Galapagos, September and Sea Lion Pups

September is a wonderful time to visit the Galapagos Islands if you want to see a lot of newborn sea lion pups.

September timing for our visit was pretty much accidental. It was the only time we could work in the trip schedule and airline seats using frequent flyer miles. Well, we lucked out.

I have to admit, first, that there are a lot of advantages to going to the Galapagos in the spring, particularly if you love the water as much as I do. In the spring, the water is warmer. You can swim and snorkel without a wet suit. The skies are clearer and the days are sunnier and hotter.

But if you want to see newborn sea lion pups, then you’ve got to go in the Fall. We saw some very young ones on every landing. We could have stood and watched their antics for hours.

While the rule is to maintain a distance of about 10 feet from the sea lions, the pups don’t know that. They would consistently wander up to inspect us. One even took a liking to my sandals. They were definitely a highlight of our trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Of course we saw a lot of other wildlife during our visit. A book that really helped us prepare for this trip and that we highly recommend is

Lonely Planet Watching Wildlife Galapagos Islands (Lonely Planet Watching Wildlife Guides)