American Flamingo
Overview The American flamingo is the largest and most vividly colored bird in the Galápagos, found wading in a handful…
Knowledge Hub
Explore Galápagos Wildlife
Formation & Geology
Seasons & Wildlife
What the archipelago reveals, island by island.
Animals
Blue-footed Booby
Overview One of the most recognizable Galápagos seabirds, known for its bright blue feet and an elaborate courtship dance that…
Darwin’s Finch
Overview Darwin’s finches are a group of small, closely related songbirds found only in the Galápagos, famous as one of…
Galápagos Fur Seal
Overview The Galápagos fur seal is often mistaken for the more commonly seen Galápagos sea lion, but it is a…
Galápagos Giant Tortoise
Overview The giant tortoise is the archipelago’s most iconic resident, and the animal that gave the islands their name —…
Galápagos Grouper
Overview Known locally as “bacalao,” the Galápagos grouper is an endemic reef fish that was historically one of the most…
Galápagos Land Iguana
Overview The Galápagos land iguana is one of the archipelago’s most visually striking reptiles, with a heavy, dragon-like build and…
Galápagos Penguin
Overview The Galápagos penguin is the only penguin species found north of the equator in the wild, and one of…
Galápagos Sea Lion
Overview One of the most commonly encountered and endearing Galápagos animals, found lounging on beaches, piers, and even park benches…
Galápagos Shark
Overview The Galápagos shark is a large, powerful requiem shark first formally described from specimens collected in the islands that…
Green Moray Eel
Overview The green moray eel is one of the largest eel species found in the Galápagos, usually seen with just…
Green Sea Turtle
Overview A large, widely distributed marine turtle for which Galápagos waters serve as important feeding grounds, and whose beaches on…
King Angelfish
Overview The king angelfish is one of the most visually striking reef fish in the Galápagos, made even more remarkable…
Magnificent Frigatebird
Overview A large seabird best known for the male’s dramatic, balloon-like red throat pouch, inflated during courtship. Two very similar…
Marine Iguana
Overview The marine iguana is the world’s only sea-going lizard, found exclusively in the Galápagos. Dark, almost dragon-like in appearance,…
Nazca Booby
Overview The largest of the Galápagos booby species, with all-white plumage, black flight feathers, and a distinctive orange-pink bill. Physical…
Orca
Overview The orca, or killer whale, is the ocean’s largest dolphin and an apex predator found in every ocean on…
Red-footed Booby
Overview The smallest and most numerous of the three Galápagos booby species, and the only one that nests in trees…
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Overview One of the Galápagos Marine Reserve’s most famous predators, known for gathering in large daytime schools around the archipelago’s…
Spotted Eagle Ray
Overview A striking ray frequently seen gliding through Galápagos waters, easily identified by the white spots scattered across its dark…
Waved Albatross
Overview The largest bird in the Galápagos and the only albatross species that breeds in the tropics. Almost the entire…
Whitetip Reef Shark
Overview The whitetip reef shark is a small, slender shark best known for a habit unusual among its relatives: unlike…
Formation & Geology
Islands
Bartolomé Island
Overview A small, young volcanic islet beside Santiago, Bartolomé is best known for one of the most photographed views in…
Española Island
Overview Española is the oldest island in the Galápagos archipelago, its volcanic shield estimated at nearly four million years of…
Fernandina Island
Overview Fernandina is the youngest and most pristine island in the archipelago, and the only major island with no introduced…
Floreana Island
Overview One of the first islands settled in the Galápagos, Floreana has an unusually rich and sometimes mysterious human history,…
Genovesa Island
Overview Known as “Bird Island,” Genovesa is one of the most important seabird breeding sites in the Galápagos, formed by…
Isabela Island
Overview Isabela is the largest island in the Galápagos, formed by the fusion of six shield volcanoes, and home to…
San Cristóbal Island
Overview San Cristóbal is the easternmost island in the Galápagos and one of the oldest in the archipelago. It is…
Santa Cruz Island
Overview Santa Cruz is the most populated and most visited island in the Galápagos, home to Puerto Ayora and the…
Santiago Island
Overview The fourth-largest island in the Galápagos, Santiago carries a varied volcanic history and a more recent past shaped by…
Seasons & Wildlife
When to go
The Galápagos change with the ocean currents. Choose a month to see what the islands have in store.
Dec–May · Warm & green season: calm seas, warm water, lush islands
Jun–Nov · Cool & dry season: richer marine life, seabird breeding, livelier seas
January
Warm & green season- Water
- 23–25°C
- Sea
- Calm
- The islands turn green after the first rains
- Green sea turtles come ashore to nest
- Land iguanas begin breeding on Isabela
February
Warm & green season- Water
- 24–26°C
- Sea
- Calm
- Marine iguanas nest on Santa Cruz
- Flamingos nest in the lagoons of Floreana
- Excellent visibility for snorkeling
March
Warm & green season- Water
- 25–26°C
- Sea
- Calmest of the year
- Warmest water of the year
- Waved albatrosses return to Española
- Marine iguanas nest on Fernandina
April
Warm & green season- Water
- 24–26°C
- Sea
- Calm
- Waved albatross courtship dances on Española
- Green sea turtle hatchlings reach the sea
- Land iguana eggs hatch on Isabela
May
Warm & green season- Water
- 23–25°C
- Sea
- Calm
- Blue-footed boobies begin courtship on North Seymour
- Waved albatrosses lay their eggs
- Last weeks of the warm season
June
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 21–23°C
- Sea
- Moderate
- The Humboldt Current cools the sea and feeds marine life
- Giant tortoises move to the lowlands of Santa Cruz to nest
- Whale sharks begin to appear in the far north
July
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 20–22°C
- Sea
- Livelier
- Seabird breeding in full swing
- Blue-footed boobies with chicks on Española and North Seymour
- Dolphins and whales more frequently seen
August
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 19–21°C
- Sea
- Livelier
- Nazca boobies nest on Genovesa and Española
- Sea lion pupping season begins
- Galápagos hawks court across the islands
September
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 19–21°C
- Sea
- Livelier
- Coolest water, richest marine life
- Galápagos penguins most active around Bartolomé and Isabela
- Playful sea lions in every bay
October
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 19–22°C
- Sea
- Moderate
- Galápagos fur seals begin their breeding season
- Blue-footed boobies raising their young
- Giant tortoises lay their eggs
November
Cool & dry season (garúa)- Water
- 21–23°C
- Sea
- Calming
- Young sea lions play with snorkelers
- Seas settle as the warm season approaches
- Green sea turtles begin to mate
December
Warm & green season- Water
- 22–24°C
- Sea
- Calm
- Warm season returns and the islands green up
- Giant tortoise hatchlings emerge
- Young waved albatrosses leave Española
Water temperatures are typical ranges. There is no bad month in the Galápagos — each season reveals a different side of the islands, and our naturalists will help you choose.
History
A brief history of the archipelago.
From volcanic origin to protected archipelago: how isolation, ocean currents and three centuries of human history shaped the Galápagos into what they are today.
Read the Full History