Best Time to Visit Galapagos Islands

Tend to be calmer.  Winds are weaker and underwater visibility is better.

Wetter. It often rains for a short period of time each day, with the rest of the day sunny.  Although this is the rainy season, it is actually also the sunniest.  March is wettest month with average 2 inches.

Green; flowers in bloom

Wildlife Highlights

December: Giant tortoise eggs hatching; Waved albatross chicks start to leave the nest; Sea lions and fur sea lions start mating; Green sea turtles are mating.

January: Giant tortoise eggs hatching; Green Sea Turtles laying eggs (Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Fernandina).  Maybe the best time to travel to Galapagos Islands to see giant tortoises in the lowlands.  Marine iguanas start to change to bright colors for the mating season.

February: Penguins migrate between Bartolome and Isabela & Fernandina; Marine iguanas nesting on Santa Cruz; Flamingos start nesting; Galapagos doves are mating.

March: Frigate birds mating on San Cristobal and Genovesa; Marine iguanas nesting on North Seymour and Fernandina

April: Waved albatrosses migrate to Espanola and start nesting and their courtship rituals; Frigate birds perform their mating rituals; Sea turtles, marine iguanas and land iguanas are nesting

May: Blue-footed boobies mating (North Seymour, Espanola and Isabela, plus some other islands); Waved albatrosses lay eggs on Espanola; green sea turtles hatching at Gardner Bay, Punta Cormorant and Puerto Egas.  The best time to go to the Galapagos for the famous blue-footed boobies’ mating dance.

Best For

• Calm seas = less chance of seasickness, so this is the best time for Galapagos cruises.
• Colorful vegetation
• Warmer seas = can snorkel comfortably without a wetsuit
• Breeding season = best time of year to go to Galapagos to see lots of babies (March and April)
• Schools of hammerhead sharks and most other sharks

Tend to be rougher, with stronger winds.  July – August have strongest winds.

Drier. Garua (mist) and clouds are common.

Browner

Wildlife Highlights

June: Waved albatrosses nesting on Espanola; Humpback whales can be seen; Whale sharks start near Wolf and Darwin Islands; Giant tortoises migrate to lowlands to nest (most islands, but especially Santa Cruz); Blue-footed boobies still performing their mating dance (North Seymour is a good spot to see them); Green sea turtles still hatching on Gardner Bay, Punta Cormorant and Puerto Egas.  Possibly the best time to travel to Galapagos for whales and whale sharks.

July: Blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants nesting (Fernandina); Sea lion breeding season; Lava lizards start their mating rituals; dolphins and whales can be seen off Isabela Island’s west coast.

August: Sea lions give birth; Giant tortoises return to the highlands after laying eggs; Sea lions start giving birth; Nazca boobies are nesting; Galapagos hawks start courting.

September: Penguins courtships on Bartolome; Sea lion pups can be seen

October: Blue-footed booby chicks on Isabela and Espanola; Galapagos fur sea lions mating season; Lava herons start building their nests.

November: Green sea turtles mating season; Whale sharks near Darwin and Wolf Islands; Storm petrels nesting on Genovesa; Brown noddies start breeding.

Best For

• More marine life = best time to visit Galapagos for diving and snorkeling
• Breeding season = best time to see whales in Galapagos (and whale sharks) and mola mola (sunfish)
• Cooler weather and more fish = more seabirds e.g. albatrosses and the best time to see penguins in Galapagos