When is the best time of year to visit Galapagos?

Regardless of what time of year you visit, there will be amazing wildlife and extraordinary experiences you can have while immersing yourself in nature. December through April is the high season and prices reflect that. May through November is typically cooler and dryer.

During November and December, waters are typically warm, 70-76 degrees Faranheit and clear, which is ideal for snorkelling. January through April the water temperatures are warmer, but there can be periods of rain, which can make for less clear water conditions. Plants come to life and floral blooms are best viewed in the rainy season.

While in Galapagos you will have opportunities to hike, walk on the beach, snorkel, and potentially kayak, stand-up paddle board and go for zodiac tours depending on which cruise provider you choose.

We do not recommend a land focused Galapagos trip. We suggest you choose one of the myriad of expedition cruise focused options, ranging in vessel size from 16-100 passengers. On land, not all islands are populated and have hotels to host you. One of the key aspects of visiting this archipelago is that each island has unique endemic species to view, and by staying only in one or two places, you may miss the diversity you seek.

Our first visit to Galapagos was in late November. We took a 5 night, 6 day experience with National Geographic - Lindblad Expeditions. Aboard the Islander II, we had four opportunities daily to get outside, off the ship and explore. Since the Galapagos is located at the Equator, sunrise and sunset is virtually the same time all year round, rising at approximately 6:00am and setting at approximately 6:00pm.

While all activities are optional and you can choose each morning what you’d like to do, it’s best to optimize your experience by doing a variety of things.

For example, on any given day on our expedition schedule looked like this:

5:45am - self serve fruit, pastries, coffee available

6:10am - ocean kayak, sign up required, single and two person kayaks available

7:00am - zodiac touring, sign up not required, for those who did not kayak

8:00am - full breakfast is served, on board

9:30am - beach visit via Zodiac and optional snorkelling, sign up not required

12:00pm - educational briefing in the lounge, eg. on the the geology of the Galapagos islands

12:30pm - lunch is served

2:15pm - zodiac touring around a key island or coastal tour, wildlife and seabird viewing

4:30pm - naturalist led walk, inland on a path to view plant life, inland wildlife and iguanas, sign up not required

6:00pm - everyone back on board

7:00pm - expedition daily recap and tomorrow’s briefing on opportunities and itinerary

7:45pm - dinner is served

We found ourselves after dinner relaxing in the lounge, sharing a drink with new friends and browsing photos and videos we took that day. Retiring to our suite each evening and asleep before 11:00pm each day to ensure we were fit and ready for the adventures awaiting us the next day!

Visiting the Galapagos is an active holiday, one best shared with another couple, family or friends. Aboard the Islander II, there were four intergenerational family groups ranging from 3 guests to 7 per family. With a maximum of 46 passengers, this represented a large number of folks aboard our expedition. There were 5 children under the age of 10. We found ourselves one of only three couples exploring ‘alone’, and quickly made friends with others as we shared conversations about travels and our day’s activities over meals and during the down time.

At Prince Adventures we believe an expedition of this nature is ideally suited for multi-generational family groups, whereby grandparents, parents and children can explore together. Each generation can choose optional activities to suit their individual abilities and interests. Everyone can join together at meal times and discuss the interesting and curious things they each did with their day. We recommend children visit ages 7+. You know your children best, and we encourage you and them to be able to explore the whole day, ideally not missing opportunities for wildlife viewing while creating memories to last a lifetime. Of course, children younger could participate, but for safety reasons, we wouldn’t recommend considering bringing a toddler on a trip of this nature.

We are specialists in Expedition travel - if your desire is to see Antarctica, the high Arctic, Galapagos, around Africa or Australia or the world over. Please reach out with any questions you may have, we’d be happy to answer, email travel@princeadventures.com

A good time to book your National Geographic - Lindblad expedition is in August, or between November and January each year. Sales around World Wildlife Day and promotional seasons may offer attractive rates. We’re happy to navigate this for you and create your reservations.

See our YouTube playlist with all our Galapagos videos here.

Follow us on Instagram for travel inspiration and to see our Galapagos highlights here.

Read our Galapagos article on what to pack and what not to pack here.

Thanks for reading, wishing you safe travels ahead!

Jakki Prince, CEO Prince Adventures

We are in no way affiliated with any one tour provider and share only our paid experiences to help best advise you about your travel plans. We are a travel agency based in Canada and through our personal travel experiences, we can educate ourselves to make informed recommendations for your dream vacations. You would’t want to work with a travel advisor who never traveled, would you?