Going to the Galapagos Islands has been on my bucket checklist for near a decade. And due to some buddies having traveled there in varied methods up to now, I knew that I wished to do a Galapagos cruise after I ultimately did go.
I am not a fan of cruises on enormous ships, however the ships within the Galapagos by regulation can solely maintain as much as 100 passengers (and a few maintain far fewer) – so cruising is unquestionably a special vibe right here.
I knew {that a} Galapagos cruise can be an epic journey stuffed with distinctive landscapes and memorable wildlife encounters. However there was so much that I did not know (or anticipate) earlier than I went.
So when you, too, are planning a bucket checklist cruise to the Galapagos, listed here are all of the issues I feel you must know earlier than you go.
11 issues to know earlier than a Galapagos cruise
1. That is an lively journey
First issues first: to really benefit from the Galapagos Islands, you are going to must get fairly lively to find them. My dad and I had been each a bit stunned at simply *how* lively a Galapagos journey might be.
For instance, our small-ship cruise consisted of mountain climbing and snorkeling each single day – generally twice a day, with the occasional kayaking session thrown in, too. Not one of the hikes had been technical or tremendous strenuous, and snorkeling periods often lasted below an hour. However it all provides up!
A typical day on a Galapagos cruise may seem like this:
- 6/6:30 a.m. – Get up
- 7 a.m. – Breakfast
- 8 a.m. – Load up in dinghies for a moist touchdown, adopted by a hike or seashore stroll to see wildlife
- 10 a.m. – Swimming or snorkeling
- (and a pair days we had the possibility to kayak earlier than lunch too!)
- 11:30 a.m. – Again on board
- Midday – Lunch and time to chill out
- 2 p.m. – Again within the dinghies for extra snorkeling
- 3:30/4 p.m. – One other moist touchdown for an additional hike, or sometimes a scenic cruise again on board the ship
- 6:45 p.m. – Briefing for the subsequent day
- 7 p.m. – Dinner
I used to be fortunately exhausted every evening and often in mattress earlier than 9:30 p.m.!
Most cruises are additionally not tremendous accessible, requiring you to climb stairs, and get out and in of zodiac-style boats (often into the waves or on sand) a number of occasions per day. There are just a few of the bigger, luxurious ships which might be extra disability-friendly, nevertheless it’s one thing you’d must particularly search for when reserving.
2. Each island is totally different
The factor that struck me essentially the most throughout my journey is that each island within the Galapagos is exclusive. All of the islands had been fashioned by volcanic exercise, however the landscapes differ from black lava fields to white sand seashores; stark cactus-dotted landscapes to extra lush lagoons. Each island is sort of a totally different planet.
(The islands are additionally larger and additional aside than you may suppose! Which maybe explains why they’re all so very totally different.)
We visited the next islands on our 7-night cruise:
- Santa Cruz (x2!) – We went into the highlands within the heart of the island on Day 1 to see large tortoises at El Chato Ranch, which was lush and inexperienced, and visited the Charles Darwin Analysis Station in Puerto Ayora. On Day 5 we had been again on Santa Cruz as a part of an itinerary change, visiting the northern, volcanic finish of the island to climb the pink and dusty “Dragon Hill.”
- Espanola – We visited a good looking white sand seashore at Gardner Bay, adopted by a water-only go to to identify albatross and marine iguanas close to Punta Suarez.
- San Cristobal – We went for a hike into the dry and dusty inside of the island to search for tortoises, after which visited Cerro Brujo (my favourite seashore!) within the afternoon.
- Santa Fe – Residence to some sandy-colored land iguanas, and playful sea lions that we snorkeled and kayaked with.
- South Plaza – What an alien panorama! Brilliant orange and pink carpetweed that the land iguanas match, plus tall prickly pear cacti, and cliffs that tons of red-billed tropicbirds prefer to nest in.
- Santiago – We went for a stroll on a black lava discipline at Sullivan Bay, after which obtained to swim with Galapagos penguins right here!
- Bartolome – We climbed 365 steps as much as the highest of this stark, volcanic island to see an iconic Galapagos view. (After which noticed extra penguins.)
- Rabida – We landed on the pink sand at Jervis Bay, and did a loop across the island to see flamingos and different Galapagos birds.
Truthfully, no two islands had been the identical in panorama or wildlife, which is so fascinating!
3. The seashores are unbelievable
I have been to some really singular seashores around the globe, and a number of the seashores within the Galapagos rank up there with one of the best of them!
My two favorites had been the seashore at Gardner Bay on Espanola Island, and Cerro Brujo on San Cristobal Island. These seashores had tender white sand, turquoise water, and tons of sleepy sea lions! The mix definitely made these seashores a few of my favorites wherever on this planet.
(And the water on the seashores was round 73 levels F after I went in early November, in case you had been curious. Completely high-quality to swim in, although our ship did present us with quick wetsuits for our longer snorkeling periods.)
4. The wildlife is really not afraid
You have in all probability seen images of sea lions lounging on docks and chilling proper subsequent to folks on seashores within the Galapagos. I did, too, and was skeptical as as to if that really was the norm. Nicely, I can now affirm that it’s!
The animals within the Galapagos haven’t any must worry people, and they also do not. Tortoises, sea lions, iguanas, nesting birds, even penguins… they actually do not care a lot that you simply’re there.
There is a rule that you simply’re supposed to remain at the very least 2-3 meters away from all wildlife – however the wildlife do not get the identical memo. We had every part from sea lions to penguins to younger flamingos come proper as much as us.
5. Every part is protected
A part of the explanation the animals aren’t afraid of people is as a result of they’re SO protected by Galapagos Nationwide Park. The penalty for even unintentionally killing an animal right here contains hefty fines and even critical jail time.
The park is effectively conscious that its pure sources are its essential draw, and so they shield them fiercely.
So be ready to comply with guidelines not solely in regards to the wildlife, however about different issues, too, like not bringing single-use plastic onto the islands; holding your boots/footwear clear; and making an attempt to make use of biodegradable toiletries and reef-safe sunscreen.
And no, you possibly can’t sneak a penguin again with you in your backpack, both.
6. The nationwide park controls all
Once you’re within the Galapagos, every part you do is dictated by Galapagos Nationwide Park. They assign every cruise ship its itinerary for the entire yr, resolve who will get to land on which island at what time, dole out snorkeling permits, and extra.
It sounds a bit excessive, however every part runs tremendous easily. You are by no means ready in a line of ships to your flip to go to an island, and the way in which they unfold ships and teams out implies that your group may need a seashore or slice of island all to yourselves. It makes for a reasonably intimate-feeling journey.
The nationwide park additionally handles last-minute modifications, which I skilled on my journey. There was an ongoing outbreak of fowl flu in South America after I visited, and, out of warning, the nationwide park shut down just a few of the bigger fowl colonies to vacationer visits.
We weren’t in a position to get near the albatross colony at Punta Suarez on Espanola, or go to the red-footed booies at Punta Pitt on San Cristobal. And we needed to lower Genovesa Island (residence to all three forms of boobies) out altogether.
And whereas it was a bummer to overlook these journey highlights, the nationwide park assigned our ship different islands and walks and seashores as a substitute, and every part ran extremely easily. For those who hadn’t recognized the unique itinerary, you’d have by no means guessed that it had been modified on the final minute.
7. The ship you select does matter
Cruising within the Galapagos isn’t like cruising in different elements of the world. Due to laws within the Galapagos, cruise ships there legally can not maintain greater than 100 passengers – and many of the greatest ships crusing the islands prime out round 90.
There are 3 ship sizes it’s important to choose from for a Galapagos cruise:
- Small ships – Normally maintain as much as 16 passengers; good ship instance: Reina Silvia Voyager or Cormorant II
- Medium-sized ships – 40-50 passengers on common; good ship instance: Nationwide Geographic Islander II or La Pinta
- Massive ships – Round 90 passengers; good ship instance: Silversea Silver Origin or Santa Cruz II
Small ships within the Galapagos provide a extra intimate expertise; you get to know your naturalist information and different passengers effectively, and there isn’t any taking turns for excursions, as everybody can do the identical factor on the similar time.
Bigger ships, against this, will break passengers up into teams with totally different guides and generally have you ever doing various things at totally different occasions as a consequence of park laws. However bigger ships are typically extra secure within the water, and have extra on provide on board (like widespread areas, libraries, bars, gyms, and so forth.).
Which sort of ship you select will rely in your journey model and wishes/desires for a visit like this. I personally selected a small ship – and I wrote all in regards to the pros and cons of small ship Galapagos cruise!
Associated: Pros and Cons of a Galapagos Small Ship Cruise (+ Why I Chose One!)
8. You could want seasickness meds
No matter which measurement ship you select, in case you are liable to movement illness, you are going to wish to pack seasickness meds with you for a Galapagos cruise.
July-October is the time of yr with the roughest water, however you may as well encounter rolling seas even throughout “calmer,” wetter months. In November (which is a shoulder season within the Galapagos), we had two nights that had been significantly tough on our small ship.
Most ships attempt to journey longer distances (i.e. between islands) at evening, nevertheless it was tough sufficient one evening that the rolling of our ship woke me up and I could not get again to sleep.
The excellent news is that, whereas I AM liable to movement illness, I had no points on this cruise whereas taking Dramamine (lively ingredient Meclizine) prophylactically day by day. The truth is, nobody on our ship obtained seasick in any respect as a result of these of us who had been frightened about it simply took meds.
So if you already know you are liable to movement illness (or aren’t positive in case you are), I might advocate taking tablets every day simply in case. Take it from me that making an attempt to “treatment” seasickness when you’re already feeling sick is not any enjoyable.
(Do not wish to take meds? You can even strive a Reliefband, which is a tool that is worn like a watch that makes use of electrical alerts in your wrist to assist do away with nausea. It additionally works!)
9. Carry multiple swimsuit
You may be spending an excellent period of time within the water on a Galapagos cruise (bear in mind, on my cruise we went snorkeling often twice a day, and generally swimming or kayaking, too), so I like to recommend packing multiple swimsuit.
We frequently went proper from mountain climbing to swimming or snorkeling with no method to change in between, and I do not learn about you, however I cringe on the considered placing a moist swimsuit on below clothes I then must hike in!
I introduced 3 swimsuits with me to the Galapagos, however you possibly can in all probability get away with 2.
(Although I’ll say that if you are going to the Galapagos when it is very humid and do not have entry to a balcony you possibly can hold issues on to dry, you may really need 3 swimsuits, as it might take greater than sooner or later for a go well with to dry out in your lavatory.)
10. The solar is not any joke
The Galapagos Islands straddle the Equator within the Pacific Ocean, and if you already know something in regards to the solar, you may know that its UV rays are further intense proper on the Equator.
Due to this, good solar safety is totally important within the Galapagos Islands.
I like to recommend a combination of sun-blocking clothes and sunscreen to assist shield your self from the equatorial solar.
For sun-blocking clothes, I introduced:
And, due to the type of vacation spot it’s, you may wish to deliver reef-friendly sunscreen when you possibly can. (Concentrate on discovering mineral sunscreens versus chemical ones, and take note of whether or not they’re water-proof or not!) My favourite sunscreens for this journey had been:
And sure, 50 SPF is unquestionably really useful on this a part of the world, and put together to re-apply it regularly! You may really feel completely coated in a layer of sunscreen, nevertheless it’s higher than sunburn and pores and skin most cancers.
11. Tourism right here feels sustainable
To me (as somebody who studied tourism growth and has a grasp’s diploma in tourism administration), tourism within the Galapagos feels fairly sustainable.
I say “feels” as a result of there’s at all times a little bit of unsustainability relating to tourism. However within the Galapagos, it appears to be dealt with in a means that, total, focuses on long-term conservation and financial success.
The primary airport within the Galapagos on Baltra island, for instance, is the primary true eco-friendly airport on this planet, being absolutely wind- and solar-powered (it even has a LEED Gold certification). The nationwide park additionally limits how many individuals could be within the islands/on land at any given time, together with limiting the scale of cruise ships.
However essentially the most spectacular factor I realized is that the crews on all of the ships within the Galapagos should be Ecuadorian nationals – and the naturalist guides all must be from the Galapagos Islands. Giving locals a stake within the tourism trade is without doubt one of the greatest sustainable strikes!
Add to those all of the conservation packages you possibly can find out about on the Charles Darwin Analysis Station, and the Galapagos actually is a good case research for sustainable tourism growth. I felt fairly good about visiting!
The Galapagos Islands are positively worthy of being on any bucket checklist. And when you go into a visit there figuring out all of the above issues about what to anticipate, then you definitely’ll be set as much as have one of the best journey doable.
Are the Galapagos Islands on YOUR bucket checklist? What different questions do you’ve gotten about visiting?
