The Galapagos in April | Best time to Visit the Galapagos

Galapagos in April

With rains easing off, the Galapagos waters are assuaged, serene enough for first-time snorkelers or kayakers to take the plunge. This is the month of new beginnings, when land iguana and sea turtle eggs are hatching, and Galapagos penguins begin their summer stint in the islets near Puerto Villamil. A touching stop on your Galapagos island tour is the Galapagos tortoise breeding center on Isabela Island, where new hatchlings make their first steps into Los Humedales – the wetlands.

April is an extraordinary month to visit the Galapagos Islands as the conditions conspire to make the journey a trip to remember.

The islands that we visit on our safari holidays are in bloom with activity. Turtle and iguana eggs are hatching, wild flowers are starting to blossom, and waved albatrosses are returning from sea to Espanola island in droves to mate.

As the rains ease off, the sea is calm and clear; paving the way for fun days surfing, snorkeling, and kayaking. Keep reading for a round up of what’s happening where, and the trips that we lead from the camp to explore the enduring cycle of life in the archipelago.

North Seymour

Our full-day trip to North Seymour in April is an exciting excursion that dives into the courtship rituals of the blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds.

The island is home to colonies of both birds, seen while hiking two trails through cati and admid the island’s ever-present land iguanas. The longer path meanders along the rocky shore and veers inland, past blue-footed boobies awkwardly dancing in the midst of courtship. As the trail continues, magnificent frigates appear, inflating their dark red pouches to attract mates. Elsewhere, one of the largest colonies of sea lions can be seen in the channel between North Seymour and the neighboring Balta Island.

Isabela

An exclusive extension to your safari holiday in the Galapagos, Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos and an important feeding area for many endemic species of the islands.

In April, land iguana eggs are hatching, the nesting grounds of the green sea turtles are full of tracks in the sand from hatchlings, and the Galapagos penguins have migrated from the warmer waters to the islets near Puerto Villamil.

The month also marks the arrival of newly-hatched Galapagos tortoises in the breeding center of Los Humedales, a guided trip that can be paired with Las Tintoreras. Los Humedales has a network of trails where you can see tortoises in the wild, and Los Tintadores is a volcanic inlet ten minutes from Puerto Ayora by boat.

The trip takes you to colonies of penguins at rest and at play, and continues to the islet, where reef sharks rest in the clear waters of channels sculpted into the lava.

Santa Cruz

The northern swells that arrive at the shores of Tortuga Bay in April come via Hawaii. The warm waters and the sunny skies lead to fun days trying your hand at hanging ten, with the help of a local instructor.

Elsewhere on the island, the calm waters of Las Bachas beach lend themselves to snorkeling and swimming in a protected cove. The beach is also a green tortoise nesting site, and tracks of new hatchlings are sometimes seen leading to the sea.

Each island that you visit on our safari holidays is a day’s adventure into the incredible biodiversity and volcanic terrain of the Galapagos. For more information about activities, destinations, and our custom safaris, contact us our toll-free number or through this site.