Know Before You Go

© 

Galapagos Wildlife Seasonality | Month-By-Month Guide

Wildlife sightings fluctuate over the seasons, but highlights occur throughout the year because abundant wildlife is always present in the Galapagos Islands. Due to the archipelago's equatorial location and unusual oceanographic conditions, the presence of wildlife and mating behavior are most closely connected to the productivity of the ocean rather than the seasons. Rest assured that year-round residents like the Galapagos penguin, blue-footed booby, marine and land iguanas, giant tortoise, flightless cormorant, Galapagos hawk and sea lions do not migrate and will always be on view. 

All the Galapagos seabirds are seen year-round except for the albatross, which is absent from January to March. Because birds breed at different times, you can witness courting behavior or hatchlings in nests during any given month. A variety of whale and dolphin species visit the Galapagos throughout the year, from the smallest common and bottlenose dolphins to the largest blue whales, as well as orca, pilot, sperm, humpback and other whale species.

Wildlife: Month-by-Month


Year-round
  • red-footed boobies and masked boobies, breeding and nesting
  • flightless cormorants, penguins and greater flamingos, breeding and nesting
  • magnificent and great frigate birds, nesting

January
  • Darwin’s finches and other land birds begin nesting
  • marine iguanas turn bright green and red colors on Española
  • Pacific green sea turtles begin laying eggs, nesting through March

February
  • Bahamas pintail ducks begin breeding
  • flamingos begin nesting
  • Galapagos doves at nesting peak
  • penguins migrate away from Bartolome to cooler waters off Isabela and Fernandina

March
  • Galapagos giant tortoises begin migrating to lower terrain and nesting sites
  • red-footed booby chicks on Genovesa
  • marine iguanas begin nesting on Fernandina
  • waved albatross begin arriving after the spring equinox

April
  • waved albatross arrive on Española in huge numbers, begin courtship
  • Pacific green sea turtle hatching begins (through June)
  • Galapagos land iguana hatchlings appear
  • brown pelicans begin nesting at Tagus Cove (through May)
  • blue-footed boobies begin courtship on North Seymour (through May)
  • Pacific green sea turtles present in large numbers on Isabela and Fernandina (through November)

May
  • marine iguana hatchlings emerge from nests at Fernandina
  • Galapagos snakes, hawks and great blue herons hunt baby marine iguanas on Fernandina
  • large flocks of Galapagos shearwaters appear
  • waved albatross mate and lay eggs on Española
  • wedge rump storm petrels begin nesting on Genovesa

June
  • waved albatross nesting, first chicks appear
  • humpback whale sightings begin (through September)
  • blue-footed boobies, nesting (through November)
  • Bryde’s whale sightings near Kicker Rock (through November)
  • whale and dolphins throughout the archipelago (through November)

July
  • waved albatross nesting continues, prime time to see chicks
  • Galapagos giant tortoise start migration back to Santa Cruz highlands
  • American oystercatchers, nesting
  • common gallinules, nesting

August
  • Galapagos sea lion pups appear
  • Galapagos hawks court on Espanola, Santiago and Fernandina
  • swallow-tailed gulls at nesting peak on Genovesa
  • abundant Galapagos giant tortoise in Santa Cruz highlands (until March)

September
  • Galapagos hawks, nesting (through October)
  • Galapagos sea lions, birth and breeding season (through December)
  • Penguins begin courtship and are especially active on Bartolome
  • most seabirds found at nesting sites

October
  • lava herons, nesting
  • fur seal, breeding (through December)
  • giant tortoises begin laying eggs on Santa Cruz (through November)
  • blue-footed booby chicks appear

November
  • brown noddy terns, breeding
  • wedge rump storm petrels begin second nesting season
  • sea lion pups are more curious
  • Pacific green sea turtles mating and active in water

December
  • waved albatross fledglings appear and begin departing
  • marine iguanas begin mating (through February)
  • Galapagos sea lion pups abundant in water at central and southern islands (through February)
  • giant Galapagos tortoise laying eggs (through March)
  • Bryde’s whale on the western archipelago (through May)
  • bottlenose and common dolphin in central and southern archipelago (through May)


Wildlife Highlights & Where to Find Them


See The Wildlife of the Galapagos Year-Round on These Cruises
Repeater Layout : vertical-2up
Galapagos Discovery: The Nat Hab Experience 16
New Ship!

Galapagos Discovery: The Nat Hab Experience

Small-group adventures aboard your choice of private yachts, led by our outstanding naturalist guides and photo pros. Snorkel and swim with sea lions, sea turtles and penguins on this incomparable nature odyssey.
Year-Round
$7995 (+air)
16
Photo Departures Available
Make it Custom Make it Private
New Ship!
Galapagos Hiking & Kayaking Adventure ~14
New Itinerary!

Galapagos Hiking & Kayaking Adventure

Paddle, hike and explore in places not included on typical trips! Our catamaran-based adventure offers rare access to less-visited spots (and extended paddling time) with our special kayaking permits.
10 Days / Year-Round
$8495 (+air)
~14
Photo Departures Available
Make it Custom Make it Private
New Itinerary!
Know Before You Go

Send Me Travel Emails

Get the Inside Scoop on the

World of Nature Travel

Our weekly eNewsletters highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Get Weekly Updates

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more.

Privacy Policy
We're Proud of the Reputation We’ve Earned
Outside
Voted "World's Best Travel
Company"
by Outside Magazine
Outside
Natural Habitat Adventures Ranked
“Best Outfitter”
NatGeo
Voted Best Winter Trip: Natural Habitat Adventures' Monarch Butterfly Migration, Mexico
VIEW MORE AWARDS

Request Your 2023 Catalog

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Nathab 2024 Catalog

Together, Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed up to arrange nearly a hundred nature travel experiences around the planet, while helping to protect the magnificent places we visit and their wild inhabitants.

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Request Your 2024/2025 Catalog
Continued - Page 2 of 2
To help us customize your catalog request, please tell us more about your travel needs:
Thank you for requesting a catalog
We’ve received your request. If you have any questions about our trips, please feel free to contact an Adventure Specialist today by calling 800-543-8917.

Get Weekly Updatess

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list!

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Send Us a Message

Send Us a Message

Have a question or comment? Use the form to the right to get in touch with us.

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Us a Message
Thank you for your message

We’ll be in touch soon with a response.

Refer a Friend

Refer a Friend,
Get $250 Off
Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Refer a Friend

Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.

Thank you for the referral!

We've received your friend's information.

View Our 2023 Digital Catalog

View Our 2024/2025

Digital Catalog

Help us save paper! We offer a digital version of The World's Greatest Nature Journeys. If you'd prefer a mailed copy, please provide your contact details here. To view our digital catalog, please enter your info in the form to the right.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
View Digital Catalog
Happy browsing!

Thanks for requesting access to our digital catalog. Click here to view it now. You’ll also receive it by email momentarily.

Our Trips

Polar Bear Tours

Polar Bear Tours

African Safaris

African Safaris

Galapagos Tours

Galapagos Tours

Alaska Adventures

Alaska Adventures

U.S. National Parks Tours

U.S. National Parks Tours

Canada & the North

Canada & the North

Europe Adventures

Europe Adventures

Mexico & Central America Tours

Mexico & Central America Tours

South America Adventures

South America Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Adventure Cruises

Adventure Cruises

Photography Adventures

Photography Adventures

Women's Adventures

Women's Adventures

Family Adventures

Family Adventures

New Adventures

New Adventures

Questions? Call 800-543-8917

Contact Us

Have a question or comment?
Click any of the buttons below to get in touch with us.

Hours
Mountain Time

  • 8 am to 5 pm, Monday - Friday
  • 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday
  • Closed on Sunday
Call 800-543-8917
Questions? Click to Chat
Questions? Click to Chat
/know-before-you-go/galapagos-islands/wildlife-seasonality/