (22 - 31 C). It is during this period that you may expect afternoon thundershowers. During a severe El Nino, you can expect rain or thundershowers at any time. From April to December is considered the "cool" (and dry) season with average temperatures ranging from a low of 68 to a high of 82 F (19 – 27 C).
How to get there?
The airline TAME has two daily flights to the island
of Baltra, from where a short bus ride, a brief boat
ride and another almost one hour ride by bus take you
to the village of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island.
This is the major tourist spot on the Galapagos Islands.
TAME offers two daily flights to Baltra, Galapagos.
TAME also flies to the island of San Cristobal twice
a week. Although the airport is a 5 minute bus ride
from the village of Baquerizo Moreno, it has less traffic,
because most of the cruise agencies are located on
Santa Cruz Island.
From North America there are daily flights via Miami and Houston to Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador. Flights to Galapagos depart daily from both Quito and Guayaquil. Your tour operator will usually arrange the Galapagos flight for you. The owners of the boats in Galapagos block book spaces on these flights to ensure our passengers are on the flight to meet the boat.
Flights - High season (AVG) $390.00 Low season (AVG) $365 Prices Vary by originating either in Quito or Guayaquil. Children under 11 years of age pay approximately 50% of the adult price.
There is also a $32 US departure tax from Ecuador
on all international flights.
When should I visit the Galapagos Islands?
There's never a bad time to visit the Galapagos Islands. The peak season lasts from mid-June through early September and from mid-December through mid-January.
The national park limits the number of visitors to each island, so the Galápagos will never feel like Disney World. But if you visit in the summer, you are less likely to feel a sense of solitude and isolation.
Anytime is a good time to visit the Galapagos. The "hot" season
with it's frequent afternoon rain showers means that
the islands are generally much greener and the land
birds most active. The water is also warmer making
it much more pleasant for swimming and snorkeling.
The ⁘cold” season is when the land birds
and sea mammals are most active. This is the best time
for observing courtship displays in the sea birds.
It really doesn’t matter what time of year you
visit the islands, you will always find the wildlife
activity to be absolutely amazing!
Medical information
Trips
to the Galápagos venture out to the high
seas, and the waters can be rough. Be sure to bring
Dramamine or another anti-sea-sickness medication with
you. You'll definitely need it. Candied ginger also
helps settle small stomach upsets and is an alternative
to medication. The big cruise boats don't provide more
stability than the small ones.
The hospitals in the
Galápagos offer less than
adequate service. If you need a pharmacy, try Farmacia
Edith (tel. 05/526-487) or Farmacia Vanessa (tel. 05/526-392)
on Avenida Padre Juil Herrera, about 2 blocks up from
Avenida Charles Darwin
Other information
The main tourist information office in the Galápagos is located in Puerto Ayora on Avenida Charles Darwin, close to the corner of Charles Binford. It is open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 2 to 5:30pm.
You can exchange traveler's checks or use the ATM at Banco del Pacífico on Avenida Charles Darwin (near the corner of Charles Binford).
Internet access is slow and expensive. (It costs about $5 per hour.) The most reliable Internet cafe is Sharknet on Avenida Charles Darwin, right across from the Tame office. The post office is located at the far end of Avenida Charles Darwin, right across from the main dock.For scuba divers, there is now a decompression chamber on Santa Cruz.
Don't expect your cruise in the Galápagos to be a typical pleasure cruise. The boats are used mainly for lodging and transportation purposes. During the day, small dinghies, known as pangas, will transport you to the actual islands. Once you're on land, the excursions often involve long, uphill hikes. The Galápagos are not a place for taking it easy -- expect to partake in strenuous activities.
You should also note that although the lower cabins are dark, with portholes, these cabins are also the most stable. (In other words, it's easier to get seasick when you're sleeping up top.) You should also try to request a cabin in the back of the boat -- in the front, the dropping of the anchor and the humming of the motor can be disturbing, especially in the middle of the night.
Wildlife
The animals that inhabit the Galapagos are virtually
fearless, because mysteriously no large predator’s 
evolved here giving those that do live there an unusual
sense of security. This is one of the main reasons
that the Galapagos Islands are such an enchanting place
to visit where else in the world can you sit amongst
rare and wonderful animals as they continue to play
around you as if you didn’t exist?
Watch the famous blue-footed boobie will perform its awkwardly elegant two-stepped mating dance right under your nose, oblivious to your camera. Adolescent sea lions will show off their swimming prowess swimming figures of eight around you as you snorkel among them. The local penguins aren't above using a snorkeller as a human shield as they attempt to sneak up on schools of tasty fish. In the Galápagos, you don't have to hide and peer through the bushes to get a glimpse at the wildlife. It is more likely that you will have to be careful not to step on sleeping sea lions on the beach.
There are so many species on the Galapagos that it would be impossible to even try and list them all from the Giant Galapagos tortoises, prehistoric marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and tiny penguins. With storm petrels walking across the surface of the water and graceful red-billed tropical birds screeching across the sky, You are guaranteed to enjoy the thrilling up-close encounters with animals, who in large numbers, who are completely at ease among human visitors.
Diving in the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands provide some of the most exhilarating and spectacular diving in the world. If you are an open-water-certified diver then you cannot pass up the opportunity to dive with one of the most unique exotic marine communities in the world. Wolf and Darwin Islands offer some of the best diving in the world, famous for their thick schools of hammerhead sharks, slowly-cruising whale sharks, giant manta rays, bottlenose dolphins, and warm water fish species found nowhere else.
Cousins Islet offers intermediate dives along an outstanding vertical wall abounding with black coral, sponges, reef fish and invertebrates. Here you can also catch a glimpse of huge manta and eagle rays, and occasional schools of white-tipped and hammerhead sharks.
Punta Vicente Roca displays a vibrant array of sponges and corals, and a chance to swim in and hopefully out of a shallow, undersea cave home to the Port Jackson (or horned) bottom shark.
If you are an advanced diver, Roca Redonda is the haunting ground of grouper, hammerhead sharks, amberjacks, triggerfish, whales, dolphins and reef fish in turbulent waters with rolling swells, and depths of 60-80 feet
North Seymour is home to sea lions, reef fish, hammerheads, giant manta rays, white-tipped reef sharks, invertebrates, and occasionally whale sharks, humpback whales and dolphins. Nearby Mosquera and Punta Carrion offer the rare possibility of diving among fur seals unique to the Galapagos, whilst for the more intermediate diver Daphne Minor is an amazing dive with a volcanic cave, sponges, lobster, white-tipped and hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, morays, black coral, tuna, reef fish,
The Galapagos is strictly for skilled, experienced divers. This is because of the dangerous conditions, challenging currents, swells and thermoclines.
Rules of the national park
Do not disturb or remove any plant, rock or animal.
Be careful not to transport any organic material form
island to island.
Do not touch or handle the animals.
Do not feed the animals.
Do not startle or chase any animal.
Stay on marked trails, doing so will avoid damage to
vegetation or cause erosion.
Do not leave or throw any litter on or off the ship.
Please, do not buy souvenirs made from native Galapagos
products (except for wood)
Do not smoke on the islands.
Do not hesitate to show your conservationist attitude.
What to take to the Galapagos Islands
Most importantly bring comfortable walking shoes. A small day sack should be sufficient to fit all your personal belongings and most importantly your camera. The Lighter you travel the more enjoyable your trip will be!
Essentials:
Sun Cream
Hat /Sunglasses
Camera / Waterproof case
Long sleeve light cotton shirt
Light long cotton trousers
Passport
Money!
Water bottle
Flashlight
Binoculars
Rain Gear
Anti sea sickness medication ( if necessary)
Snorkel/mask/fins/wetsuit ( you can usually hire these
from your boat operator
What NOT to take to the Galapagos Islands
There are a number of things that are restricted in the Galapagos and have been banned in order to protect the unique ecosystem DO NOT carry any of these items with you.
Absinth
Hot peppers
Pineapple
Papaya
Apricot
Sugar cane
Cherry
Custard Apple
Plum
Guava
Passion fruits
Raspberry
Blackberry
Tobacco (plant)
Gooseberry
Tamarind
Wheat
Cactus fruit
Sapota
Animal feed from animal products
Beef liver
No fertile eggs (chicken, turkey, goose)
Blood (fresh, frozen nor dried)
Animal intestines or tripe
Fermented milk
Fresh milk, refrigerated or frozen
Pasteurized Milk
Fresh cheese
Live Animals
Coffee Beans
Fresh Flowers
Ornamental Plants
Banana leaves
Vegetable leaves or ornamental leaves
Tree sprouts
Micro organisms (fungus, bacteria)
Pathological samples
Genetically Modified organisms
Grasses
Fresh medicinal herbs
Seeds
Vaccines for animals
Earth or Sand
Galapagos wildlife diary
January
Warm marine currents arrive. Land birds start nesting.
On Española the adult male marine iguanas become brightly colored.
The green sea turtle arrives to the beaches of Galapagos to lay their eggs.
Land iguanas begin reproductive cycles on Isabela.
Water and air temperatures rise and stay warm until June.
Ideal time for snorkeling.
February
On Floreana flamingos start nesting.
White-cheeked pintails start their breeding season.
Masked boobies on Española are at the end of
their nesting season.
Marine iguanas nest on Santa Cruz.
Highest water temperature reaches 77°F and remains
until April.
Galapagos dove’s nesting season reaches its peak.
March
Water temperature reaches its max.
Sporadic tropical rains and intense sun. Air temperature
can reach up to 86°F.
Marine iguanas nest in Fernandina.
March 21, the summer equinox signals begin.
The waved
albatross arrive to Española.
April
Massive arrival of waved albatross to Española.
Their courtship starts.
Hatching season ends for giant tortoises.
Green sea turtles’ eggs begin to hatch.
Land iguanas hatch on Isabela.
May
North Seymour’s blue-footed boobies begin their
courtship.
Sea turtles are still hatching on Gardner Bay, Punta
Cormorant and Puerto Egas.
Most of the marine iguanas’ eggs hatch from nests
on Santa Cruz.
Palo Santo trees begin to shed their foliage.
Albatross on Española start laying their eggs.
Band rumped storm petrels begin their first nesting
period.
June
Beginning of the dry season.
Giant tortoises migrate from highlands to lowlands
for suitable nesting places.
Beginning of the nesting season of giant tortoises.
July
Sea birds are active, especially blue- footed boobies
on Española.
Flightless cormorants court and nest on Fernandina.
It’s possible to find oystercatchers nesting
on Puerto Egas, Santiago.
Lava lizards initiate mating rituals until November.
Whales are more likely to be observed, especially off
the Western coast of Isabela.
August
The Galapagos hawks court on Española and Santiago.
Masked boobies and swallow tailed gulls nest on Genovesa.
Temperature of the ocean descends to 64°F, which
obviously varies according to the geographic zones
among the islands.
Migrant shore birds start to arrive, and stay on the
islands until March.
Giant tortoises return to the highlands of Santa Cruz.
September
Peak of the dry season.
The air temperature reaches its lowest - 66°F. 
Penguins demonstrate remarkable activity on Bartolomé until
December.
Sea lions are very active, especially in the western
and central areas of the Archipelago.
Most species of marine birds remain active at their
nesting sites.
October
Lava herons nest until March.
The Galapagos fur seal begin their mating period.
Boobies raise their chicks on Española.
Giant tortoises still lay their eggs.
November
Sea lion pups are born.
Sea lions are sexually active on the Eastern part of
the Archipelago.
Breeding season of brown noddies.
Band rumped storm petrels begin their second nesting
period.
December
Hatching of the giant tortoise’s eggs begins
and lasts until April.
Green sea turtles display their mating behavior.
The warm season begins and all of the plants of the
dry zone produce leaves.
Galapagos "turns green". The first young
albatross fled.
Conservation
Since the 1600’s when the buccaneers introduced
the first goats and killed tortoises for dinner,
man has been causing a detrimental effect on the
Galapagos islands. The arrival of settlers on the
island and their domestic animals has had a huge
effect on the islands, many of these animals started
to breed feral populations and some of the introduced
vegetation now poses a serious threat to the natural
vegetation.
The Galapagos Islands became a National Park in 1959 at the same time as the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos was formed in Belgium. That year Ecuador designated 97% of the total land area of the archipelago as Galapagos National Park that shoulders the responsibilities of wildlife conservation projects including the protection of endangered populations, the eradication and control of introduced species, and the management of recreation and tourism.
In 1964, The Charles Darwin Station for scientific investigation was built on Santa Cruz Island. Still up and running today, the Charles Darwin Research Station, is used to conduct conservation based research and train tour guides. In 1968 a policy came into force with an aim to protect the fragile ecosystem whilst still preserving the sense of wilderness that is so important to the islands. Now groups are limited to 20 visitors and they must be lead by a certified naturalist..
The population grew by 6% between 1982 and 1990 and after this boom the Constitution of Ecuador was amended to restrict immigration to the Galapagos and to protect the islands.
A brief history of the Galapagos Islands1485 It's believed that a northern culture from Peru ruled by the Incas, the Chimu, were the first visitors.
1535 The Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomas de Berlanga, was in route to Peru. His ship drifted off course by the ocean currents and "discovered" the Galapagos Islands.
1593 - 1710 The Galapagos Islands were a pirate’s favourite hideout and supply base for water and meat (particularly the giant tortoises).
1793 - 1870 Industrial revolution had changed and rather than Spanish gold, seafarers searched oil which came from whale's blubber. This exploitation on the Galapagos, brought the tortoise, fur seals and sperm whales, near extinction.
1835 The Beagle visited the Galapagos Islands. Charles Darwin studied and noted the similarities and differences of the flora and fauna. He concluded that the species, to survive, would gradually alter based on environmental conditions.
1859 After 20 years of his life gathering supporting evidence, Darwin published "The Origin of the Species by Natural Selection".
1892 Galapagos is officially names "Archipélago de Colón" in honour of Christopher Columbus's discovery of American 400 years earlier.
1959 100th Anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, the Galapagos Islands became Ecuador's first National Park and the non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation was established to assist the in preservation of the islands.
1978 The Islands are declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO underlining its universal value for mankind.
