A go to to the Galapagos Islands is actually a journey of a lifetime. Whether or not you’re embarking on a Galapagos cruise for just some days or spending weeks exploring this distinctive a part of the world, you’re more likely to spend your time doing all kinds of actions.
After our first land-based Galapagos journey with Galakiwi, we bought a style for Galapagos cruises on our sustainable cruise with Oniric. On each journeys, our days had been crammed with actions, starting from mountain climbing and biking, to paddle boarding and snorkeling.
In preparation for our journey, we discovered first-hand that determining what to pack for a visit to the Galapagos may be difficult! So permit us to share some packing ideas based mostly on our personal expertise.
Climate within the Galapagos Islands
Like different elements of South America, the Galapagos Islands have two seasons. Firstly, the nice and cozy and moist season, and secondly, the cool and dry season. The dry season lasts from June-November and is a really energetic time for marine life. In the meantime, the hotter season lasts from December-Might and sees way more rain.
Even with the 2 seasons, your important Galapagos packing record gained’t differ all that a lot. Whether or not on a land-based journey or a ship journey, there are three key issues to bear in mind:
Put together for Sizzling Climate…
For the reason that Galapagos Islands expertise a subtropical local weather, the typical temperature on land doesn’t differ a lot by way of the 12 months. So irrespective of when you find yourself visiting the Islands, it will likely be scorching.
For those who occur to return in the course of the shoulder season (March – Might), the climate can get fairly excessive, with each day highs reaching 30+C. The equatorial solar is extraordinarily robust so having the best journey gear is not any joke.
Blue skies and scorching climate awaits within the Galapagos
… And Chilly Water
Regardless of the excessive land temperatures, the Humboldt currents preserve water within the Galápagos colder than you would possibly anticipate.
Within the cool/dry season (June to December), the temperature typically drops under 18C and even within the warmest months, it hardly ever goes past 22-23C.
The ocean might look inviting, however it may be chilly!
Pack Mild
There’s a lot to see and do within the Galapagos. Except you’re touring across the Islands on a cruise, you’ll seemingly be transferring from island to island each few days.
Packing gentle will assist decrease the effort of unpacking and repacking and likewise lighten the load when you must carry your baggage onto the ferry or to a personal switch boat. You don’t want a lot for exploring the islands, so a carry-on measurement backpack/bag needs to be greater than sufficient.
Our Steered Galapagos Packing Listing
Not like many different locations, procuring choices within the Galápagos are very restricted and might solely be discovered on Santa Cruz island, so it’s additional vital to suppose by way of what you might want to carry earlier than departure.
Bathing Fits
2 x Bathing Fits/Swim Shorts – You’ll be out and in of the water each day, typically a number of instances a day, so a couple of good pairs of bathing fits are undoubtedly wanted for this sort of journey. You’ll need to put money into a fashion that’s sensible for actions like kayaking, diving, snorkeling, and paddle boarding.
Hanging out with marine iguanas on the seashore on Santa Cruz Island
March is a good time to take pleasure in seashores within the Galapagos
Women, you’ll need to go away these string bikinis at dwelling and produce a sportier design. Oksana traveled to the Galapagos with this cute quantity from Eco Peace and located it to be an ideal combine of favor and performance for a Galapagos journey.
1 x Rash Guard – A rashguard is a should for these sunny days and water-based actions. Spend money on an moral piece constructed from sustainable supplies, so that you don’t should resort to low-cost alternate options upon arrival. Patagonia and Prana have some good choices.
Lovely sundown after a hike on San Cristobal Island
Tops
2-3 Energetic Tops – In the case of tops, fast dry material is a should! One other vital characteristic is odour safety, that can assist you stink much less even after an extended day of actions on the islands. Search for materials that incorporate silver into their blends, like Lululemon’s Silverscent Expertise or YAthletic’s SilverAir. Keep in mind that water is a treasured useful resource within the Galápagos, so that you’ll need to try to preserve washing to a minimal whereas there.
1-2 Lengthy Sleeve Tops – The solar is unforgiving within the Galapagos Islands and when you can slather your self with sunscreen, nothing beats overlaying up! Search for light-weight materials and designs that provide UV safety. Patagonia and Prana supply some nice choices.
Bottoms
2 x Energetic Shorts – Pack a couple of pairs of sunshine, breathable, fast to dry and simple to clean shorts for actions like biking, mountain climbing, and normal island exploring. Lululemon has some nice choices for men and women. Mountain climbing pants are additionally an choice for the added solar safety however we favor shorts within the warmth.
Night Outfits
1-2 Night Outfits – You’ll seemingly need to change out of your energetic garments for nighttime actions and dinners. Most cruise ships have nightly dinners with different friends so it’s good to pack a night outfit. That mentioned, vogue isn’t a prime precedence for these residing within the Galapagos. So, don’t pack something that belongs on a runway. A easy gentle gown or a pair of informal shorts with a nicer prime will do the job.
Outerwear
1 x Rain Coat – It didn’t rain a lot throughout our time within the Galápagos, however when it did, our Packable Rain Jackets undoubtedly got here in useful. Search for gentle jacket types that provide minimal 5,000 mm of rain safety.
Cerro Negro Volcano hike on Isabela Island within the Galapagos
Punta Moreno, Isabela Island
Footwear
Mountain climbing sneakers/sandals – You gained’t want these each day, however they’ll come in useful in case you plan to hike the Cerro Negro volcano on Isabella, or head into the highlands on San Cristobal. We suggest Chaco or Eager mountain climbing sandals. We don’t suggest mountain climbing boots as a result of they take up quite a lot of area. Additionally, it gained’t be as versatile as mountain climbing sneakers or sandals.
Flip flops – An absolute should for any seashore/boat actions. For those who’re not a fan of flip-flops, think about water sneakers. Or, one other sort of light-weight sandal that’s straightforward to slip on and off.
Journey Equipment
Sarong/seashore towel – A sarong is the proper seashore accent that may be worn as a cover-up, prime, skirt, or used as a seashore mat. We traveled to the Galapagos with each a sarong and these quick-dry microfiber towels that doubled as our tub towels and seashore towels.
Scrubba Wash Bag/Dry Bag – Nice for fast and environment friendly hand washing but additionally doubles as a dry bag, to maintain your electronics secure on boats/kayaks/paddle boards, and many others. A dry bag at all times turns out to be useful for day journeys with land and water actions.
Hydro Flask – This double wall vacuum insulated reusable water bottle might be your greatest buddy in terms of staying hydrated within the Galapagos warmth. Most of the accommodations within the Galapagos have banned plastic water bottles and supply free water refills. This may assist travellers additional scale back their consumption of plastic whereas on the islands.
Oksana utilizing Hydro Flask
SUP adventures on Santa Cruz island with our Galakiwi group
Toiletries – Take solely the necessities, leaving the vast majority of your make up at dwelling. Small comfort shops with fundamentals can be found on all the large islands, however we suggest bringing the whole lot you want from dwelling. The choice, even of primary shampoo/conditioner/lotion merchandise was fairly restricted. Hold the setting in thoughts and seize eco-friendly choices from Lush Cosmetics.
Sunscreen – As talked about earlier than, solar within the Galapagos is VERY harsh, so pack some additional solar safety. Take into account the setting when making your alternative and go for an eco-friendly reef-safe sunscreen. We suggest this Uncooked Natural Sunscreen by Uncooked Components. You might also need to pack a tube of aloe vera gel in case you’re liable to sunburns.
Electronics – Like on any epic journey, you’re going to need to pack a digital camera. Deliver cameras (Take a look at our store web page for the gadgets we at present use), spare batteries, charging cables, energy adapters, and many others. An underwater digital camera can also be a worthy addition in case you have one! Web within the Galapagos was virtually nonexistent so go away your laptop computer at dwelling and put together to disconnect. Electrical energy was not a difficulty, however we nonetheless introduced this Moveable RavPower Energy Financial institution to maintain issues charged throughout lengthy days.
Day Pack – You’ll be out and about most days, so a very good day pack is important to hold your water, snacks, towels, cameras, snorkeling gear, and different day journey necessities. Most Galapagos excursions go to a number of areas so having the whole lot in a single bag is at all times useful. In case your digital gear features a digital camera physique and some lenses, you’ll need a digital camera bag that doubles as a day pack. We use Mindshift Gear Rotation180° 38L pack and love the way it protects all of our digital camera gear irrespective of the place the day takes us. If you’re not packing quite a lot of digital camera gear and simply want a pack for on a regular basis necessities, we suggest Gregory Sula 28 or equal.
And final, however undoubtedly not least…
Pack a Sense of Journey!
The Galapagos Islands supply a plethora of actions and methods to work together with wildlife. So, remember to pack a way of journey and a “let’s give it a attempt” perspective. Prepare for probably the most memorable journeys of your life!
