A Galapagos Islands cruise is a bucket list adventure for many travelers. One of the most daunting things, besides saving up for the trip, is figuring out what to pack for Galapagos cruises. Chances are, your outfitter or travel agency will provide you with a Galapagos cruise packing list, but you will want to tweak it based on your preferences and activity levels. We spent seven days in December on a catamaran cruise of the Galapagos Islands. To add to the complexity of packing for a Galapagos trip, you will probably spend a few days in Ecuador, or elsewhere in South America, which can have a much cooler climate than the islands. So, the key to your Galapagos packing list is to have good layers!

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Galapagos Gear and Personal Items:

• Luggage: We were given a 50-pound weight limit for the flight to the Galapagos. Cruise ships don’t have a lot of extra space, so I recommend collapsible luggage like a duffel bag. Shop Wheeled Duffel Bags at REI
• Packing Cubes: Lifesaver when you’re using a duffel bag. Stay organized with Eagle Creek packing cubes!
• Daypack: My favorite day pack is the REI Flash Pack 22 because it packs down when you don’t need it, and has a hydration sleeve plus plenty of pockets. Think of this as your cruise purse – you’ll use it for onshore excursions and hikes. (A fanny pack works just as well, provided it can carry water bottles)
• Water Bottle: the only way to travel sustainably is to bring a reusable water bottle. Any ethical tours will not be handing out single-use plastic water bottles every day. If they do, don’t support them.
• Plastic Bags for laundry & wet clothes. These did come in handy, especially for packing stinky water shoes and wet clothes for the long trip home. Grocery bags work perfectly for this.
• Polarized sunglasses and securing strap. I love Knockaround shades because they are inexpensive but cute and functional.
• Travel Towel – I love my Sea To Summit pocket towels – toss one in your pack to dry off when you need to.
• Toiletries – bring the basics, and try to get biodegradable products whenever possible:
  • Soap
  • Shampoo
  • Sunscreen (body, face, and lips!)
  • Body Lotion and/or Aloe Vera
  • Bug Spray
  • First-Aid items – I always have a little bit of everything, including Dramamine, NyQuil, pain meds, etc
• Spare Glasses and/or Contact Lenses – sand + contacts isn’t great, as I learned after 11 days in the Grand Canyon…ouch.
• Earplugs

What to Wear in the Galapagos: Footwear

• Chaco’s are my water shoes of choice, and I could have easily done all of the hikes in my Chaco’s. Keen watersport sandals are also perfect for this kind of trip.
• Hiking Shoes: Merrell Moab shoes are great for this kind of hiking, lightweight and breathable.
• Hiking Socks: Injinji socks are my go-to for all hikes. I only need a few pairs of socks, not a fresh pair for every day.

I will say, all shoes go into a bin on the boat to avoid dragging mud and sand all over the boat. This bin can get pretty stinky, so a quick-drying shoe is a good idea. The Keen’s smelled pretty bad by the end of the trip, so garbage bags came in handy for putting them in our luggage to go home. They suggested socks for the tortoise day, as ants were common, but then we all wore wellies anyway.

What to Wear in the Galapagos

• Long-Sleeved Shirts: I brought a few quick-dry shirts but wished I had brought more of the lightweight UPF style with the roll-up sleeves.  The quick-dry shirts were too heavy in the heat.  I brought one UPF shirt and then bought another one in Puerto Ayora. I like the rashguard-style of shirts, too, but they can get hot in the sun.
• Lightweight fleece jacket: I talked myself out of bringing this and regretted it. An extra layer would have extended my stargazing at night.
• Hat: I love straw hats, and my Tilley hat is great for hiking. You definitely want some sun protection to shade your face.
• Rain Jacket & Pants: didn’t wear these since we visited during the dry season, but good to have just in case!
• Swimsuit: I brought two tankinis and two coverups so I could alternate and have a dry swimsuit each day.
• Underwear
• Pajamas: I love crisp cotton on my skin after a day in saltwater, so I was happy to have PJ’s!
• Quick-dry shorts: 2-3 pairs. I like Patagonia baggies for quick dry shorts; they’re my go-to when paddleboarding in Utah, too.
• Quick-dry tees: 2-3 tops
• Casual clothes for Quito

The way our trip worked, we had one Galapagos land hike per day, usually a couple of hours, so we were only in “clothes” for a short time each day. The rest of the day was spent in swimsuits or wet suits, so there’s no need to bring a fresh change of clothes for every day.

Galapagos Packing List: Optional Items

A few more items I would recommend for my packing guide include the following:

• Sarong – I have a sarong from Hawaii that I bring on just about every trip. It works as a beach towel, swimsuit coverup, bathrobe and so much more!
• Rashguard tops – these are great for snorkeling and swimming, especially when the sun is super strong and you want to cover up as much skin as possible. I did not have one on this trip, and I wish that I had brought one.
• Snorkel gear was provided, but some serious snorkelers prefer their own.
• The boat provided full wetsuits, which I wore every day.  I had also brought neoprene capri pants, but without a rashguard to wear with them, the water was too cold for me.
• Binoculars: definitely would have been useful for wildlife watching
• Camera & Accessories: I had my Nikon D3000, my iPhone, and a borrowed underwater camera.  The tripod, however, was useless.  The boat moves constantly, and we were on the go on all of our hikes.  With the Nikon, I had 3 lenses and got the most use out of the zoom lens (70-300mm), even though we were close to the animals, I got some great shots with the zoom.
• Walking Stick – I don’t typically hike with one, but if you are not super stable on your feet, a walking stick can come in handy on some of the hikes.
• Clothespins – the boat had a few, but everything you wear gets hung to dry on the deck, so bringing a few extra is a good idea!
• Besides my sarong, I also bring a bandana everywhere I go. They can be used as a handkerchief, headscarf, hand towel and a neck cooler if you get it wet.
• I brought a few “luxury items” including a paperback book, plus my Kindle, iPod shuffle and some G2 powder, which really came in handy.  It was nice to have an alternative to water day after day on our hikes.

How Much Cash Do You Need in the Galapagos?

The great thing about a cruise like this is that most of your expenses are pre-paid, so you don’t typically need to bring a lot of cash. Other than one stop on Santa Cruz island, there was no place to spend money. I brought $600 cash, which proved to be just enough. (Ecuador uses the US Dollar, so no need for currency exchange) I didn’t really shop on this trip, but I needed cash for tips for our guides and drivers in Quito, which I hadn’t thought about ahead of time. In addition to the $100 fee for the Galapagos, I tipped $120 to our guide and $140 for the crew. I had a small bar bill for my daily Coca-Cola and various other small expenses. I think I came home with a bit of cash.  Soda was $2 onboard, and I think the wine was $5 a glass, which was very reasonable. My best purchase:

If you follow the Galapagos packing list from your outfitter line for line, you’ll survive just fine, but there were definitely a few things not needed, like a tripod and a headlamp. What you pack for the Galapagos will really depend on the type of traveler you are, but with strict weight limits for the flights, make sure you use a luggage scale before you set off!