Explorer Kit

SEA BIRDS

• GALAPAGOS PENGUIN
• WAVED ALBATROSS
• BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY
• MASKED (WHITE) BOOBY
• FLIGHTLESS CORMORANT
• GREAT FRIGATEBIRD
• MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD
• SWALOW-TAILED GULL
• LAVA GULL
• BROWN PELICAN
• RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD
• AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER
• WHITE-VENTED STORM PETREL (ELLIOT’S)
• BAND-RUMPED STORM PETREL (CASTRO’S)
• WEDGE-RUMPED STORM PETREL (GALAPAGOS)
• DARK-RUMPED PETREL (HAWAIIAN)
• BROWN NODDY

SHORE & LAGOON BIRDS

• GREAT BLUE HERON
• LAVA HERON
• YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
• STRIATED HERON
• AMERICAN OSYTERCATCHER
• GREATER FLAMINGO
• COMMON (GREAT) EGRET
• CATTLE EGRET
• WHILE-CHEEKED PINTAIL DUCK
• COMMON STILT
• WHIMBREL
• WANDERING TATTLER
• SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER
• SANDERLING
• RUDDY TURNSTONE
• NORTHERN PHALAROPE
• COMMON GALLINULE
• PURPLE GALLINULE

LAND BIRDS

• GALAPAGOS HAWK
• GALAPAGOS RAIL
• PAINT-BILLED RAIL
• BARN OWL
• SHORT-EARED OWL
• PAINT-BILLED CRAKE
• COMMON GALLINULE
• GALAPAGOS DOVE
• GALAPAGOS MOCKINGBIRD
• CHARLES MOCKINGBIRD
• HOOD MOCKINGBIRD
• CHATHAM MOCKINGBIRD
• GALAPAGOS MARTIN
• VERMILLION FLYCATCHER
• LARGE-BILLED FLYCATCHER
• YELLOW WARBLER
• DARK-BILLED CUCKOO
• SMOOTH-BILLED ANI
• DARWIN´S FINCHES (13 SPECIES)
• MEDIUM GROUND FINCH
• LARGE GROUND FINCH
• SHARP-BILLED GROUND FINCH
• CACTUS GROUND FINCH
• LARGE CACTUS FINCH
• SMALL TREE FINCH
• MEDIUM TREE FINCH
• LARGE TREE FINCH
• MANGROVE FINCH
• VEGETARIAN FINCH
• WARBLER FINCH
• WOODPECKER FINCH

MAMMALS

• GALAPAGOS SEA LION
• GALAPAGOS FUR SEAL
• GALAPAGOS BAT
• SANTA FE RICE RAT
• FERNANDINA RICE RAT

What to pack

• Long pants, ideally a lightweight pair of trekking pants or khakis.
• Comfortable shorts
• Short-sleeved shirts, T-shirts, or tank-tops.
• Long-sleeved shirts and, if you’re traveling between July and November, a cozy sweatshirt.
• A lightweight, waterproof windbreaker
• Two swimsuits
• Walking shoes or lightweight hiking boots
• Rubber-soled shoes, boat shoes, or watersports shoes
• Sport sandals with a secure strap
• A small backpack or knapsack
• A wide-brimmed sun hat, baseball cap, or bandana
• Camera (polarized lenses and a waterproof carry bag).
• Portable binoculars
• An underwater camera
• Polarized sunglasses
• Reef-friendly sunscreen
• Seasickness medication
• All-natural insect repellent
• We provide biodegradable soap, shampoo and conditioner, beach towels, a reusable metal water bottle, wetsuits, snorkel masks and flippers, and hair dryers on first class and luxury yachts. On the luxury yachts, we supply bathrobes, slippers and a small pair of binoculars (one per cabin).

Suggested reading

Get excited about your upcoming Galápagos adventure by consulting some of the extraordinary literature focusing on the islands. Brush up on Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking scientific theories and celebrated adventures by consulting his famous texts, On Natural Selection, On the Origin of Species, and The Voyage of the Beagle.

Travelers can also consider the robust inventory of field guides, including the comprehensive Galápagos, a Natural History Guide by Michael H. Jackson and texts dedicated to marine life, ornithology, and the archipelago’s exotic flora.

For a sense of place with more of a plot, Herman Melville’s The Enchanted Isles and Kurt Vonnegut’s Galápagos are two of the most fascinating novels set here.

PUBLISHED BY LOCAL AUTHORS

• Galapagos, Preserving Darwin’s Legacy, by Tui de Roy, 2009
• Galapagos, Both sides of the Coin, by Pete Oxford & Graham Watkins, 2009
• Darwin in Galapagos, Footsteps to a New World, by Greg Estes & Thalia Grant,
• Galapagos, Exploring Darwin’s Tapestry, by John Hess, 2009

LIGHTWEIGHT AND EASY TO PACK (PAPERBACK)

• Galapagos, Smithsonian Natural History Series, by JC Kricher,
• The Enchanted Isles, by Herman Melville, paperback
• Galapagos, A Novel, by Kurt Vonnegut, paperback
• The Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin, in paperback
• On Natural Selection, Charles Darwin, Penguin Books
• Galapagos, World’s End, by William Beebe

INSIGHTFUL READING ON DARWINISM 

• On the Origin of Species, The Illustrated Edition, by Charles Darwin & David Quamman
• The Beak of the Finch, by Jonathan Weiner (Pulitzer Prize-winning book)
• The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, by David Quammen,
• Charles Darwin, The Concise story of an extraordinary man, by Tim Berra

Best field guides

• Galapagos, A Natural History Guide, by Michael Jackson
• Galapagos Wildlife, by David Horwell & Pete Oxford, Brandt Travel Guides
• Galapagos, Reef Fish Identification Guide, by Paul Human

Suggested movies

GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN
(2013) murder mystery documentary.

GALAPAGOS 3D WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH (SKY)
(2013) nature documentary series.

CREATION
(2010) starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

MASTER & COMMANDER, THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
(2008) Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany.

GALAPAGOS, THE ISLANDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
(2007) Tilda Swinton.

GALAPAGOS (IMAX)
(2002) follow marine biologist Carole Baldwin to the ocean floor.