Visiting the Galapagos Islands is a bucket list experience for any wildlife lover. But packing for a visit to these wild and untouched islands can be a bit daunting—your days are spent hiking on volcanic rock, snorkeling in (sometimes, surprisingly chilly!) water, and having up-close-and-personal encounters with some of the most incredible wildlife on the planet. What kind of shoes do you need to bring? Is there any special gear that you might be forgetting?
My husband, Justin, and I just wrapped up spending five days on a Galapagos cruise, as well as spending an additional week exploring the islands on land. So we have figured out everything you need to include on your Galapagos packing list to make the most of your time on these incredible islands—and what you can leave at home.
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Our experience in the Galapagos
Before we dive in, we thought it would be helpful to provide some context about our experience in the Galapagos.
We went on an eight day Galapagos cruise with National Geographic- Lindblad Expeditions, which offered the perfect mix of tons of outdoor adventure with a more luxurious onboard experience. If you’re curious to learn about our experience, we wrote a review about our Galapagos cruise with Lindblad or, alternatively, you can watch our YouTube video about our time onboard.
We also spent about a week on San Cristobal and Santa Cruz Island before and after our cruise—so we have the perspective of exploring the Galapagos both on land and by ship.
This Galapagos packing list will work for the vast majority of travelers, whether you’re traveling via cruise ship or on land. The only people who may have to pack a teeny bit differently are travelers that opt to cruise on high-end luxury cruise lines, like Celebrity or Silverseas, which have fairly restrictive dress codes in the evenings, and would require packing more formal clothing and footwear.
With that, let’s get into it!
Galapagos Islands Packing List Essentials
To be honest, most of the items that you need for the Galapagos are pretty straightforward and the stuff you’d need for any tropical vacation—shorts, T-shirts, you get the picture. But there are some key items that you especially need to pack for a Galapagos trip.
Here’s our complete breakdown of everything you need to pack, starting with Galapagos Islands essentials.
Reefsafe sunscreen
I knew that the Galapagos Islands were going to be hot, but, y’all, I was not prepared for the equatorial sun. The UV rays are NOT messing around and if your experience in the Galapagos is anything like the ours, you will spend the vast majority of your time outside, exploring the incredible landscapes (and oceanscapes!) here. Slather sunscreen on early and often!
Be sure to purchase reef-safe sunscreen—in short, chemicals in “normal” sunscreen essentially cause coral to get cancer. Coral is already having a tough enough time, given climate change, so let’s do what we can and use sunscreen that doesn’t make it even tougher on ‘em!
Hat and sunglasses
In the same vein as the sunscreen, you’re going to want as much sun protection as possible. Lots of people wear wide-brim sunhats, like this one, while in the Galapagos but, a regular ol’ baseball hat and sunscreen on your neck will work just as well!
At least two swimsuits
If you’re exploring the Galapagos on a cruise, most of the itineraries will include one or more snorkeling excursions per day.
The water around the islands can actually be surprisingly chilly during certain parts of the year (as low as 61°F from June through November) and while any cruise worth its salt will have wetsuits that you can use, there’s nothing more tragic than putting on a cold and wet swimsuit when you don’t have to.
Hiking sandals
There are a variety of circumstances where hiking sandals, like our beloved Tevas (here’s a pair for men or here’s a pair for women) come in handy, from wet landings (i.e., where you have to get off a Zodiac while in shallow water and will have to wade to get on land) to some of the easier hikes you’ll go on.
If you’re exploring the Galapagos on a cruise, you should also always have footwear on while walking around your ship (you’re on a moving vessel so it’s not unusual for glass objects to fall and break!), so they’re a great choice to easily slip on and off while you’re walking around onboard as well.
Hiking boots
During our Galapagos cruise, we went on hikes across slippery volcanic rocks, large and uneven boulders, huge mud patches—definitely terrain where you benefit from having additional support and traction.
Justin has used this pair for years and swears by them and I love this pair.
GoPro and extra batteries
We’ve snorkeled a LOT in our day and, still, the Galapagos Islands offer probably the best snorkeling experiences of our entire life—we swam with sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, spotted eagle rays, and countless species of tropical fish.
Our GoPro was acting finicky (after four years, it’s definitely in its golden years, y’all) and it kept running out of batteries during our time in the water. So if you don’t want to miss out on capturing once in a lifetime underwater moments, bring a GoPro that isn’t on its deathbed and that has plenty of battery power left in it.
Packable backpack
If you explore the Galapagos via a cruise, you likely will spend lots of time on land, hiking around and seeing wildlife, where you’ll want to bring a water bottle, rainjacket, sunscreen, camera, lenses, and other odds and ends with you.
Instead of awkwardly carrying all of that stuff around, I’d strongly recommend bringing along a packable backpack, which is perfect for bringing all of your necessities along for a day hike but packs down to absolutely nothing in your luggage.
We’re currently traveling around South America for seven months, with a 45L backpack each, and we each opt to pack one of these packable daypacks around. They’re seriously one of the items we use the most—for grocery shopping, laundry, and yes, even on our Galapagos adventure!
If you’re curious, here’s our packing list for traveling with just one bag around South America or here’s our YouTube video detailing what—and how—we pack our bags.
Dry bag
Between riding around in Zodiacs and the Galapagos’ unpredictable weather, it’s not unusual for your daypack to get absolutely soaked while you’re out exploring. If you have any gear that you don’t want to get wet, like a nice camera or even just a towel, it’s definitely a good idea to have a dry bag on hand. This saved us multiple times during our trip!
Insect repellent
Before we went to the Galapagos, I read one of the top articles about what to pack for the Galapagos, which advised that insect repellent was unnecessary. That person clearly did not visit during the same time period we did (i.e., March, which is considered the rainy season), because, holy moly—the mosquitoes were unrelenting on certain islands we visited.
So if you’re visiting during the rainy season (January through May) or just one of those people that attracts mosquitoes, like we do, I’d highly recommend packing along insect repellent.
Complete Galapagos Packing List
As mentioned above, I don’t think you need to pack for the Galapagos too terribly differently than you would for any other active vacation to a warm tropical destination.
You’ll be doing lots of swimming, hiking, walking, and sweating (ha!), so lots of light, breathable, and ideally fast-drying clothes is essential. Additionally, the weather in the islands is dynamic and changes rapidly, so having some warm or waterproof layers that you can quickly throw on is also helpful.
Here’s a breakdown of what we’d recommend packing, including links to the items that we personally brought along and served us well. If you’re going on a particularly long Galapagos cruise (I know some itineraries are upwards of two weeks!), obviously, you may want to bring some extra clothes with you, especially if there aren’t laundry facilities onboard your ship.
Clothing List for Women
- 2-3 t-shirts
- 2-3 tank tops or crop tops
- 2 long sleeve t-shirts: Bonus points if they offer sun protection.
- Sweatshirt: If your cruise ship is anything like ours, they keep the air conditioning CRANKED up!
- 3 pairs of athletic shorts
- 2 pairs of yoga pants/leggings
- Hiking pants
- 2-3 swimsuits
- Bras, socks, underwear
- Rainjacket
- Pajamas
- Baseball hat
- Pair of hiking sandals
- Pair of hiking boots
- One nicer outfit: This only applies if you’re going on an ultra-luxury cruise line. Some of the bougier lines, like Celebrity or Silverseas, have dress codes every single evening, whereas the operator that we went on, Lindblad, did not. However, there were special evenings, like the Captain’s Dinner or the going away cocktail party, where most of the other passengers dressed up a bit and we really wished we had packed some nicer clothes. Conversely, I imagine there are also cruise lines where everyone is totally casual 100% of the time!
Clothing List for Men
- 4-5 t-shirts
- 2 long sleeve t-shirts
- Sweatshirt
- 3-4 pairs of shorts
- 2 pairs of hiking pants: We noticed that our Lindblad expedition guides primarily wore hiking pants that convert into shorts, like this pair. So, if you go the convertible hiking pants route, you can probably save some space in your luggage and bring less pairs of shorts.
- 2 swimsuits
- Socks and underwear
- Rainjacket
- Pajamas
- Baseball hat
- Pair of hiking sandals
- Pair of hiking boots
- One nicer outfit: See note above
Tech Gear
- Cell phone
- Charging cables
- U.S. wall adapter: Ecuador uses North American Style plugs (Type A)
- Camera and lenses: Be sure to bring a wide-angle lens for landscape shots and telephoto lens for birds and capturing wildlife while you’re on Zodiacs.
- Tripod
- GoPro, extra batteries, and floating handle
- GoPro dive case, if you’re a scuba diver
Toiletries
- Seasickness meds, if you’re going on a cruise: When we went on our Galapagos cruise in March, the waves were pretty mild, but I’ve heard they can get especially rough from September through December. Most cruise ships will have some seasickness medicines on hand, but we have been on certain cruise ships when they’ve actually ran out of medication—so I’d recommend bringing some of your own to be on the safe side.
- Reefsafe sunscreen
- Aloe vera lotion, for any sunburn
- Insect repellent
- Detangler spray: Fun fact: the water around the Galapagos Islands is significantly saltier than most other seawater, given its unique currents. And, with all the snorkeling you’ll be doing, it can really do a number on longer hair. I REALLY wish I had packed detangler—my hair was a mess by the time we left the Galapagos!
- Hand-sanitizer: I’ve gotten a nasty cold on every cruise I’ve been on, so use hand sanitizer and wash your hands often!
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Any medication you need
Miscellaneous
- Dry bag
- Sunglasses
- Packable backpack
- Reusable water bottle
- Passport
- Cash (Ecuador uses US dollars) and credit/debit cards: Whether you fly to the Galapagos from Quito or Guayaquil, you’ll be required to purchase a Galapagos Transit Control Card for $20, cash-only, before you go through airport security. Additionally, the entrance fee to Galapagos National Park, once you land in the Galapagos, is $200 per traveler that is 12 or older, although that can be paid with a credit card. If you’re going on a cruise, you may also want to bring cash to tip the crew onboard—some ships allow you to tip using credit cards, but a lot of them don’t.
Things You Don’t Need to Pack for the Galapagos
If you’re exploring the Galapagos via a cruise, here are things that you don’t have to pack, as pretty much any operator will provide these for you onboard.
- Shampoo, conditioner, soap
- Wetsuit
- Towels
- Snorkeling gear: The exception to this is a liveaboard diving cruise, where it’s generally advisable to bring your own diving gear. Most operators that put on these types of cruises will have rentals available, but I’d suggest reaching out to them to figure out what kind of your diving gear you should bring.
- Trekking poles
Additionally, just leave your drone at home—they’re prohibited pretty much everywhere in the Galapagos (including even in the ocean).
There you have it—-everything you need to pack for a trip to the Galapagos. For the most part, you’re going to be out adventuring and it’s really not going to matter what you look like (unless you go on one of the extreme luxury cruiselines), so I’d recommend coming prepared with practical and comfortable clothes and your sense of adventure!
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!
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