Galapagos Packing List

Clothes

There is no dress code on most boats or in island towns, so pack casual, yet comfortable clothing. Bring lightweight, breathable items for day hikes and a sweater or jacket for cool evenings on the boat. Terrain on some islands is rough and rocky, so bring comfortable sneakers or hiking boots with good traction. Tevas, Chacos or any other types of sandal with a security strap are great for beach sites and less rugged trails. On the boat, you will keep your shoes in a communal bin and either walk barefoot or in flip-flops.

Luggage

If you are on a cruise tour, it is a good idea to pack as lightly and compactly as possible, since there is only a finite amount of space in your cabin and on board. Backpacks are the most portable through all of the required land-water transfers, but suitcases and duffel bags are fine. Your boat will send representatives from the crew to meet you at the airport, collect your bags, deliver them to the boat, and ultimately place them in your cabin. So if you have bulky or awkward pieces of luggage, the burden of transporting them will fall upon the helpful and gracious members of the crew. Because you will have day excursions on the islands, it is essential that you bring a day pack or fanny pack so that you can have water, sun protection, photographic equipment, rain gear and any other items you may need with you at all times.

Swimming/Snorkeling Gear

If you like the water, you will have a number of opportunities to swim, snorkel, or scuba dive in the Galápagos, oftentimes more than once a day. As such, you should bring more than one swimsuit, a towel (some boats may provide beach towels but others will not), and beach attire (a sarong or beach wrap is perfect for women). Because you can get cold and sunburned very easily in Galapagos waters, it is also a good idea to bring a lightweight neoprene wetsuit or dive skin, if you have one, or some other quick-dry outfit (that you don’t mind wearing in the ocean), like long underwear or sport clothes. You can rent wetsuits in Quito, Guayaquil, Puerto Ayora or sometimes directly on your boat for a reasonable daily price. Many boats have their own snorkeling equipment, which is complementary or available for rent, but the quality and maintenance may be sub-par and the sizes available may be limited. If you are on a boat with scuba diving capability, you will probably have more luck, but you should still bring your own if you have it.

Scuba Diving Equipment

If you plan on scuba-diving and have your own equipment, bring it. You will need at least a 6mm wetsuit, boots, gloves and possibly a hood, in addition to a regulator, BCD, computer, weight belt, fins and mask. All of the dive shops will include equipment in the price of their packages, but the quality and size availability varies from place to place. Some dive shops replace their equipment every year, keep a variety of sizes and styles and maintain their gear in stellar condition. Others have older, worn-out equipment — a sticky regulator, a leaky BCD, ill-fitting apparel, etc. — that is still usable but less desirable for many recreational divers. The conditions in the Galápagos can be challenging for many divers, so if you are at all nervous about your abilities, ease some of your worries by bringing your own gear.

Photography

The Galápagos are an excellent place — even for novices — to take magazine-quality photographs and to make exciting home-videos. Because much of the wildlife in the Galápagos is stationary and close to the trails, you can get very good results with digital, manual and even point-and-shoot cameras. Although you probably don't need anything larger than a hand-held lens, you can get some very good close-up results if you bring a zoom lens. You should also bring an underwater casing for your camera (if you have one) or an underwater camera. Although capturing the underwater landscape and bigger creatures is best with a video-camera or a camera with a strobe, the smaller digital cameras with flash are great for macro shots of fish, eels, or coral.

Extras

Keep in mind that facilities for recharging batteries on boats are limited (some have 110-V outlets), so it is a good idea to invest in some long-life batteries or bring along a lot of spares. It is also a good rule to bring twice as much film or memory than you think you will need. If you know you will be making a stop in Puerto Ayora during your cruise, you can plan to download photos from your memory card onto a CD at any of the internet cafes in town.

In Summary ... A basic packing list of the essentials in Galápagos:

Sunhat; sunglasses; sandals (for the boat); sneakers (for dry landings and rocky shores); Teva-style sandals (for wet landings); swimsuit; umbrella (for sun protection during island hikes or the occasional downpour); high factor, waterproof sunscreen; flashlight or head lamp; water bottle; plastic Ziploc bags to keep things from getting wet; snorkel and mask if you aren't renting; beach towel and bath towel; wind resistant jacket; light sweater or sweatshirt (nights can get rather cool and you don't want to miss stargazing on deck); twice as much film or memory cards as you think you will need; extra batteries; underwater camera; and motion sickness pills. Water can be very cold so you may want to bring a dive skin or wetsuit.