The Galapagos are a volcanic archipelago where blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and giant tortoises are visible at close range. Choose a live-aboard cruise or island-hopping with day trips. Calm seas and warm water run December to May.
Good to know
- Book months ahead; entry fees and cruise rules are strictly regulated.
- Take motion-sickness medication for crossings.
- Maintain 6 feet distance from wildlife.
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Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Fresh fish and lobster in a casual restaurant on the harbor, as sea lions and pelicans lounge outside.
Visitor center and tortoise breeding program.
Pelicans and sea lions waiting beside fish stalls.
Grilled fish and lobster at the street-side stalls on Charles Binford, a nightly Puerto Ayora tradition.
Walk among giant tortoises roaming freely in the highlands.
Long white beach with marine iguanas and sharks in the lagoon.
Collapsed lava tubes forming twin craters, ringed by misty Scalesia forest in the highlands.
Hike the rim of Sierra Negra's huge crater, one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world.
Sea lions, marine iguanas and white-tip sharks.
Museum covering the natural and human history of the islands, from Darwin's visit to conservation efforts.
Snorkel with sea lions and penguins by a hat-shaped islet.
Wooden steps to a volcanic viewpoint above Pinnacle Rock.
Dive or snorkel among hammerhead and Galapagos sharks.