posted 13th December 2023
Galpagos
The Galápagos Islands is a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It's considered one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. A province of Ecuador, it lies about 1,000km off its coast. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else in the world. The attraction is about the wildlife that have no fear of humans. The giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, hammerhead sharks and manta rays that launch themselves out of the waves, there really is an array of things to get up close too.
Best time to go:
The Galápagos is a year-round cruising destination, with temperatures averaging between 26 and 30C, though there are two distinct seasons. The dry season runs from July to November with strong winds and the chance of fog caused by the cooler waters of the Humboldt Current that pushes the sea temperature down. The hotter rainy season is from December to June, driven by the El Niño current, when the sea is warmer and there are occasional showers. Each month brings a different highlight, for instance; May is for blue-footed boobies courtship rituals; August is when sealion pups are born;
November is good for whale shark sightings.
Top Tips:
* Straddle the equator - the Intinan Solar Museum, near Quito, claims to be directly on the equator, represented by a painted red line where visitors can pose for pictures with a foot in each hemisphere.
* Take the kit: there's no need for anything dressy. Take waterproof footwear for wet beach landings where guests have to jump into the shallows, hiking shoes
and/or trainers. Take cameras and video recorders to capture all those magical moments and an underwater camera too.
* Make it a multi stay trip. You will have to fly into Ecuador and then 2 hours flight to Galapagos. You have Ecuador, Peru, and Columbia as viable options for exploration, just make sure its planned, as political unrest and crime rates should be considered before travel.
* Its an active adventure, and ships are small to protect the environment. Sunscreen that is environment friendly, restrictions on what you can and cannot take are screened to protect the delicate eco-system.
