Galápagos Islands · Month comparison
June vs May
May ranks #1 overall vs June at #7. Shoulder season at its best: low prices, few visitors, and the last warmth before the Humboldt Current brings the cool season.
June
#7 of 12 months
Best match
Cool season opens: Galápagos penguins and sea lions frolicking in Humboldt Current waters, blue-footed booby courtship beginning.
- ↑Galápagos penguins (endemic, the only penguin species in the northern hemisphere) reach their most active period as the Humboldt Current cools the water: Isabela's Tintoreras and Bartolomé's Pinnacle Rock are the best viewing sites
- ↑Blue-footed booby courtship dances beginning on North Seymour Islet and Española Island: the male's exaggerated high-step display with vivid blue feet raised in sequence is the most reliably photographed wildlife behavior in the archipelago
May
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Shoulder season at its best: low prices, few visitors, and the last warmth before the Humboldt Current brings the cool season.
- ↑The lowest visitor numbers of the year (outside June–July which ironically sees more): last-minute liveaboard availability and day-cruise prices at their annual minimum
- ↑Rain essentially over (30mm — lightest of any month) with increasingly clear skies as the Humboldt Current begins its approach: good conditions for both snorkelling and island hikes
| Factor | June | May |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 7 | 7 |
| Value score | 6 | 8 |
| Crowd score | 5 | 8 |
| Events score | 8 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 7 |
| Avg high temp | 25°C | 27°C |
| Monthly rain | 10mm | 30mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4.2hrs | 5hrs |
June trade-offs
- ↓School holiday season beginning: European and American visitors arriving in numbers that put liveaboard departures at peak capacity from late June through August
- ↓Overcast skies common in the morning: the garúa (seasonal mist from the cold Humboldt Current) blankets the highlands of Santa Cruz and reduces morning light for photography
May trade-offs
- ↓Not peak season for any single dramatic wildlife spectacle: a transitional month where warm-season highlights are fading and cool-season highlights haven't peaked yet
- ↓Cool-season winds beginning to build: inter-island crossings in the open ocean between the main island groups becoming choppier than during January–March
Scores compare months within Galápagos Islands. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →