Best Time to Visit Galapagos

Galapagos is home to animals, plant life and landscapes unlike anywhere else in the world.

If you planning on visiting the Galapagos Islands, you might be wondering when is it the best time to do so.

You should know that you can visit Galapagos whenever you want and during any time of the year. The Islands are just too wonderful to miss out regardless of the season or month.

Basically the Galapagos islands have two seasons during which the reproduction phase start or end. Then there are months that fall between the two seasons which are known as the transition months. See Galapagos Weather for More Info

So, the Galapagos has two transition phases. The first one is between the hot season and the dry season, which is from April to June.

The second transition phase is the one between the dry season and the hot season, which falls between November and January.

During these 6 months, or the two transition phases, is the best time to visit Galapagos. You will be able to witness the following events:

• Migration of cetaceans to the south
• Migration of birds from south to the north
• Courtship of the Blue-footed boobies
• The return of the waved albatross to Espanola Island
• The marine iguana start laying their eggs
• Sea lions start marking their territory

Some people prefer the months of February and March because of the warm water temperatures.

During these 2 months, the Galapagos Islands are under the influence of the warm El Nino current and the sea can reach up to 86 F.

February and March are the wettest and warmest months and can reach the air temperature about 86 to 88 F (30 degrees Celsius).

In contrast, during the month of August and September, the waters of the sea are only about 66 to 68 F and the Air 74 to 77 F.

During this time you can have little rainfall and vegetation on the Galapagos Islands is very dry. During this time, the sea is a bit rough too.

If there is a best time to visit Galapagos, it would be mid-April to mid-May.

The skies in Galapagos are usually clear. The air and sea are relatively warm.

The water is calm. Vegetation is green. Colorful wild flowers are abloom.

And, it's not yet high season when boat, ship, tour, cruise, hotel, and air costs peak.

If you can go only in the second half of the year, choose mid-November to early December.

Temperatures are on the rise, the sea is calmer, and the year's second high season doesn't begin until mid-December.

Birdwatchers in the Galapagos Islands often recommend April to June as the best time for birdwatching activities.

The famous waved albatrosses are absent from the Galapagos Islands from December onwards, with the first few returning to their home on Espanola Island in late March.

Mass arrivals and fantastic courtship displays make April perhaps the best month to see the waved albatross.

Diving in Galapagos is said to be best from June to November, with more marine life to be seen then, though divers have to suffer rougher and cooler sea conditions at this time of year.

The huge whale sharks are found near Wolf and Darwin Islands only from around June to November. However, there are more hammerhead sharks about in the warm season than the cool.

Note that diving conditions in the Galapagos Islands make them suitable for experienced divers only and that the best diving, out off Wolf and Darwin islands, requires a long trip and no chance to land on the Islands.



If you are interested in the volcanic origins of the Galapagos Islands, the fascinating lava flows and other geological features, then the best time to visit Galapagos could be in the cool dry season when conditions are more pleasant for hiking.

In Galapagos each Island's beaches seem to have a different color of sand than the others in the chain.

And because the Galapagos Islands were so isolated for so long, and because they are now so protected, the animals haven't learned to be afraid of humans. You aren't allowed to touch any of them, but you can sure get up very close!

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