Best Time to Visit Galapagos Islands

June to November

Months to avoid: December to May (warmer water, rougher conditions, lower visibility for diving, though good for land wildlife)

Recommended stay: 7-10 days

Plan Galapagos Islands for June to November. Give it 7-10 days. The window to avoid is December to May (warmer water, rougher conditions, lower visibility for diving, though good for land wildlife).

What the season gets you

• Snorkelling with Galapagos sea lions. They spiral around you, bite your fins, and treat the whole thing as a game.
• Giant tortoises in the wild at Charles Darwin Research Station and in the highlands of Santa Cruz, some over 100 years old and the size of a small car
• Whale shark aggregations around Darwin and Wolf Islands from July to October, the largest recorded concentrations on the planet