A cruise to the Galapagos Islands is a bucket-list worthy journey that I personally dreamt about for years. And after I lastly went, it was each bit as superb as I anticipated! The landscapes are otherworldly, and the wildlife is exclusive and unafraid of people, making for such a memorable journey.
However after I was planning my small-ship Galapagos cruise, an enormous query I had was about what precisely I wanted to pack. What would the mountaineering be like? Did I want any particular clothes? Have been mosquitos a problem? What kind of sneakers ought to I convey?
A few of these questions may very well be answered by numerous articles on-line and a few questions directed on the tour firm I booked with. However a few of them have been solely definitively answered by simply going and discovering out for myself.
So, to assist YOU know what to put on within the Galapagos and work out what to pack for a Galapagos cruise, I made a decision to put in writing this detailed submit! It is 100% based mostly alone expertise on a 7-night Galapagos cruise I took with my dad, and all of the issues we did/did not use.
What you REALLY must pack for the Galapagos
This primary checklist represents my private must-haves for a Galapagos cruise, from clothes to solar safety to different extras you may be joyful you introduced.
(When you’re simply right here to see my full Galapagos packing checklist, hold scrolling!)
The ten issues I believe you want essentially the most within the Galapagos are:
- Critical solar safety – The solar on the equator is NO JOKE. It (and its UV rays) are a lot stronger on this a part of the world, and your pores and skin burns faster and extra simply. I packed a combination of sun-blocking clothes (this Columbia shirt is my favourite) and SPF 50+ mineral sunscreen to assist defend me from the equatorial solar. (My favourite sunscreens are all listed additional down!)
- Seasickness meds – The Galapagos Islands are additional aside than most individuals understand, and open water could be tough year-round (it is roughest from July-October). Packing seasickness meds is rarely a foul concept, particularly in case you’re susceptible to it! I had no points whereas taking Dramamine (energetic ingredient Meclizine) prophylactically each day, and likewise packed a ReliefBand, simply to be protected.
- A number of swimsuits – You may be swimming/snorkeling a minimum of 1-2 occasions per day, generally immediately after mountaineering. So except you continually need to be placing on a moist swimsuit, pack a minimum of 2-3 you possibly can rotate by means of!
- Moist brush or detangler – Frequent swimming in salt water could be tough on longer hair particularly, so I like to recommend packing a very good detangler spray and/or detangler brush. Consider it or not, the TikTok viral Unbrush is a wonderful detangling brush, and it is what I introduced with me to the Galapagos.
- Day pack – You may be on and off the ship fairly a bit to go on hikes and seashore walks. You may all the time need to have water and sunscreen with you, plus in all probability your digital camera and a spot to stow an additional layer. I extremely advocate a very good daypack – I introduced a light-weight REI daypack (the Flash 22 is what I took), whereas my dad went with a bigger chest/hip pack possibility.
- Reusable water bottle – You may need to convey your individual reusable water bottle on this journey. Single-use plastic bottles are literally banned within the Galapagos, and never all ships will present water bottles (however they’re going to all present ample ingesting water). I like my Camelbak Chute bottle; mine has been to so many international locations with me.
- Climbing sneakers and sandals – I used to be joyful to have each lightweight hiking shoes and a pair of hiking sandals with me for the completely different terrain we encountered. No matter you convey, be sure you can put them on simply, as you may be doing many moist landings after which will put your sneakers on on the seashore.
- Ship sneakers – You additionally could need to convey a pair of flip flops or slip-ons to put on on the ship; our ship had a strict “no exterior sneakers indoors” rule, which means the sneakers you wore onboard may solely be worn onboard. Loads of individuals went barefoot although!
- Telephone lanyard or dry bag – A small dry bag is rarely a foul concept since you may be doing moist landings, however what really got here in additional useful for me was a phone lanyard to make sure my telephone by no means fell out of my pocket on zodiac rides or hikes. Some individuals introduced waterproof phone pouches on lanyards, which type of did double responsibility.
- GoPro for video – Whereas a telephone in a water-resistant pouch is ok, for really nice underwater footage of issues like playful sea lions, penguins, sharks, and extra, utilizing a devoted motion digital camera like a GoPro actually is good. You possibly can even get an older mannequin – all my underwater footage was shot on a Hero 7 Black!
Belongings you need not pack
A number of issues that you just may think about packing however in all probability do not *actually* must pack embody:
- Fancy garments – You are going to be sporting mountaineering garments and swimsuits and be slathered in sunscreen many of the day. “Dressing” for dinner on a Galapagos cruise isn’t actually an anticipated factor, so do not hassle with something fancy in case you do not need to pack it. I wore linen pants and a tender t-shirt to dinner each night time.
- Your individual towel – My dad and I did pack our personal quick-dry towels for the seashore, however ended up barely utilizing them. Our ship offered ample towels, together with small towels to dry our ft after moist landings, and warm-out-of-the-dryer seashore towels anytime we got here again onboard after swimming or snorkeling.
- Your individual wetsuit and snorkel masks – You CAN convey your individual wetsuit and masks/snorkel (and a few individuals decide to convey their very own masks if they’re severe divers/snorkelers, or in the event that they use a prescription masks), however you do not have to. Your cruise ship ought to provide a masks, snorkel, and fins in your complete journey, in addition to wetsuits if the water is chilly sufficient.
- Water sneakers – The identical goes for water sneakers; pack some if you would like (my dad did), however you do not actually need them. The seashores we walked on and swam at typically had actually tender sand, and wherever else we went you might put on sandals or mountaineering sneakers.
- Mosquito repellent – Mosquitos aren’t an enormous drawback within the Galapagos – many of the islands are too dry and lack standing contemporary water for them to breed in. You continue to may need some bug repellent for different biting bugs (flies have been the principle bugs we bumped into), however you need not stress about mosquito spray.
- A giant telephoto lens – When you even convey a very good digital camera (loads of individuals simply convey their telephones as of late!), you do not essentially NEED an enormous telephoto lens. You possibly can stand up near a lot of the wildlife {that a} zoom lens may really make some conditions tough. A giant lens could be good for some chook images, however for all the pieces else you do not want it. (I take advantage of a Tamron 28-200mm lens on my Sony A7iii, and took all my Galapagos images on that.)
(You possibly can in fact convey no matter you need from this checklist! On the finish of the day, you do you.)
RELATED: 11 Things to Know Before Going on a Galapagos Cruise
Full Galapagos packing checklist
This is my full checklist of what to put on within the Galapagos on a Galapagos cruise:
The bag(s) I used
First off, I am nonetheless touring with my trusty Osprey Sojourn rolling travel pack. This factor is a beast, and has survived almost a decade of world journey!
And like I discussed above, I introduced an REI Flash 22 pack as a day pack.
I additionally introduced a small cross-body anti-theft purse, which was helpful for our time in Quito (the place pickpocketing is certainly one thing to look out for).
Clothes for the Galapagos (for ladies)
The important thing right here is clothes that’s light-weight, breathable, and cozy sufficient to hike in and climb in/out of zodiac boats in. Bonus if it is clothes that features some solar safety (as a result of, once more, the solar is not any joke right here!).
- 2 merino t-shirts (nice for moisture-wicking, and likewise odor-blocking)
- 2-3 energetic t-shirts
- 2 energetic tanks/crop tops
- 2-3 light-weight long-sleeved solar shirts (I particularly love this Columbia one)
- 3 pairs of biker shorts or mountaineering leggings (I might have used my biker shorts for snorkeling, too, if we hadn’t been offered wetsuits; nobody needs sunburnt butt cheeks!)
- 1-2 pairs of capris or lengthy shorts (like these or these)
- 1 pair of sunshine mountaineering pants
- 1 pair of linen pants
- 1 set of pajamas
- 2-3 swimsuits
- Underwear, bras, socks (together with compression socks for the aircraft)
- Raincoat (this Columbia one is my go-to)
- 1 wide-brimmed sunhat
- 1 baseball cap
Clothes for the Galapagos (for males)
Sneakers for the Galapagos
Tech I packed
- Digital camera with additional battery and reminiscence card
- GoPro camera (or an Insta360 would additionally work)
- Chargers (I like this Anker charging strip)
- US wall outlet adapter (Ecuador makes use of the identical plugs because the US)
- Kindle or pill
- You should definitely obtain what you want upfront; you seemingly will not have cell sign or wifi for many of your cruise!
- Headphones
Toiletries to pack
- Seasickness meds
- SeaBands (or a ReliefBand)
- Sunscreen (my favourite mineral ones beneath)
- Detangler brush or spray (or each)
- Shampoo and cleaning soap bars
- Good conditioner
- Aloe lotion (in case of sunburn)
- Eye drops (my eyes acquired actually dry from all of the saltwater!)
- Moisturizer
- Bug spray or bug repellent lotion (principally for horseflies)
- Electrolyte packets (nice for journeys while you sweat so much)
- Fundamental first assist package (with Band-Aids, ache relievers, sleep assist, and so on.)
- Decongestant (by the tip of our cruise, many individuals had stuffy noses from a lot ocean swimming)
And for a very good toiletry bag, I like me a very good hanging bag. This Sea to Summit one is nice if you do not have a ton of stuff, whereas this larger hanging bag (I’ve the XL dimension) is superb for an extended journey.
Misc + cash
- Passport
- Sun shades (polarized are greatest)
- Day pack (I appreciated the Flash 22 from REI for this journey)
- Reusable water bottle (I like my Camelbak Chute bottle)
- Small dry bag
- Phone lanyard
- Buff or headband (principally to guard the scalp when you do not have a hat on)
- Non-compulsory: Quick-dry towel
- Non-compulsory: Hiking pole(s) (my dad introduced one in all his personal, although our ship additionally offered some)
- Non-compulsory: Your individual masks/snorkel
- Non-compulsory: Deck of playing cards or small video games for onboard (bear in mind, no wifi or cell sign!)
You additionally NEED $120 USD in money for this journey. $20 is required to buy a INGALA Vacationer Management Card (TCT) earlier than you fly to the Galapagos, and $100 money is required while you arrive within the Galapagos to pay the Galapagos Nationwide Park entrance payment.
You additionally need to have some money (Ecuador makes use of the US greenback) readily available so you possibly can tip your information and crew! Our ship did have one bank card machine to shut out bar tabs (alcohol was the one factor we needed to pay for as soon as we acquired onboard), however money is required for suggestions.
I hope this submit was useful so that you can work out what to pack in your personal Galapagos cruise!
Mainly, nobody cares what you seem like on an energetic, outdoorsy journey like this. So long as you are ready to be exterior within the solar and water all day, you may be good! Pack for solar safety and luxury first, and trend final.
And most of all, pack your sense of journey! That is the journey of a lifetime, and also you’re gonna find it irresistible.
Do you’ve some other questions on packing for a Galapagos cruise, or what individuals put on within the Galapagos? Let me know!
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise, a journey weblog that goals to encourage individuals to suit extra journey and journey into the approach to life they have already got. Since beginning her weblog in 2010, Amanda has traveled to greater than 60 international locations on six continents from her residence base in Ohio.
