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Boobies, tortoises, iguanas, penguins and the sea lions that steal your beach towel.
The animals are the reason most people go. Many species here live nowhere else on Earth, and because they evolved without land predators, they barely notice you. You can sit a few meters from a nesting booby and it will carry on as if you’re not there.
What you see depends on two choices: your route and your month. Sea lions, marine iguanas and giant tortoises turn up on almost every trip. Penguins, flightless cormorants and waved albatross need the right itinerary.
On any trip you will almost certainly see sea lions, marine iguanas, giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies. For penguins and flightless cormorants, choose a western route. For waved albatross, choose a southern route between April and December.
Sula nebouxii
The bird everyone comes to see. Males show off their bright blue feet in a slow, high-stepping courtship dance, and the bluer the feet, the healthier the bird. They nest on open ground, often right beside the trail.
| Where to see | Española, North Seymour, Isabela, San Cristóbal |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round; courtship varies by colony |
| Route | Any, especially southern and central |
Chelonoidis species
The animal the islands are named after: galápago is an old Spanish word for tortoise. They can weigh over 200 kg and live well past 100. You’ll see them grazing in the Santa Cruz highlands.
| Where to see | Santa Cruz highlands, Isabela, San Cristóbal |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round |
| Route | Any; most itineraries include Santa Cruz |
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
The only lizard in the world that feeds at sea. They dive for algae, then pile up on black lava to warm up, sneezing salt as they go. On Española, males turn red and green in breeding season.
| Where to see | Fernandina, Isabela, Española, Santa Cruz |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round |
| Route | Western for the biggest colonies |
Spheniscus mendiculus
The only penguin found north of the equator, kept alive by cold currents. It’s small, rare and one of the highlights of a western route, especially if you get to snorkel alongside one.
| Where to see | Isabela, Fernandina, Bartolomé |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round; more active in cool season |
| Route | Western or central |
Zalophus wollebaeki
You will see sea lions every day: on beaches, benches and boat landings. Young ones are curious in the water and often swim right up to snorkelers.
| Where to see | San Cristóbal, Española, Santa Fe, most beaches |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round; pups common in cool season |
| Route | Any |
Phoebastria irrorata
Almost the entire world population nests on Española. Their courtship is a clattering, bill-fencing dance, and their takeoff from the cliffs at Punta Suárez is worth the trip alone.
| Where to see | Española (Punta Suárez) |
|---|---|
| Best time | Roughly April to December |
| Route | Southern |
Nannopterum harrisi
With no predators to escape, this cormorant traded flight for diving. Its stubby wings are a living example of island evolution, and it lives only on the western islands.
| Where to see | Fernandina, western Isabela |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round |
| Route | Western |
Several species
Small, brown and easy to overlook, these finches helped explain evolution. Each species has a beak shaped for a different food. Birders try to tick off as many as they can.
| Where to see | Most islands, especially Santa Cruz highlands |
|---|---|
| Best time | Year-round; breeding in warm season |
| Route | Any |
Chelonia mydas
Turtles glide past on almost every snorkel. From December to June, females haul up the beaches at night to nest, and you’ll see their tracks in the sand the next morning.
| Where to see | Most snorkel sites; nesting beaches on several islands |
|---|---|
| Best time | Nesting roughly December to June |
| Route | Any |
Sphyrna lewini
Schools of scalloped hammerheads gather around Darwin and Wolf, two remote islands reached only by dive liveaboard. Snorkelers sometimes see them at Kicker Rock.
| Where to see | Darwin and Wolf; sometimes Kicker Rock |
|---|---|
| Best time | Peak June to November |
| Route | Dive liveaboard |
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