Real questions from real trip planning — pulled from across our Wildlife, Trip Planning, Experiences, and Conservation guides and gathered here in one place.
The archipelago has 13 major islands and over 100 smaller islets and rocks. Most visitors experience a handful of them — Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Isabela are the main inhabited islands most trips are based from.
Yes — nearly all Galápagos National Park visitor sites require a licensed naturalist guide, which is why every Nauti Expeditions trip includes one as standard, not an add-on.
Start with Wildlife or Experiences if you're inspired by what to see or do, or Trip Planning if you're ready to think about logistics. Compare Trip Types is the fastest path once you're ready to look at actual trips.
No — all Galápagos flights are domestic connections from mainland Ecuador, departing from either Guayaquil or Quito (which typically routes through Guayaquil).
Choose based on your base island: Baltra for Santa Cruz-based trips and most cruises, San Cristóbal for trips based in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno — it sits directly in town with no ferry transfer needed.
Visitors pay a $200 Galápagos National Park entry fee and a $20 INGALA transit control card, both in cash — the transit card is issued before departure at the mainland airport.
Sea lions are larger, more numerous, active by day, and seen constantly across the islands. Fur seals are smaller, more nocturnal, and prefer shadier, rockier coastlines — genuinely different species, though young sea lions and fur seals are easy to confuse at a glance.
Two pinniped species (sea lion and fur seal) plus at least 24 documented cetacean species — orcas, several baleen whales, sperm and beaked whales, and multiple dolphin species — making the Galápagos Marine Reserve one of the most cetacean-diverse protected areas in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
They're different genera entirely — marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) are the world's only sea-going lizard and forage in the ocean, while land iguanas (Conolophus) are larger, yellow-toned, and live inland, feeding mainly on cactus and vegetation. They don't interbreed and have separate conservation histories.
Punta Pitt on San Cristóbal Island is the only site in the Galápagos where blue-footed, Nazca, and red-footed boobies can all be observed on a single excursion.
Waved albatross are seasonal breeders on Española Island, their only nesting site on Earth — ask us about current breeding-season timing when planning your trip.
Their beak-shape variation across islands — each adapted to a different food source — was foundational evidence in Charles Darwin's development of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Basic swimming comfort is enough for most sites; life jackets are available for anyone who wants extra confidence in the water.
Some sites are beginner-friendly, but the best-known dive sites (like Gordon Rocks) involve current and are better suited to certified, experienced divers.
Yes — most multi-day packages and cruises combine snorkeling, hiking, and wildlife watching across different islands.
Select trips include opportunities to learn directly from the program's research team. Ask us when planning your trip if this interests you.
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