On October 30 and 31, 2026, torrential rainfall on the Galápagos's Santa Cruz island caused waterways to overflow, flooding neighborhoods, damaging homes, and disrupting essential infrastructure. The local government declared an emergency, with over 2,000 people affected by the damage. This places the Galápagos among several beloved tourism destinations that are already grappling with the effects of El Ñino .

The news has also left many travelers wondering: Is it safe to travel to the Galápagos right now? And how should those with upcoming cruises and hotel stays proceed?

Rodrigo Jácome, who runs La K-leta Guest House and a small coffee farm on Santa Cruz, which is the archipelago's main inhabited island and a central hub for tourism, says the flooding has not damaged key tourism infrastructure—though it devastated other local livelihoods. “The flooding affected residential neighborhoods that are not particularly close to the main hotel areas,” says Jácome, who lost most of his coffee harvest in the rains.…