This is something you need to consider strongly. Some people don’t have the luxury of being able to pick a particular time for their visit. The wildlife at the Galapagos Islands is incredible all year round and I guarantee you will love it whenever you visit. However, if you are flexible, there may be specific species you wish to encounter depending on your interests and you may wish to time your trip to coincide with these species. I thought it would be helpful to put all this information together.
| Species | Best Time | Best Island To See Them | |
| Waved Albatross | Apr-Dec | Espanola | |
| Red Footed Booby | No Set breeding season | Genovesa | |
| Blue Footed Booby | July-December | All around but breed on Genovesa, North Seymour, Daphne, San Cristobel, Isabela | |
| Nascar Booby | Aug-Nov (tower island) Nov-Feb (Espanola) | Genovesa, Espanola | |
| Galapagos Hawk | All year | Most Islands | |
| Galapagos Penguin | All year | West Galapagos although small colonies also at Bartolome, Pinzon and Floreana | |
| Flightless Cormorant | All year | Fernandina | |
| Magnificent and Great Frigatebirds | All Year | North Seymour, Genovesa | |
| Swallow Tailed Gull | All Year | Most Islands inc, Genovesa, Isabela, Espanola | |
| Tropicbirds | All Year | Breed in small numbers around most Islands -Genovesa, South Plaza | |
| Galapagos Fur Seal | All year (Breeding Aug-Dec) | All Over | |
| Galapagos Sea Lion | All year (Breeding July-Dec) | All Over | |
| Hammerhead Sharks | Present year round but peak season Dec-May | Can be seen all over however best chance at Gordon Rocks diving, and Kicker Rock snorkelling | Best place is on liveaboard dive vessel to Darwin and Wolf |
| Sun Fish | June- Dec | Gordon Rocks, Punta Vi cente Roja | |
| Sea Turtles | Most numerous when mating (Dec) and Nesting (Jan-May) | ||
| Whale Shark | June-November peak season sightings throughout year at darwin and wolf, | ||
| Manta Ray | December-May | Isabella, gordon rocks, Seymour, Kicker Rock | |
| Tortoises | Lay eggs early year | Most Islands, Farms on Santa Cruz Very good |
Fur Seal underwater
Other dates to be aware of are that the best visibility tends to be between January and March. The Dry Season is June – December. And the water temperatures are warmest between February and April.
Galapagos Galleries
