Galapagos : Profile

Facts

The Galapagos are known the world over for their tame and unique wildlife, sea lions, birds and iguanas, living amidst a barren volcanic scenery. Made famous by Charles Darwin who visited the archipelago with the ship “Beagle” in 1835, the Islands are today a national park, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The islands are volcanic and some of the volcanoes are still active. The highest peak is the volcano Wolf, some 1707 metres above sea level. The vegetation is sparse.
The islands are one of the 20 provinces of Ecuador and the Ecuadorian authorities take their custody of this wildlife sanctuary seriously. This is the reason for the difficulty for yachts to get permission to cruise these islands. In the past some yachtsmen have abused the privilege, by stealing eggs, shooting birds and causing destruction of the environment.
Formalities changed in 2003, and the situation confronting visiting yachts is now more confusing than ever. Formalities are still rather complicated, and much depends on the day and the person one encounters, but on the whole the authorities are now encouraging yachts to visit the islands. The former interdiction on stopping applied to cruising boats has now been relaxed and boats may stop at any one of the official ports.
Occasionally day trips are allowed to some of the islands, when an official guide must accompany the boat, but overnight permits for private vessels are very difficult to obtain. Recently the authorities have been more liberal in granting cruising permits to privately owned cruising boats sailing along a predetermined itinerary. There is a very high fee to be paid for this privilege and it is compulsory to have an official guide permanently on board. The simplest, and cheapest, solution is to go as a passenger on a local excursion boat, or to charter such a boat and go on a chosen itinerary.

The climate is equatorial, cooled by the Humboldt current. December to May is the better season when the weather is pleasantly warm and the winds are light. From June to November the weather is overcast and cool. The water around the islands is surprisingly cold and the meeting of the Humboldt current and the warm air sometimes causes mist over the islands. Occasionally the Humboldt current is replaced by the warm El Niño current, a phenomenon which can affect weather conditions throughout the South Pacific.