Travel Essentials

Practical information before your trip

What to pack

  • Long pants, preferably lightweight trekking pants or khakis.
  • Comfortable shorts.
  • Short-sleeved shirts, T-shirts, or tank tops.
  • Long-sleeved shirts, and if traveling between July and November, bring a cozy sweatshirt.
  • A lightweight, waterproof windbreaker.
  • Two swimsuits.
  • Walking shoes or lightweight hiking boots.
  • Rubber-soled shoes, boat shoes, or water sports shoes.
  • Sport sandals with secure straps.
  • A small backpack or knapsack.
  • A wide-brimmed sun hat, baseball cap, or bandana.
  • Camera with polarized lenses and a waterproof carry bag.
  • Portable binoculars.
  • Underwater camera.
  • Polarized sunglasses.
  • Reef-friendly sunscreen.
  • Seasickness medication.
  • All-natural insect repellent.

Additionally, we provide biodegradable soap, shampoo, and conditioner, beach towels, a reusable water bottle, wetsuits, snorkel masks, and flippers. Guests also receive bathrobes, slippers, a hairdryer, and a small pair of binoculars (one per cabin).

Wildlife Checklist

  • Santa Fe Land Iguana
  • Giant Tortoise (11 subspecies)
  • Pacific Green Sea Turtle
  • Marine Iguana (7 subspecies)
  • Galapagos Land Iguana
  • Lava Lizard (7 species)
  • Gecko (6 species)
  • Galapagos Snake (3 species)
  • Galapagos Penguin
  • Waved Albatross
  • Blue-Footed Booby
  • Masked (White) Booby
  • Flightless Cormorant
  • Great Frigatebird
  • Magnificent Frigatebird
  • Swalow-Tailed Gull
  • Lava Gull
  • Brown Pelican
  • Red-Billed Tropicbird
  • Audubon’s Shearwater
  • White-Vented Storm Petrel (Elliot’s)
  • Band-Rumped Storm Petrel (Castro’s)
  • Wedge-Rumped Storm Petrel (Galapagos)
  • Dark-Rumped Petrel (Hawaiian)
  • Brown Noddy
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Lava Heron
  • Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
  • Striated Heron
  • American Osytercatcher
  • Greater Flamingo
  • Common (Great) Egret
  • Cattle Egret
  • While-Cheeked Pintail Duck
  • Common Stilt
  • Whimbrel
  • Wandering Tattler
  • Semi-Palmated Plover
  • Sanderling
  • Ruddy Turnstone
  • Northern Phalarope
  • Common Gallinule
  • Purple Gallinule
  • Galapagos Hawk
  • Galapagos Rail
  • Paint-Billed Rail
  • Barn Owl
  • Short-Eared Owl
  • Paint-Billed Crake
  • Common Gallinule
  • Galapagos Dove
  • Galapagos Mockingbird
  • Charles Mockingbird
  • Hood Mockingbird
  • Chatham Mockingbird
  • Galapagos Martin
  • Vermillion Flycatcher
  • Large-Billed Flycatcher
  • Yellow Warbler
  • Dark-Billed Cuckoo
  • Smooth-Billed Ani
  • Darwin´s Finches (13 Species)
  • Medium Ground Finch
  • Large Ground Finch
  • Sharp-Billed Ground Finch
  • Cactus Ground Finch
  • Large Cactus Finch
  • Small Tree Finch
  • Medium Tree Finch
  • Large Tree Finch
  • Mangrove Finch
  • Vegetarian Finch
  • Warbler Finch
  • Woodpecker Finch
  • Galapagos Sea Lion
  • Galapagos Fur Seal
  • Galapagos Bat
  • Santa Fe Rice Rat
  • Fernandina Rice Rat

Suggested Reading & Movies

Prepare for your upcoming Galapagos adventure by delving into some extraordinary literature centered on the islands. Dive into Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking scientific theories and celebrated adventures by exploring his renowned works, such as “On Natural Selection,” “On the Origin of Species,” and “The Voyage of the Beagle.”

Travelers may also benefit from perusing a diverse selection of field guides, including the comprehensive “Galápagos: A Natural History Guide” by Michael H. Jackson, as well as texts dedicated to marine life, ornithology, and the archipelago’s exotic flora.

For a deeper immersion into the essence of the place with captivating narratives, consider novels like Herman Melville’s “The Enchanted Isles” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Galapagos.”

PUBLISHED BY LOCAL AUTHORS

  • Galapagos, Preserving Darwin’s Legacy, by Tui de Roy, 2009
  • Galapagos, Both sides of the Coin, by Pete Oxford & Graham Watkins, 2009
  • Darwin in Galapagos, Footsteps to a New World, by Greg Estes & Thalia Grant,
  • Galapagos, Exploring Darwin’s Tapestry, by John Hess, 2009

LIGHTWEIGHT AND EASY TO PACK (PAPERBACK)

  • Galapagos, Smithsonian Natural History Series, by JC Kricher,
  • The Enchanted Isles, by Herman Melville, paperback
  • Galapagos, A Novel, by Kurt Vonnegut, paperback
  • The Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin, in paperback
  • On Natural Selection, Charles Darwin, Penguin Books
  • Galapagos, World’s End, by William Beebe

INSIGHTFUL READING ON DARWINISM 

  • On the Origin of Species, The Illustrated Edition, by Charles Darwin & David Quamman
  • The Beak of the Finch, by Jonathan Weiner (Pulitzer Prize-winning book)
  • The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, by David Quammen,
  • Charles Darwin, The Concise story of an extraordinary man, by Tim Berra

GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN
(2013) Murder Mystery Documentary.

GALAPAGOS 3D WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH (SKY)
(2013) Nature Documentary Series.

CREATION
(2010) Starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

MASTER & COMMANDER, THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
(2008) Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany.

GALAPAGOS, THE ISLANDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
(2007) Tilda Swinton.

GALAPAGOS (IMAX)
(2002) Follows marine biologist Carole Baldwin to the ocean floor.

Best field guides

  • Galapagos, A Natural History Guide, by Michael Jackson
  • Galapagos Wildlife, by David Horwell & Pete Oxford, Brandt Travel Guides
  • Galapagos, Reef Fish Identification Guide, by Paul Human

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