I am currently having a hard time that it was about 3 months ago now that I was packing and leaving for the Galapagos with my mom. If you read my post about our trip, you might remember that we planned this trip for TWO YEARS, but despite all of that planning, there were still some things that I wish someone would have told me I needed because it would have made that much more comfortable or convenient. So I’m here to be that person for you and give you 23 things that you will definitely want.
First things first, I packed for being active, not looking the cutest in photos. There were definitely people on our tour trip who would wear sun-dresses on excursions. If that’s how you want to dress to go hiking around the Galapagos in the blistering sun, that’s your prerogative, but I can’t imagine it’s the most comfortable!
Whether you are currently planning a trip, maybe considering visiting (spoiler alert: you should!!), or if you’re leaving to go to the Galapagos in a few days, hopefully you’ll find this list useful
If you don’t take any of my other advice, please just pack yourself at least two hats! Especially if one of them flies away when you’re on a boat, or gets wet, you’ll be thankful for a back up. The sun is SO strong in the Galapagos that you should be doing everything you can to protect yourself from the sun. I brought this Adidas baseball cap and this hat from REI.
I bought one of these long sleeve shirts off Amazon, and I wish I had bought 2 or 3 for this trip because I ended up wearing the same one at least 4 times. It is UPF 50+ which saves you from having to reapply sunscreen everywhere constantly! I got burned on my arms one of the last days, so I wore this shirt non-stop to help protect myself. It is HOT in the Galapagos, so packing a long sleeve shirt would not strike you as the thing to wear; however, the material of this shirt kept me from feeling super hot and getting it in a light color helped too.
Thick cotton shirts are probably the most uncomfortable things you can wear here. It’s hot and it’s humid in the Galapagos, so wearing a shirt that just traps sweat is setting yourself up for failure (trust me, I wore a thicker cotton tee on the first day and I thought I was going to sweat 20 pounds off). I tended to wear tanks on the days where it was cloudier and more humid, but the sun was not as bad.
I ended up packing about 3 bathing suits and it was more than enough! We had a Jacuzzi on our boat but we only used it once– we were mostly putting on our bathing suits to put a wet suit on over it. I got the below bathing suit from Aerie, and it was sporty enough for all the water activities we did, while still being super cute!
You probably only need 1 cover up solely for if y’all have a beach day or a pool/Jacuzzi situation and you don’t want to throw your clothes back on!
Similar to my rant about long sleeve tees, I think that wearing light, long pants is helpful too in preventing a bad sunburn in the Galapagos. I feel like it’s easier to re-apply sunscreen to my legs than it is to my arms, shoulders, and back, so I would alternate between pants and shorts during my trip.
Unfortunately CRZ Yoga discontinued my FAVORITE pants they made; however, these are also by CRZ Yoga and are super similar in style, length, material, etc.
I liked to wear linen pants when we were relaxing on the boat and at dinner because they are light and comfy and you can style them to look cute and elegant.
Tennis shoes are needed for the rougher terrains you might face on excursions.
I personally brought these Chacos instead of water shoes and they were perfect!! They have enough grip that they work perfectly as water shoes and then you can immediately go hike in them. I felt like they were better for the rough terrain that traditional water shoes.
Bring lots because you’ll do lots of walking!
This is one thing that I didn’t pack but definitely wish I had, because we ended up having to buy some from the giftshop for $20 for a bottle! Save yourself some $$$ and just bring it.
In some of the areas where it is swampier, the bugs and mosquitos are HORRIBLE, and you’ll definitely appreciate having them leave you alone.
Bring lots of sunscreen because if I haven’t mentioned before, the sun is HOT in the Galapagos. I got burned a couple of times on days where I wasn’t diligent about re-applying or would miss a spot.
The Galapagos doesn’t currently have any rules about the safety of sunscreen on reefs, but I like to err on the side of protecting the gorgeous nature of the Galapagos!
Bring a couple pairs in case you lose a pair (like me!). It’s bright out there, y’all!
I wouldn’t say that I burn particularly easy, but being this close to the Equator, if you aren’t wearing long sleeved everything and/or re-apply sunscreen frequently, you are likely to get a little pink at some point. I personally use this after-sun gel from Sun Bum and love it– it doesn’t feel super tacky like traditional aloe.
Because the Galapagos are tropical, they will get random rainstorms in the middle of the day especially during the rainy season. The storms only last for an hour or two, but if it happens while you’re on an excursion, it might be helpful to have a rain jacket in your backpack.
I always pack a sweat shirt no matter where I go traveling for at least the plane ride. But because we traveled the Galapagos on a boat, there was always a wind at night. My mom and I would often go play games up on the outdoor deck at night, and I always threw on my sweatshirt because it was cold enough to warrant it.
I’m SO glad I brought my camera. No regrets about hauling it around, because I came out with some really great photos that I never would have gotten on my iPhone. I am NOT a photographer, but I have had my camera for a little over a year and I think I managed to take some great photos and videos with my camera, especially compared to the ones that my mom took who did not bring a camera. I use a Canon EOS m50 and i absolutely love it.
This was the trip of a lifetime and I may never get the chance to go back again, so I wanted to document it well.
G and I got a GoPro as a wedding gift, and I debated bringing it on this trip for some reason. But it has been so fun to look at the videos I took with it while snorkeling.
The snorkeling in the Galapagos is so unreal, that I wanted to capture as much of it as I could.
Because we did so much snorkeling, I brought this anti-fog spray and it helped a lot. You don’t want to miss seeing something incredible because of fogged goggles.
While we are on the topic of snorkeling, check with your tour company as to whether or not they supply snorkeling equipment. They probably do, but it’s best to check!
I personally brought this Brita water bottle with me– our boat had water fountains on it that were safe for us to drink from so I would bring my water bottle with me when we went on excursions.
I have never gotten sea-sick in my life before this trip, so I didn’t even think to bring Dramamine. I have been on a few cruises before and never got sick on those, but I think because this ship was so much smaller, I got really sick a couple of nights. Luckily the boat I was on had it available for free, but not every boat may have it available like mine did.
I liked to carry cash because I could stash it in different places. That way, if something gotten stolen or got lost, I still had back-up. Ecuador functions on the American dollar, so you are fine bringing dollars (like in bills of $20s or smaller I think) or if you are not American, you can use an ATM as soon as you get to Ecuador to get some dollars on hand.
I used cash for tips to all of our guides and also for shopping in Quito.
If you can’t tell from ALL of my photos, I took my backpack every where. I have had my NorthFace backpack since college and it has stood the test of time. It’s slim and light but I can still hold everything I needed for excursions (ie. camera, water bottle, jacket, sun screen, towel, bug spray)
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