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The Galapagos Islands are a wonderland of things to see and do and being there is exhausting – the last thing you want to worry about is whether you have brought the right things with you! If you forget something it is VERY expensive to hire it here and usually impossible to purchase so make sure to stay organised with the handy list below.
Water steriliser
I am all for helping the environment (except when it comes to reducing my plane travel – as I live in New Zealand there isn’t really any other option to get anywhere – don’t judge me) and I used to always be disgusted at the number of plastic bottles we went through on a trip to countries without safe drinking water. With a water steriliser there is no longer any wastage and we can get clean water anywhere, anytime. We have the Classic Steripen and have never had any issues with it.
I also suggest taking a reusable water bottle as you will need it to sterilise your water in and drink from. The Nalgene water bottle is a great size and fit seamlessly with the Classic Steripen.
In the Galapagos it is even more crucial to reduce your waste and its also pretty expensive to purchase water bottles here too so a water steriliser is a no brainer.
Wetsuit
wetsuits are really expensive to hire in the Galapagos (around $20 USD a day) and you do need them as the water is generally quite cold here and you are spending a lot of time in the water. Although a wetsuit is a pain to lug around I highly recommend bringing your own (at least a lightweight one). On the plus side, the reason wetsuits are so expensive here is its really hard to import things like this onto the islands so on your last day in the Galapagos make your way down to one of the tour providers and offer to sell them your wetsuit – the majority will take you up on the offer and you are likely to even get more than what you paid for it – leaving room in your luggage for souvenirs!
Drybag
This is pretty self explanatory – you spend a lot of time in the Galapagos on boats or kayaks so its best to keep all your gear in a Drybag on these occasions to make sure it’s protected.
Quick dry towels
Travel towels are great to bring as you will be in the water multiple times a day. The quick dry towels you can purchase are lightweight; small enough to fit in your daypack or Drybag and you won’t need to bring as many.
Talcum Powder
I know, only old ladies and babies use talcum powder BUT it has this incredible feature that is key for the Galapagos. If you dust your skin in talcum powder after being at the beach THE SAND JUST FALLS RIGHT OFF. No more sand between your toes for days and no more sand in your hotel room or cruise cabin.
Ocean safe toiletries and sunscreen
The Galapagos is a marine reserve and a very delicate ecosystem. Tourism does have a devastating impact on the environment here so its our duty to ensure that the impact we have is minimal. Please take ocean safe toiletries with you and use these to reduce the amount of chemical run-off going into the ocean here. I know that ocean safe sunscreen makes you look like a ghost but suck it up and use it. Particularly with sunscreen you are applying multiple times a day and then getting in the water – think about how much of those chemicals you are exposing the ocean to. Then x that by thousands of people a day.
Packaged Snacks
Food is expensive here so bring in as much as you can from home or from mainland Ecuador. BUT remember to only bring properly packaged snacks as fresh items aren’t allowed due to biosecurity risks.
Camera
It’s such a pain lugging around a digital camera. BELIEVE ME I KNOW. But even with some of the best camera phones there is just no beating a good camera with a great lens. You need to take both your phone and camera if you want good holiday snaps – the convenience of the phone is fantastic but a camera will get you those shots that you can edit perfectly and blow up and hang on your wall to remember all the good stuff! You don’t want to miss out on capturing what the Galapagos has to offer on Camera!
Go Pro
A Go Pro is a necessity in the Galapagos to capture all those moments when you would prefer to keep your phone and camera safe and away from the situation. Some of the best photo opportunities here occur while in the water. We would have been so disappointed had we not brought our Go Pro to the Galapagos – in fact we purchased one specifically to use here.
Maps.me
Maps.me is an app rather than ‘gear’ but it is an essential travel item I must mention. Maps.me is a travellers DREAM. You can download maps of an entire region and save pins with your accomodation, attractions, restaurants, views, banks etc. anything you want to remember! Then, not only do you have these with any key details saved to your phone – Maps.me gives your location in real time without needing an internet connection – it even has most hiking trails accurately marked. This was really useful for independent travel in the Galapagos as I could always see where we were and how to get back to our accomodation.
Sarong
I always carry a sarong with me everywhere when I travel. Its great for covering up your legs or shoulders to stay out of the sun, a beach towel to lie on; keeping warm if the wind picks up; drying off if you have an impromptu paddle or swim in some water; and useful for mopping away some sweat. It’s also an emergency skirt if you get mud all over you and its so lightweight and easy to pop into your handbag or a daypack.
Let me know what else you would take and get packing!
Erika xx
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 