Waved Albatross
Phoebastria irrorata
- Where
- 1 site, Punta Suárez
- When
- Apr to Dec, peak in Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
On 45 of 97 routes · 841 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$1,800
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
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 →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 Hawk
Buteo galapagoensis
- Where
- 7 sites on 6 islands, mostly West
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 82 of 97 routes · 2032 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 →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 →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 · 1991 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
27/09/2026US$3,060
Galaxy Stella · 4-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Fur Seals
Gardner Bay, day 2
29/09/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Southern Islands: Los Gemelos' Daylight Owl
Gardner Bay, day 2
29/09/2026US$10,345
Treasure · Treasure: Route BC
Gardner Bay, day 2
29/09/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route BCA
Gardner Bay, day 2
01/10/2026US$3,352
MONIQUE · 4-Day Southern Islands: Santa Cruz's Wild Tortoises
Punta Suárez, day 3
01/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route CAB
Punta Suárez, day 10
02/10/2026US$3,320
Solaris · 5-Day Southern Islands: Devil's Crown Hammerhead Sharks
Punta Suárez, day 2
03/10/2026US$3,992
ELITE · 4-Day Southern Islands: Espanola's Albatross Colony
Punta Suárez, day 2
03/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route CAB
Punta Suárez, day 12
05/10/2026US$10,300
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB
Punta Suárez, day 13
06/10/2026US$5,130
Galaxy Sirius · 5-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Sea Lion Colony
Punta Suárez, day 2
06/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route ABC
Punta Suárez, day 12
07/10/2026US$4,956
Tribute · 5-Day Southern Islands: Espanola's Albatross Colony
Punta Suárez, day 4
08/10/2026US$8,345
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route A5B
Punta Suárez, day 10
09/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route ABC
Punta Suárez, day 6
11/10/2026US$1,800
Galaxy Stella · 4-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Fur Seals
Punta Suárez, day 2
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
Treasure · Treasure: Route AB
09/10/2026 · 8 nights · from US$8,300
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$1,800
1010 departures