Galápagos can be visited all year. The best time depends less on the calendar than on what you want to see and how you like the sea.
The two seasons
- December to May, warm and wet: the sea is usually calmer and the water warmer.
- June to November, cool and dry (garúa): the water is cooler, the sea rougher and the sky is often covered by garúa, a fine mist.
Month by month
With the information we have, December to May is the best-rated period (Best time) and June to November is still good (Good season). It is a guide: it depends on what you want to see and rules out no month.
By what you want to see
- All year: sea lions, iguanas, giant tortoises and penguins.
- April to December: the waved albatross nests on Española, which is reached only by cruise.
- July to November: whale sharks can be seen at Darwin and Wolf.
What to keep in mind
If you prefer a calm sea, aim for December to May. If one particular animal matters more, let that set your dates. And if your dates are already fixed, that is fine: we build the trip around what can be seen at that time.
What is still to be confirmed
The seasons and wildlife periods in this guide rest on secondary sources and we are confirming them. We do not publish exact water temperatures yet.