What to pack for the Galápagos — and what to buy in Quito first
The islands sit on the equator and the water is nineteen degrees. Almost everything you forget costs three times more once you land. Two facts that should shape your entire packing list.
The short version
- The Galápagos are not tropical in the water. From June to November it sits between 18 and 22°C.
- If you travel in the cool season, you want a 3 mm wetsuit. Most cruises lend them; land-based trips often don't.
- Biosecurity will take fruit, seeds, soil and single-use plastic off you at the airport in Quito.
- Drones are prohibited in the National Park. Leave yours on the mainland.
- Sunscreen, seasickness tablets and dry bags cost a fraction here of what they cost on the islands. Buy them in Quito.
The mistake almost everyone makes
You are going to the equator, so you pack for the equator. Then you get in the water and it is nineteen degrees.
Two cold currents converge on the archipelago — the Humboldt coming up from the Antarctic and the Cromwell upwelling from the west. They are the reason penguins live on the equator, the reason the marine life is so extraordinary, and the reason a lot of visitors spend the best snorkelling of their lives shivering and cutting it short after fifteen minutes.
The western islands, Isabela and Fernandina, run two to three degrees colder than Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal. August and September are the coldest of all.
Which Galápagos are you going to?
There is no bad season, but they are genuinely different trips, and they require different bags.
| Season | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Warm · December to May Sunnier, short afternoon showers, calmer seas, better underwater visibility | Air 25–31°C Water 22–27°C |
| Cool · June to November Garúa mist in the mornings, little rain, choppier crossings, more marine life | Air 19–26°C Water 18–22°C |
| Wetsuit needed? | Cool: yes |
In the warm season a rash guard is usually enough. In the cool season a 3 mm wetsuit stops being a comfort and starts being the difference between an hour in the water and ten minutes. Most cruises provide them — ask your operator to confirm, and give them your size. If you are staying on land and booking day trips, assume you are renting or bringing your own.
The list
In the water
- Swimwear, two sets, because one will always be wet
- Rash guard or swim leggings — sun protection and a warmth layer
- Wetsuit, 3 mm, if travelling June to November and not provided
- Reef-safe sunscreen, high factor. Increasingly required on water activities
- Quick-dry towel
- Water shoes for wet landings and sharp lava
On land
- Wide-brimmed hat and proper sunglasses. You are on the equator and the light is brutal
- Light long sleeves — better sun protection than sunscreen and less to reapply
- One warm layer and a light windproof for the cool season and for boat crossings
- Walking shoes with grip; trails are volcanic rock, not sand
- Binoculars, if you care about birds. Small ones. You will use them daily
- A dry bag for cameras and phones on panga transfers
Documents and money
- Passport, plus a photo of it stored separately
- Transit Control Card QR — on your phone and printed
- Biosafety declaration QR
- Cash for the $200 park fee, in clean unfolded bills. There is no cash machine at Baltra
- Travel insurance details. Medical evacuation from the islands is not cheap
Small things that turn out to matter
- Seasickness remedies, taken before you feel unwell, not after
- Refillable water bottle and a cloth bag — single-use plastics are restricted islandwide
- Any prescription medication in its original packaging
- Power bank, and more memory cards than you think
- Motion-sickness wristbands if you are prone to it and prefer not to medicate
What to leave at home
The biosecurity inspection in Quito is quick but real, and it exists because introduced species are the single biggest threat to the islands.
- No drones. They are prohibited in the National Park and confiscation is the least of it
- No fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, plants or flowers
- No meat, dairy or unprocessed food
- No soil on hiking boots — knock them clean before you pack
- No single-use plastics: straws, disposable bags, styrofoam containers, non-returnable bottles
- Nothing that could hide an insect or a seed. Check the corners of a bag you last used on a hike
Eat the fruit at breakfast. Don't take it with you.
Buy it in Quito, not on the island
This is the section nobody else writes, and it is the one that will save you the most money.
Everything on the islands arrives by ship from the mainland, and the prices reflect the freight. A bottle of sunscreen that costs a few dollars in Quito can be triple that in Puerto Ayora, assuming the shop has your factor at all. The selection is narrow, and on a Sunday it may be closed.
Buy here, the afternoon before you fly:
- Reef-safe sunscreen and after-sun. The single biggest saving, and you will use more than you think
- Seasickness tablets or patches. There is a pharmacy two minutes from our door. Buying them once you feel unwell is buying them too late
- Insect repellent, for the highlands and for the mangroves
- A refillable bottle and a cloth bag. You need both under the islands' plastic rules
- A dry bag. Cheap here, oddly expensive there
- Batteries, memory cards, a spare charging cable
- Clean small bills for the park fee. We can break large notes for you at reception
- Chocolate and coffee for gifts. Ecuadorian cacao is among the best in the world and it is grown on the mainland. Buying Ecuadorian chocolate in the Galápagos means buying something that was shipped there from here, at a markup
The jacket problem
Quito is at 2,850 m and cold once the sun goes down — you will want a proper jacket here that is dead weight on the islands, where baggage allowances are tighter than on your international flight. Leave it with us. We store luggage for guests flying to the Galápagos at no charge, and it will be waiting when you come back through.
Two practical notes
Baggage allowance. The island flights allow less than your international ticket did, and it is enforced. Check your specific allowance with the airline when you book, and pack the difference into the bag you leave behind in Quito.
Soft bags beat hard cases. If you are on a cruise, cabin storage is tight and a rigid suitcase is awkward. A duffel folds away.
Coming back
You land in Quito in the late afternoon with a bag of wet swimwear, sand in everything, and an international flight at midnight. Repacking in an airport is miserable.
Day Use: somewhere to shower and repack before the night flight
A private room for the hours between the islands and your flight home. Shower, sort the laundry, collect the luggage you left with us, and spend the last afternoon in the Old Town rather than the departure lounge.
Ask about Day UseWhat we do for guests flying out
We store the luggage you are not taking, point you to the pharmacy and the cash machine, break large notes into the clean bills the park fee requires, and serve breakfast early enough for a 04:30 departure. If you want a hand thinking through the wetsuit question for your specific season and operator, ask at reception — we have this conversation most weeks.
Before you finalise anything, read the companion piece on how the flights and the airport formalities actually work. The packing matters less than not missing the only flight of the day.
Take this list with you
Save it before you start packing. It works better as a checklist on paper.
