Marine Iguana
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round, more between Jan and Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
On 85 of 97 routes · 1936 departures in season
See these departures →The Galápagos Cruise · Wildlife
Galápagos Wildlife: 25 Animals and Where to See Them
25
species recorded
14
found only here
15
islands
US$2,036
per guest, double occupancy
Twenty-five animals account for most of the reason people come to Galápagos, and fourteen of them live nowhere else on earth: the giant tortoise, the marine iguana, the flightless cormorant, the waved albatross, the only penguin that breeds on the equator. All twenty-five are recorded across the 15 islands our ships call at, and no single itinerary reaches all of them. The best get to twenty-four, a typical departure to eighteen.
Where you go decides more than when. Fifteen of the twenty-five are on record all year, so the itinerary matters more than the calendar. The waved albatross is on Española and nowhere else, and it is at sea from January to March. The flightless cormorant is on Fernandina and Isabela only, in the cold water of the west. The Santa Fé land iguana lives on the one island it is named after. Blue-footed boobies dance from June to August, the male frigatebirds of Genovesa inflate their red throat pouches from March to June, sea lion pups arrive between August and November, and the marine iguanas of Punta Suárez turn red and green from December to March. Green turtles, white-tipped reef sharks and brown pelicans turn up almost everywhere, on ordinary snorkeling stops and at every landing. The map below shows which island holds what, and the list further down counts only the departures that are in the right place in the right month.
Where they are
Tap an island to filter the species below. The number is how many species are recorded there.
6 of 6 species shown
almost alwaysoftensometimesnot in this month
Swallow-tailed Gull
Creagrus furcatus
- Where
- 6 sites on 5 islands, mostly South
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 77 of 97 routes · 1793 departures in season
See these departures →Galápagos Land Iguana
Conolophus subcristatus
- Where
- 7 sites on 6 islands, mostly South
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 83 of 97 routes · 2010 departures in season
See these departures →Galápagos Sea Lion
Zalophus wollebaeki
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round, more between Aug and Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
On 86 of 97 routes · 2107 departures in season
See these departures →Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 83 of 97 routes · 2033 departures in season
See these departures →Nazca Booby
Sula granti
- Where
- 8 sites on 7 islands, mostly South
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 81 of 97 routes · 1961 departures in season
See these departures →The full lists, group by group
The fifteen above are the shortlist. Each group has its own page with every species on record, the same island map and the same departure check.
Select a departure that actually reaches it
981 of the 2107 upcoming departures put you where the Brown Pelican is, at the time it is there.
981
- You see it. The ship is at the site while the species is recorded there.
- Right island, wrong month. The route calls there outside the months on record.
- Never gets there. The route does not call at any of its sites.
25/09/2026US$3,320
Treasure · 5-Day Northern & Western: Punta Pitt's Triple Boobies
South Plaza Trail, day 3
26/09/2026US$2,120
Galaxy Orion · 5-Day Western & Southern: San Cristobal's Highlands
South Plaza Trail, day 3
28/09/2026US$3,320
Solaris · 5-Day Northern Islands: South Plaza's Hybrid Iguana
South Plaza Trail, day 4
28/09/2026US$8,300
Solaris · Solaris: Route BC
South Plaza Trail, day 4
28/09/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
South Plaza Trail, day 4
29/09/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route BCA
South Plaza Trail, day 13
01/10/2026US$13,490
Tribute · Tribute: Route CA
South Plaza Trail, day 8
01/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route CAB
South Plaza Trail, day 8
02/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route CAB
South Plaza Trail, day 14
03/10/2026US$10,045
Treasure · Treasure: Route CA
South Plaza Trail, day 9
03/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route CAB
South Plaza Trail, day 9
04/10/2026US$4,152
MONIQUE · 5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel
South Plaza Trail, day 2
05/10/2026US$5,295
Archipel I · 8-Day Western Islands: Urbina Bay's Coral Uplift
South Plaza Trail, day 2
05/10/2026US$2,036
Archipel I · 4-Day Southern & Northern: Chinese Hat's Shark Channel
South Plaza Trail, day 2
05/10/2026US$7,475
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB4
South Plaza Trail, day 2
05/10/2026US$10,300
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB
South Plaza Trail, day 2
06/10/2026US$5,130
Galaxy Sirius · 5-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Sea Lion Colony
South Plaza Trail, day 4
06/10/2026US$10,345
Solaris · Solaris: Route AB
South Plaza Trail, day 10
06/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route ABC
South Plaza Trail, day 10
07/10/2026US$3,840
Galaxy Stella · 5-Day Northern Islands: Kicker Rock's Shark Channel
South Plaza Trail, day 2
07/10/2026US$4,956
Tribute · 5-Day Southern Islands: Espanola's Albatross Colony
South Plaza Trail, day 2
07/10/2026US$11,150
Tribute · Tribute: Route AB
South Plaza Trail, day 2
07/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route ABC
South Plaza Trail, day 2
09/10/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Northern & Western: Punta Pitt's Triple Boobies
South Plaza Trail, day 3
Show more departures of shown
What's included
✓All meals on board
✓Two certified national park naturalist guides
✓All excursions and landings listed in the itinerary
✓Snorkelling gear and wetsuit
✓Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards on board
✓Coffee, tea and water at any time
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María Fernanda Ortiz
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María Fernanda Ortiz
We answer personally, and we answer ourselves. A Galápagos trip is once in a lifetime, and you want the right advice before you book.
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from US$2,036
981 departures