What are wet/dry landings?
The majority of islands in the Galapagos are uninhabited. They have no structures of any kind including docks for landings. Yachts will typically anchor offshore and then travelers will take smaller motorized zodiacs (pangas) to reach the islands. On a dry landing, the panga will motor next to a cement or natural rock outcropping and travelers can step out of the panga directly onto the dry land. On a wet landing, the panga will approach a sandy beach and travelers will step out of the panga into ankle deep (or possibly knee deep) water and walk to shore. As all yachts will have both wet and dry landings in the course of an itinerary, it is important that travelers bring shoes/sandals that they don’t mind getting wet. It’s a good idea to bring a towel along for wet landings so that you can dry your feet and change into socks and hiking shoes.
