Travel Checklists

General Items (from EF's website)

Clothing and Accessories

  • Passport (or other visa documents) valid for at least 6 months after your trip return date. (Don't forget to upload your info to your tour company's site.)

  • Mask/face covering (as required by local authorities)

  • Comfortable walking shoes

  • Shirts

  • Watch

  • Socks and underwear (I recommend fast drying, odor resistant items like merino wool socks that can be washed in a hotel room)

  • Pants/shorts/jeans depending on location

  • Pajamas

  • Bathing suit

  • Raincoat and/or umbrella

  • Lightweight nylon jacket or fleece (rather than bulky sweatshirts)

  • Reusable water bottle

Toiletries (in 3.1 oz containers or less per TSA rules)

  • Toothbrush

  • Toothpaste

  • Shampoo/conditioner (not all hotels have them)

  • Soap

  • Deodorant (gels and sprays count as liquids)

  • Hairbrush/comb

  • Sunscreen (must be Reef-Safe for locations including the Galapagos)

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Any medications (an a copy of prescriptions)

  • Spare set of contacts/glasses if applicable

  • Cartridge razor (no straight edges allowed)

Money

  • ATM Card (call your bank prior to departure to alert them of the trip)

  • Credit card (notify your bank of travel)

  • Currency (often easier to just use an ATM at the airport to get local currency when we land)

  • Pouch for storing extra money/passport under clothing

Electronics

  • Your phone! (aka alarm clock)

  • Phone charger

  • Phone power bank

  • Necessary outlet adaptors (and voltage converters)

  • Camera with extra batteries and charger

Documents

  • Proof of negative COVID PCR test (currently required)

  • Passport (remember to leave a copy of it at home and bring a few more copies on tour in case your passport gets lost)

  • Visas (if applicable)

  • A copy of the tour itinerary

  • A list of important phone numbers

  • Addresses to send postcards home

  • Copy of any prescriptions

Additional Medical

Galapagos Islands - Recommended Items

Official Ecuador packing list from EF Tours

Amazon list of some recommended items

Quick notes:

  • The airline to the island typically has a strict and smaller bag/weight limit than the international airlines. It is strongly recommended that you travel with one carry-on sized bag and a backpack as a personal item. Pack light, fast-drying, warm-weather clothes and it will fit!

  • I recommend merino wool socks and fast-drying underwear. Some hotels might offer laundry, but you can wash clothes in the sink or in large ziplock bags with detergent packets, ring them out inside a towel (it really helps) and hang them to dry overnight.

  • Ecuador and the Galapagos use the standard US dollar!

  • They use standard US power outlets / voltage, so no converters are necessary.

  • You will want a hat for sun protection.

  • I recommend sun-shirts or shirts with a good UPF rating (it's like sunblock SPF but for clothes).

  • Sunblock must be Reef-Safe (no parabens, etc.) - see Amazon list for recommendations

  • Closed-toed shoes are important for volcanic hikes -- volcanic rock is jagged!

  • Water shoes or Keen-style "active" sandals are also recommended for the swims due to the rocks (and wildlife)

Medical Information

  • At the time of my last trip, it was recommended that I get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever (mostly due to mainland Ecuador).

  • Some people recommend medication for altitude sickness (Quito is in the Andes Mountains), but I didn't like how I felt with it and preferred drinking plenty of fluids and taking it easy.

  • You may also want to get dramamine patches or another seasickness medication as we will have a few (3?) two-hour boat rides on speedboats. The waters can get rough and the smaller boats might not have the smoothest rides.