Marine Iguana
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
- Where
- on most islands
- When
- Year round, more between Jan and Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
On 85 of 97 routes · 1937 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.
9 of 13 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 · 1794 departures in season
See these departures →Galápagos Fur Seal
Arctocephalus galapagoensis
- Where
- 7 sites on 5 islands, mostly Central
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 82 of 97 routes · 1992 departures in season
See these departures →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 →Red-footed Booby
Sula sula
- Where
- 5 sites on 4 islands, mostly North
- When
- Year round
JFMAMJJASOND
On 53 of 97 routes · 1130 departures in season
See these departures →Scalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
- Where
- 5 sites on 5 islands, mostly South
- When
- Year round, more between Jun and Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
On 12 of 97 routes · 214 departures in season
See these departures →Great Frigatebird
Fregata minor
- Where
- 6 sites on 3 islands, mostly North
- When
- Year round, more between Mar and Jun
JFMAMJJASOND
On 67 of 97 routes · 1540 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
Punta Pitt, day 4
26/09/2026US$7,992
ELITE · 8-Day Western Islands: El Junco's Bathing Frigatebirds
Punta Pitt, day 7
26/09/2026US$2,120
Galaxy Orion · 5-Day Western & Southern: San Cristobal's Highlands
Punta Pitt, day 4
27/09/2026US$3,600
Galaxy Stella · 4-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Fur Seals
Isla Lobos, day 1
28/09/2026US$3,320
Solaris · 5-Day Northern Islands: South Plaza's Hybrid Iguana
Cerro Brujo, day 5
28/09/2026US$8,300
Solaris · Solaris: Route BC
Cerro Brujo, day 5
28/09/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
Cerro Brujo, day 5
29/09/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Southern Islands: Los Gemelos' Daylight Owl
La Galapaguera, day 1
29/09/2026US$10,345
Treasure · Treasure: Route BC
La Galapaguera, day 1
29/09/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route BCA
Punta Pitt, day 14
01/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route CAB
Isla Lobos, day 11
02/10/2026US$3,320
Solaris · 5-Day Southern Islands: Devil's Crown Hammerhead Sharks
La Galapaguera, day 1
02/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route CAB
Cerro Brujo, day 15
03/10/2026US$3,992
ELITE · 4-Day Southern Islands: Espanola's Albatross Colony
David Rodriguez Tortoise Breeding Center, day 1
03/10/2026US$10,045
Treasure · Treasure: Route CA
Punta Pitt, day 10
03/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route CAB
Punta Pitt, day 10
04/10/2026US$4,152
MONIQUE · 5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel
Kicker Rock (León Dormido), day 1
05/10/2026US$10,300
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route AB
Punta Pitt, day 14
06/10/2026US$5,130
Galaxy Sirius · 5-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Sea Lion Colony
Isla Lobos, day 1
06/10/2026US$10,345
Solaris · Solaris: Route AB
Cerro Brujo, day 11
06/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route ABC
Cerro Brujo, day 11
07/10/2026US$3,840
Galaxy Stella · 5-Day Northern Islands: Kicker Rock's Shark Channel
Kicker Rock (León Dormido), day 5
07/10/2026US$11,150
Tribute · Tribute: Route AB
Isla Lobos, day 5
07/10/2026US$18,000
Tribute · Tribute: Route ABC
Isla Lobos, day 5
08/10/2026US$8,345
Archipel I · Archipel I: Route A5B
Punta Pitt, day 11
09/10/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Northern & Western: Punta Pitt's Triple Boobies
Punta Pitt, day 4
09/10/2026US$8,300
Treasure · Treasure: Route AB
Punta Pitt, day 4
09/10/2026US$14,095
Treasure · Treasure: Route ABC
Punta Pitt, day 4
10/10/2026US$7,992
ELITE · 8-Day Western Islands: El Junco's Bathing Frigatebirds
Punta Pitt, day 7
11/10/2026US$1,800
Galaxy Stella · 4-Day Southern Islands: Isla Lobos' Fur Seals
Isla Lobos, day 1
12/10/2026US$5,295
Archipel I · 8-Day Southern & Northern: Prince Philip's Booby Steps
Punta Pitt, day 7
12/10/2026US$3,528
Solaris · 5-Day Northern Islands: South Plaza's Hybrid Iguana
Cerro Brujo, day 5
12/10/2026US$14,095
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
Cerro Brujo, day 5
13/10/2026US$3,735
Treasure · 5-Day Southern Islands: Los Gemelos' Daylight Owl
La Galapaguera, day 1
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
Solaris · Solaris: Route BCA
28/09/2026 · 14 nights · from US$14,095
María Fernanda Ortiz
We reply within one business day
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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.
+ 1 786 509 6338We answer first thing on the next working day
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from US$1,800
1186 departures