Off the coast of Ecuador, a tour of the Galapagos Islands is the highlight of many Latin America tours. The best time to visit the Galapagos Islands is from December to March. This is when the weather is at its warmest and the sea is calm, which also makes it the best time for diving and snorkelling.
The Galapagos Islands form a unique eco-system and a Galapagos holiday will offer close encounters with some of the world's most spectacular wildlife on land and water.
A Galapagos Island tour around the archipelago will bring you literally face-to-face with iguanas, penguins, blue-footed boobies, flamingos and giant tortoises. And in the waters you will find marine iguanas, hammer head sharks, whale sharks, manta rays and sea lions... the list is endless. The islands were never connected to the mainland, so the wildlife that evolved here was never hunted by man and have not developed an instinctive fear of humans. Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution following close study of the fauna he found here.
Take a Galapagos Island tour by cruise ship, travelling between the islands at night and heading ashore every day for wildlife encounters with expert naturalist guides either on land or in the water. Alternatively, or in addition to a cruise, your Galapagos holiday can be based on land in one of the hotels, simple lodges or tented camps on some of the larger islands such as Santa Cruz or Isabela. You can explore the islands in more detail on a land-based trip either on foot or on horse-back, as well as being able to enjoy a diversity of other activities such as mountain-biking, diving, kayaking and surfing not usually offered on Galapagos cruises.
For a personalised itinerary for your perfect Galapagos holiday, contact our Latin America specialists who can discuss Galapagos cruises and land-based Galapagos tours with you.