The Galapagos

Packing for a trip to the Galapagos takes planning.

Ecuador is on the Equator so one might think to pack for hot weather but we fly into Quito, the Capital of Ecuador and will be there for a few days. Quito is almost 10,000 ft above sea level so we need to plan for cool nights and possibly cool days. The weather in the Galapagos is warmer but the ocean currents can keep things moderate most of the time except of course when you’re walking on dried lava fields in the sun. We will be in Ecuador for 11 days at the end of the rainy season, will be doing hikes on rough terrain and snorkeling in cool water. With animals you can see nowhere else in the world, you need some good camera equipment. The flight to the Galapagos limits us to 44 lbs of checked luggage and 15 pounds carry on so packing is definitely a challenge even with the ability to do laundry partway through the trip. We will be sailing around the Galapagos on the Inner Loop on the Celebrity Flora which holds 100 passengers and has pretty luxurious accommodations so we won’t be roughing it on board.

Here are some of the important things on my packing list:

• 3-4 bathing suits

• 6 pair of quick-dry shorts

• 5 quick dry T-shirts

• 2 rash guards (quick dry shirts with sun protection)

• 1 light dress for evenings on the ship

• 1 pair of long pants (and 1 to wear on the plane)

• 6-8 pairs of socks

• dry bag to protect camera and phones on the small water transports

• Shoes for wet landings and shoes with treads for walking on dried lava

• Sandals for walking around the ship

• reef safe sunscreen

• sunglasses

• brimmed hat

• SLR camera with 2 lenses (24-70mm and 70-200mm)

• Lots of memory cards

• Ibuprofen