Galápagos Penguin
Spheniscus mendiculus
- Where
- 8 sites on 5 islands, mostly West
- When
- Year round, more between Jun and Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
On 78 of 97 routes · 1861 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.
7 of 7 species shown
almost alwaysoftensometimesnot in this month
Galápagos Giant Tortoise
Chelonoidis spp.
- Where
- 10 sites on 5 islands, mostly Central
- When
- Year round, more between Jun and Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
On 85 of 97 routes · 2064 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 · 2108 departures in season
See these departures →Giant Manta Ray
Mobula birostris
- Where
- 5 sites on 5 islands, mostly Central
- When
- Jun to Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
On 50 of 97 routes · 691 departures in season
See these departures →White-tipped Reef Shark
Triaenodon obesus
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 40 of 97 routes · 855 departures in season
See these departures →Blue-footed Booby
Sula nebouxii
- Where
- 11 sites on 8 islands, mostly South
- When
- Year round, more between Jun and Aug
JFMAMJJASOND
On 83 of 97 routes · 1995 departures in season
See these departures →Pacific Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas agassizii
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round, more between Jan and Jun
JFMAMJJASOND
On 85 of 97 routes · 1996 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
25/09/2026US$3,320
Treasure · 5-Day Northern & Western: Punta Pitt's Triple Boobies
Bartolomé Summit, day 2
26/09/2026US$7,992
ELITE · 8-Day Western Islands: El Junco's Bathing Frigatebirds
Bartolomé Summit, day 6
26/09/2026US$2,120
Galaxy Orion · 5-Day Western & Southern: San Cristobal's Highlands
Bartolomé Summit, day 2
28/09/2026US$8,300
Solaris · Solaris: Route BC
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
28/09/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
29/09/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route BCA
Bartolomé Summit, day 12
30/09/2026US$7,140
Galaxy Stella · 8-Day Western Islands: Mangle Point's Rare Access
Bartolomé Summit, day 6
01/10/2026US$6,035
Galaxy Sirius · 6-Day Western & Northern: Rabida's Red Sand Beach
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
01/10/2026US$13,490
Tribute · Tribute: Route CA
Bartolomé Summit, day 5
01/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route CAB
Bartolomé Summit, day 5
02/10/2026US$3,320
Solaris · 5-Day Southern Islands: Devil's Crown Hammerhead Sharks
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
02/10/2026US$10,345
Solaris · Solaris: Route CA
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
02/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route CAB
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
03/10/2026US$10,045
Treasure · Treasure: Route CA
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
03/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route CAB
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
04/10/2026US$4,152
MONIQUE · 5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel
Bartolomé Summit, day 3
05/10/2026US$7,475
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB4
Bartolomé Summit, day 10
05/10/2026US$10,300
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB
Bartolomé Summit, day 10
06/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route ABC
Bartolomé Summit, day 14
07/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route ABC
Bartolomé Summit, day 13
08/10/2026US$5,295
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route A5B4
Bartolomé Summit, day 7
08/10/2026US$8,345
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route A5B
Bartolomé Summit, day 7
09/10/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Northern & Western: Punta Pitt's Triple Boobies
Bartolomé Summit, day 2
09/10/2026US$8,300
Treasure · Treasure: Route AB
Bartolomé Summit, day 2
09/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route ABC
Bartolomé Summit, day 2
10/10/2026US$7,992
ELITE · 8-Day Western Islands: El Junco's Bathing Frigatebirds
Bartolomé Summit, day 6
12/10/2026US$5,295
Archipel I · 8-Day Southern & Northern: Prince Philip's Booby Steps
Bartolomé Summit, day 3
12/10/2026US$2,036
Archipel I · 4-Day Northern & Western: Sullivan Bay's Fresh Lava
Bartolomé Summit, day 3
12/10/2026US$8,300
Solaris · Solaris: Route BC
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
12/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
Bartolomé Summit, day 8
13/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route BCA
Bartolomé Summit, day 12
14/10/2026US$6,720
Galaxy Stella · 8-Day Western Islands: Mangle Point's Rare Access
Bartolomé Summit, day 6
15/10/2026US$5,992
ENDEMIC · Western Galápagos Islands
Bartolomé Summit, day 1
15/10/2026US$6,390
Galaxy Sirius · 6-Day Western & Northern: Rabida's Red Sand Beach
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
15/10/2026US$4,335
EcoGalaxy · 6-Day Western & Northern: Bartolome's Pinnacle Rock
Bartolomé Summit, day 5
16/10/2026US$4,150
Solaris · 5-Day Southern Islands: Devil's Crown Hammerhead Sharks
Bartolomé Summit, day 4
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
Your selection
ELITE · 8-Day Western Islands: El Junco's Bathing Frigatebirds
26/09/2026 · 7 nights · from US$7,992
María Fernanda Ortiz
We reply within one business day
Prefer to talk? + 1 786 509 6338
We answer first thing on the next working day
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.
+ 1 786 509 6338We answer first thing on the next working day
Talk to us
Tell us who is traveling and we will check this departure for availability.
from US$2,036
1002 departures