Ecuador & Galapagos Packing List: What Every Girl Should Not Forget

If you are planning a trip to Ecuador and/or the Galapagos Islands, the next big step is figuring out what to pack. Ecuador and the Galapagos can be a tricky place to pack for due to a range of climates in the country, and because you’ll most likely be partaking in various adventurous activities. Luckily, I’ve put together a helpful Ecuador and Galapagos packing list that I wish I had before travelling there. Although this guide is made for my fellow female wanderers, hopefully, it is useful for everyone. Also, at the end of this post, I’ve included things you are not allowed to bring into the Galapagos.

Lastly, to help make packing easier and stress-free, I highly recommend reading my recent post with my best packing tips. This will help you pack a lighter and more useful suitcase for all your future travels.

Ecuador & Galapagos Packing List

Galapagos Packing List: Clothing

Active pants or yoga pants: 

These stretchy joggers are perfect for travel days, or for activities like hiking, horseback riding or zip-lining.

Lightweight Pants:

These are ideally quick-dry material (like the Lululemon track pants) for boat rides or jungle walks. Or linen pants that are cool and comfortable. 

1 Pair of Jeans:

Believe me. You’ll wear them in the evenings, or if you run into some cold weather.

Warm Layers:

Temperatures range every day, especially if you are travelling in different altitudes. I brought:

• 3 button-up shirts & cardigans
• 1 pullover sweater to throw on top of a t-shirt or tank top when it got cold.

3-4 Lightweight Attire:

• Sundresses
• Athletic Dress with built-in shorts & bra
• Rompers
• Beach cover-ups

2-3 Shorts:

Bring at least 1 biker short, and 1 active pair. I personally love these Lululemon ones (they’ve lasted me years), but these dupes are also great. I also brought one linen pair of shorts that were comfortable, and could be worn out to dinner.

4-5 T-shirts or Tanks:

Preferably some tanks that are quick drying fabrics due to the humidity, a sports shirt for activates. And 1 nice one for evenings out, although Ecuador attire is very casual.

2-3 Bathing suits

Think about the activities you will be partaking in. For example, I brought 1 bikini for sun tanning and relaxing, and 2 one pieces for snorkelling, scuba diving, ect.

Galapagos Packing List: Outerwear

Rain Jacket:

Since Ecuador is so mountainous, weather can change from hot & sunny, to rainy & cold very quickly. Also, when we were in the Tena rainforest it rained almost every day, so our rain jackets were a necessity.

1 Warmer Jacket:

Necessary when you reach the higher altitudes. I brought this down puffy jacket (shown below) that packs into a small bag, which is perfect for packing. However, it still kept me warm when hiking or when the evenings got cooler. Highly recommend bringing something like this!

1 Light Jacket:

I also brought a light jean jacket as a layering piece. Although it isn’t necessary, I used it a lot in the morning or early evening when we went out for dinner. A sweater instead of a jean jacket would also work great!

Galapagos Packing List: Shoes

Runners or Hiking Shoes:

These shoes are necessary for hikes and all other adventurous activities.

1 Other pair of shoes

I had an alternative pair of shoes for walking around the cities. Personally, I opted for converses.

1 Pair Waterproof Sandals:

Bring a pair of sandals hat can get wet. I brought my these TEVA sport sandals, which are not only lightweight and comfortable, but still trendy and cute with everything.

1 Pair Birkenstocks:

For long days exploring on foot, Birkenstocks are much better for the arches of your feet.  However, they recommend not getting the cork ones wet. Hence why I recommend also bringing waterproof flip-flops. But luckily they just came out with waterproof Birkenstocks, which will save you from bringing two pairs of shoes. I now have a pair and they have been my absolute go-to. I highly recommend them for Ecuador.

Socks:

This was oddly the one thing I forgot and although I didn’t wear socks often, they were needed for when we visited a local community in the rainforest and had to wear rain boots all day. Plus socks were needed when we went hiking too.

Galapagos Packing List: Accessories

Sun Protection:

The sun rays are very strong in Ecuador & Galapagos because you are on the equator line, so make sure to bring a hat to shade your skin. I ended up bringing two hats: 1 baseball hat for hiking or walking around, and 1 broad brim beach hat.

With that being said sunscreen is also very important and very expensive down there! If you run out while travelling through Ecuador make sure to buy some more before you head to Galapagos, as we saw sunscreen for $30USD a bottle. Yikes!

Lastly, don’t forget good sunglasses that shield your eyes from the harsh rays.

A Sarong or lightweight travel towel:

Bring one that dries quickly for the beaches: most of our hotels had beach towels, but not all of them. And even if we did have a beach towel from the hotel, it was also nice to have a sarong to sit on and then a clean towel to dry off with after swimming. I love this one, because not only does it dry quickly, but the purple mandala pattern is beautiful, and it has another palm tree pattern on the reverse! Perfect for Instagram photos.

Water Shoes or Swim Shirt: 

These are optional – I didn’t take them but wish I had brought these. My husband brought his rash guard swim shirt, which protected him from the harsh rays when we were swimming and snorkelling.

Galapagos Packing List: Health Items

Bug Spray or Mosquito Repellent Bracelets:

It is quite buggy in the rainforest and we had some issues with horse flies on the beaches of Galapagos. So I definitely recommend bringing a bottle of bug spray, or if you hate sticky bug spray like me, I recommend these Mosquito Repellent Bracelets that are natural and deet-free!

Ginger Tablets or Gravol:

These will help you avoid getting seasick on the boat rides in the Galapagos. I don’t normally get seasick, but the boats to get from island to island are small and you definitely feel the waves. Even if you don’t get seasick I would recommend taking something like a Natural Ginger Gravol to settle your stomach, but which won’t make you drowsy like normal Gravol.

Motion Sickness Bracelets:

Alternatively, try these acupressure motion sickness wrist bands if you tend to get seasick on boats. Some people on our tour used them and swear by them! Plus they are low cost, and you can re-use them.

Vitamin C

Immune support effervescent tablets to say hydrated and to avoid getting sick.

READ: How to Prevent Getting Sick on Vacation 

Galapagos Packing List: Other

Adaptor Plugs for Electricity

Ecuador employs a 110-volt, 60-cycle electrical system, similar to that of the United States and Canada. The prevalent plug type in Ecuador consists of two flat prongs, which aligns with the plugs commonly used in North America. As a result, travellers from the US and Canada generally won’t require a converter or adapter for their electronic devices.

However, if you are travelling from Europe, and don’t already have a universal adaptor plug that works worldwide, I recommend bringing this on all your travels. We have this one and love it! Not only does it work with my computer and hair dryer, it has the additional four USB plugs at the top, to charge all your phone and any other gadgets!

Small Dry Bag

I recommend bringing a small dry bag for wet clothes or bathing suits when you have to travel and your clothes haven’t dried yet. Alternatively, this great to have to keep your clothes dry when you go on a boat or to bring to the beach.

Backpack

Having a small backpack is ideal for day trips. And ideally you want it to be large enough to bring a water bottle, camera, towel, and jacket. I bought this 22L Lightweight Packable Day Hiking Backpack and it was perfect for the beach, hiking and all our other Ecuador adventures. Plus, I loved how it folded up into a tiny pouch, so it didn’t take up extra space in my main travel bag.

Waterproof camera or GoPro

I bought the GoPro Hero 9 Black for my husbands’ birthday, partly because I wanted to use it on this trip, but mostly because he loves taking photos underwater when we scuba dive and snorkel. This GoPro was affordable and allowed us to capture unforgettable moments with the sea lions and turtles when we snorkelled.

Plus, don’t forget to bring a regular camera to capture the beautiful scenery and animals on land.

E-reader or Kindle

Don’t forget a good book, or a kindle with downloaded books to read on the beach. Alternatively, audio books are great to listen to on the boat rides, which are normally 2 hours long. I have always loved the idea of physical books, but after getting a Kindle I am hooked, and won’t go back. Now I can bring 3-5 books travelling with me without the bulk and the weight.

Travel Games or Cards:

Our current favourite card game is Monopoly Deal. It’s perfect for travelling, quick to play, and seriously addicting.

Download the Spanish Language on Google Translator 

In Ecuador, they speak Spanish. So if you don’t speak Spanish, I highly recommend pre-downloading the Spanish language on the Google Translator App, so you can use it offline. Unfortunately, I don’t speak a lick of Spanish and struggled to get by. People don’t speak a lot if any English in Ecuador, so Google translator was a lifesaver. We were actually able to communicate with people using this fantastic app.

Use a Backpack Instead of a Suitcase

Although I almost always pack a suitcase, for this trip I opted for a women’s 65L Osprey travel backpack, as we heard this would be easier in Galapagos. This is because in Galapagos you will most likely be travelling by boats. Plus, on some islands the roads are made of sand, so it’s not the easiest to drag your suitcase through. Although a backpack isn’t necessary, I did find it made my life easier on this trip. I was also grateful that this particular pack had a waterproof rain-cover, for the weather but also when we travelled by boat. And it fit in the overhead compartment on the plane, so I didn’t have to pay for checked luggage.

Smaller Baggage

Additionally, I packed this crossbody wallet iPhone case, to keep my iPhone and credit cards safe and close to me at all times. Although now I would bring this Lululemon dupe Amazon crossbody belt bag, which is not only trendy but super functional for hiking and exploring on this trip.

Compression Packing Cubes

If you struggle to pack light, I really recommend using the compression packing cubes! They help you save 60% of luggage space, and allow your bag to stay neat and organized. I used these clear travel compression bags (which save up to 80% of luggage space) when we travelled to Europe for a year, and they were a game changer for me. Not only did they allow me to pack more, but they allowed me to unpack faster when we got to the destination. If you want to read more about my experience with these bags, check out my blog post on my 10 best packing tips to ease anxiety. 

What NOT to Bring to Ecuador & Galapagos

You might not know this, but the Galapagos Islands has a strict policy that travellers are not allowed to bring seeds, food, or animals/animal products to the Galapagos. This is in efforts to preserve the island, the animals and vegetation. To avoid trouble at the border control, do not bring any of these with you when you fly over to the islands (ie. fruit, granola bars, nuts, etc.).

Also, ladies, leave your high heels and expensive jewellery at home, you won’t be wearing them in Ecuador. Although I love fashion and looking stylish while travelling, this is definitely a more adventurous destination, and it is important to pack items that are going to be useful for you, and not just look good.

Read Next: If you are looking for inspiration on things to do, make sure to look at my post on 40 Things to Do in Ecuador and Galapagos.

Check the Weather in Ecuador & Galapagos

One last thing to keep in mind while packing – always check the weather! We travelled to Ecuador in July, and what I didn’t realize was this was their winter season. To be honest, I was expecting much more tropical weather in Galapagos, and although we still had hot days, it also got very chilly at night. Needless to say, make sure to pack layers to be prepared for any weather you come across.

And that’s it!  I hope my Ecuador & Galapagos packing list helps you feel prepared for your upcoming trip!

Blissful travels my friends xo

Amber from A Blissful Wanderer

Any Galapagos Packing List questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments below!

READ NEXT:

40 THINGS TO DO IN ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS

How to Prevent Getting Sick on Vacation 

The Best 10 Travel Packing Tips to Ease Anxiety 

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