Individuelle Reisen nach Galápagos

A cruise is the superior experience if budget allows — the uninhabited islands (Española, Genovesa, Fernandina, Bartolomé) are inaccessible to land-based visitors and contain the most spectacular wildlife. Small ships (16–20 passengers) access the same sites as large ships but with smaller trail groups. Land-based visits from Santa Cruz work well for 5–7 day budgets: Darwin Station, El Chato Reserve, North Seymour, and San Cristóbal cover the main accessible species. For the waved albatross or flightless cormorant, a cruise is essential.

All visitors pay a National Park entrance fee on arrival at Baltra or San Cristóbal airport: $200 for international visitors (since 2024 revision), $100 for Ecuadorian residents. This is paid in cash or card at the park service desk before baggage claim. You also need a Transit Control Card (TCT) purchased before boarding your Galápagos flight in Quito or Guayaquil ($20). The INGALA agricultural inspection at the airport scans your luggage for restricted organic materials (fresh fruit, seeds, soil). No additional permits are needed for day tours; cruise boats have their own park permits.

December–May: warm season with water temperatures 24–27°C, calmer seas (best for snorkelling and seasick-prone travellers), sea turtle nesting November–March, and waved albatross breeding April onwards on Española. June–November: cool (garúa) season with water 18–24°C, stronger currents, larger schools of fish, penguin and marine iguana breeding, whale shark presence at Darwin and Wolf Islands (a separate liveaboard dive only). The islands are rewarding year-round; no month is a bad choice — the species change rather than disappear.

Yes — Galápagos sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, and hammerhead sharks are all regularly encountered on snorkel and dive trips. These species are not aggressive toward swimmers in Galápagos conditions; the nutrient-rich waters provide abundant fish and the sharks are well-fed. The correct behaviour is to remain calm, avoid sudden movements, and not approach sharks (they may approach you). The only shark with aggressive potential in Galápagos is the oceanic whitetip, encountered only on open-ocean dive trips to distant atolls.

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a seabird endemic to the eastern Pacific — the Galápagos has the world's largest population. The blue pigmentation in the feet is produced by a carotenoid pigment derived from the diet of fresh fish; brighter blue indicates better physical condition and is directly selected for in mate choice — females preferentially mate with males displaying the bluest feet. You can observe this directly: if a male raises his feet and dances around a female who looks at his feet, then looks away, she is assessing his foot colour. The mating dance is performed at 30 centimetres from visitors on marked trails.