Galápagos - Galápagos

Galápagos is the name of an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast ofEcuador.

To know

When to go

The Galápagos Islands are located on the equatorial line, which means that all times of the year are fine for a visit but some climatic factors such as the "El Niño" phenomenon must be considered.

Below is a review of the seasons in the Galápagos and their peculiarities.

• From December to May the warm season begins, characterized by the absence of winds. This is also the rainy season but it is drizzle that does not last more than a few hours then leaving room for the sun. During this time, the water and air temperatures rise. It is the right time for snorkelling. It is time for animals to reproduce and therefore also the best time to observe them. Many species of birds, in fact, stay on the ground and turtles lay their eggs on the beach. Those interested in flora should know that February, March, April are flowering months in the Galápagos. In these months the rains thin out somewhat and the waters of the Pacific appear calmer. However, it should be considered that the waters of the Pacific are remarkably cold even in the so-called "hot season" especially for those accustomed to the warmth of the Mediterranean.

• From June to November the period of the cold season begins, known locally as "Garua" and characterized by strong winds and rough seas. The water and air temperatures drop due to cold Humboldt current which also involves a drastic reduction in rainfall. The current carries large quantities of plankton with it which attract numerous schools of fish and flocks of birds.

• High season - There are two high season periods: from mid-June to early September and from mid-December to mid-January, in correspondence with the Christmas holidays. These are the two worst times to visit the islands and not just from a wallet standpoint. Accommodation prices are skyrocketing and cruise agencies are also discontinuing the policy of discounts and last-minute offers. We must add the inconvenience that the authorities of the Galápagos National Park establish a "limited number" in these two periods, ie they set the maximum number of visitors that each island can accommodate. "El Niño", despite appearing weakened in 2009, tends to make an appearance during the Christmas holidays, involving strong winds accompanied by violent rains. The Christmas holidays are the least favorable time for a visit to the Galápagos.

Territories and tourist destinations

Only five of the islands that make up the archipelago are inhabited. Below is a list:

• Santa Cruz - The tour of the archipelago begins and ends here, at least for the vast majority of tourists who did not want to resort to the services of a local tour operator. The main center of Santa Cruz is Puerto Ayora, a lively and picturesque village of about 10,000 inhabitants. Puerto Ayora concentrates most of the hotels and agencies that offer tours of the island of Santa Cruz as a Cerro Dragon, a place in the north where there is a colony of iguanas or even a Darwin, a scientific post near which there are copious colonies of sea turtles.

• Baltra - The only island in the group that is not part of the Galápagos National Park, Baltra is very small, just 27 km². Located north of Santa Cruz, is devoid of tourist interest but is home to the largest airport in the Galápagos, built by the Americans in the years of World War II. Once off the plane, tourists are picked up by a bus that takes them to the pier where the boat is at anchor. Puerto Ayora on the neighboring island of Santa Cruz
• Plaza Sur - Little more than a lava rock off the eastern cape of Santa Cruz Island, South Plaza is a destination for day trips from Puerto Ayora. Despite its very small size it is populated by a great variety of birds. Land iguanas can also be seen there. The flora is also notable. An even smaller islet, "Plaza Norte", keeps her company.
• San Cristobal - The easternmost of the group and the closest to the coasts ofEcuador has a single inhabited center that responds to the name of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It has about 6,000 inhabitants, almost all devoted to fishing and tourism. The pier where the boats stop at Puerto Ayora it was extended in 2006. Since then, bars, restaurants and hotels have sprung up like mushrooms around the "Malecón". El Lobería, La Galapaguera, Cerro Colorado, are names of stretches of coasts populated by colonies of seals and sea lions.
• Floreana - Despite its tiny size, Floreana was the first of the Galápagos to be inhabited. Today it has around a hundred permanent residents. Tourists rarely set foot there.
• Isabela - The largest of the Galápagos by surface is an island of volcanoes, five of which are still active. Giant land turtles live there hidden in ravines, as far away as possible from the prying eyes of tourists and their cameras. On the other hand, the seabird colonies are easy to observe. Flamingos are the most common; are attested in the locality "Pozo de los Flamingos", near the town of Puerto Villamil. To see the penguins, you need to rent a boat to the Tagus caves.

Among the uninhabited islands:

• Darwin & Wolf
• Española - The southernmost of the Galápagos group is frequented by flocks of albatrosses.
• Fernandina - Just off the west coast of Isabela, Fernandina is but the cone of a still active volcano emerging from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. It is world famous for its colonies of marine iguanas and also for housing one species of cormorant with atrophied wings that does not allow it to fly.
• Genovesa - The visit to the little Genovesa is coveted by those who visit the Galápagos. The island is home to various ornithological species, pelicans, gulls, swallows.
• Marchena —
• Pint - Tourists are not allowed access to this small island.
• Pinzon —
• Rabida —
• Santa Fe —
• San SalvadorSantiago - Once a den of pirates, Santiago is today the island of giant sea turtles, sea lions or sea lions and flocks of herons of the most diverse species.

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  The entrance to the lava tunnel on the island of Santa Cruz.

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  Lava tunnel on the island of Santa Cruz, Puerto Ayora.

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  Lava tunnel on the island of Santa Cruz.

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  Sailboat in Puerto Ayora

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  The community center for environmental education in Puerto Ayora

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  Many artists on the island of Santa Cruz made handicrafts from wood

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  Puerto Ayora - Water Taxi

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  Turtle's on the island of Santa Cruz - Chelonoidis nigra

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  Turtle's on the island of Santa Cruz - Chelonoidis nigra

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  Turtle's on the island of Santa Cruz - Chelonoidis nigra

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  Tartaruga's on the island of Santa Cruz. - Chelonoidis nigra

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  Turtle's on the island of Santa Cruz - Chelonoidis nigra

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  Turtle's on the island of Santa Cruz - Chelonoidis nigra

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  An aerial photo of Santa Cruz, left. On the right Baltra

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  An exotic crab in Tortuga Bay

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  Stroll to Tortuga Bay in Galápagos, Puerto Ayora

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  Tortuga Bay Trail, Galápagos

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  Iguana on the beach of Tortuga Bay

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  North Seymour Island, Sea lion with offspring

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  North Seymour Island

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  North Seymour Island

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  A land iguana on North Seymour Island

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  Iguana on the beach at the Charles Darwin Research Station

How to get

By plane

From Quito airline planes leave every day Airgal is Tame with destination Seymour airport on the small island of Baltra about two hours by boat and bus from Puerto Ayora. Airplanes make an intermediate stopover a Guayaquil.

The ticket price is not cheap. Foreign tourists are required to pay twice as much as Ecuadorian visitors. The return ticket must be purchased at the same time as the outbound ticket.

A US $ 100 fee must be paid in cash upon disembarkation. Children under 12 pay half.

On boat

There is the possibility of reaching the Galápagos with cruise ships that sail from Guayaquil. This option is rarely used by individual tourists who prefer to go around the Galápagos with local boats even if the latter are more subject to wave motion than large ships are.

How to get around

What see

What to do

At the table

Tourist infrastructure

In the Galapagos, the offer of cruises is particularly developed, which are carried out with different types of boats, in turn divided into different tourist categories, from economic to luxury. Staying on a cruise you can access all the sites that can be visited permitted by the protection policies of the Galapagos National Park, but in a limited time of 5-8 days it will be necessary to choose limited itineraries (according to the directions of the routes) among the most corresponding to the own particular naturalistic interests.

This offer is actually quite complex and articulated and therefore its presentation is generally dealt with by operators in the sector in a different way. A more route-oriented approach, for example, is of the kind developed in this one promotional site dedicated to the Galapagos^{[link not working]} which guides you to the personalized choice of your experience (in Italian). On the other hand, an approach more oriented to the single ship is well exemplified in this other one commercial site which presents an updated database of possible vessels (in English).

The hotel offer is obviously also present, but this is limited to some of the inhabited islands, mainly Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela (on Floreana there are only two hotels, one luxury and one very cheap). Hotels generally offer day trips or stays during articulated tours (called "hopping" from the English to indicate the idea of ​​"jumping" from one island to another). Leaning on the hotels alone, many of the most characteristic places will not be reachable, especially the farthest from the inhabited areas.

Among the hotels in Santa Cruz, high category:

• Finch Bay Eco Hotel. 

Safety

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Galápagos
• Commons contains images or other files on Galápagos
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Galápagos