Galapagos Facts
OFFICIAL NAME
Archipiélago de Colón
CAPITAL
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (2,800)
LAND AREA
7,845 sq km
POPULATION
30,000 approximately
LOCATION
The Galapagos Islands are located North West of South America. Exactly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador (country to which the islands belong) in the Pacific Ocean.
LANGUAJES
Spanish (official), English
AREA CODE
593 – 52
TIME
GMT minus 6 hours in the Galapagos Islands. GMT minus 5 hours on mainland Ecuador.
ELECTRICITY
110 volt generated on cruise vessels only.
ISLANDS
There are 13 large islands and many smaller ones; Isabela (Albemarle) (c.2,250 sq mi/5,827 sq km) is the largest. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristobal, is the provincial capital.
MAIN PORTS
Puerto Villamil (Isabela Island), Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal Island), Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz Island).
ENTRY
No visa is required, but your passport must be valid for at least 6 months upon arrival. You will need to show your return ticket to the customs.
CURRENCY
In Ecuador you can pay with US Dollar (US$)
SEA TEMPERATURE VARIATION
Average of 8°C (from season to season)
CLOTHING CASUAL
Take good walking shoes, bathing suit and a light jacket for evenings.
GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK ADMISSION FEE
US $.100 per person. It must be paid upon arrival at the airport in Galapagos (rate is subject to change without notice).
HOW TO GET THERE
Flights to Galapagos are with either TAME or Aerogal airlines and are booked in conjunction with any cruise. From the mainland to Galapagos it takes one and a half hours, but from Quito adds at least another hour as the plane stops in Guayaquil.
WHEN TO GO
Don’t missed by the Galapagos’ equatorial location, a trip is not the tropical steambath of other areas with the same latitude.
Temperatures generally hover between 22º - 28ºC (70º - 80ºF). The water is fairly cold, sometimes below 20ºC (68ºF). Low Season is May 1 – June 14 and September 15 – October 31, and everything else is high season. The rainy season lasts from January to April, with usually the wettest months. The dry season is June to November, when the weather is often cloudy and the islands enshrouded with mist.