A visit to the Galápagos Islands is on many peoples’ bucket lists. They’re an iconic and unique destination, a haven for wildlife with incredible island landscapes!
When I decided to visit Ecuador, I have to admit that, although seriously cool, the Galapagos weren’t on my list to see. This was mainly budget Hannah thinking!
However, on my travels up from the southern tip of the continent, I bumped into many fellow travellers highly highly recommending a trip to the Galápagos.
The seeds were planted and I started to consider how I could make a trip to the Galápagos possible. Ultimately, it came down to me taking the plunge and deciding that it was a lifetime experience and not to let money rule all my actions (which can be quite hard for me and is something I’m working on).
Having spent 12 days island hopping the Galápagos, I’m over the moon I went. They’re incredible and it’s been such a unique and surreal experience!
This post is an overview of my time on the Galápagos Islands. I spent time on three of the main inhabited islands: San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela.
Read on for a short summary of my time on each island. I’ve also written a separate post on each island which has more details. Follow the click throughs to read more.
#1 San Cristobal
San Cristobal was the first island I visited and I really loved it! I did the Kicker Rock tour, went to Playa Lobería where I saw blue footed boobies, snorkelled at Las Tijeretas, watched sunsets from Punta Carola and Playa Mann, ate some great burgers and just watched sea lions for ages!
#2 Isabela
Next up was Isabela island, the least developed one and a lot of peoples’ favourite! It was great!!! I did Los Tuneles tour which was fab, saw giant tortoises in the breeding centre and in the wild on my walk to the Wall of Tears, snorkelled at Concha Perla and just enjoyed life on the beach!
#3 Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, my last island and where I was flying back to the mainland from! The Pinzón tour was fab, Tortuga Bay was absolutely gorgeous, Las Grietas a cool place to snorkel, saw more giant tortoises as well as tiny baby ones at the Charles Darwin Centre, ate great fish at Los Kioskos and snorkelled at Playa de la Estación with more turtles!
How to get to the Galapagos
The Galápagos Islands lie off Ecuador’s coast. To get to them you need to fly from Quito or Guayaquil. Flights from Quito stop off at Guayaquil for more passengers to board.
When booking flights to the Galapagos, you have a choice of two airports to fly into: San Cristobal (SCY) or Baltra (GPS). San Cristobal airport, like the name suggests, serves San Cristobal island whereas Baltra airport is for Santa Cruz Island.
Tip: I would recommend booking your flights into one of the airports and out the other. In my case I flew into San Cristobal and out of Baltra. This saved me a ferry fare and gave me more flexibility island hopping.
The airlines LATAM, Avianca and Tame fly the route and you’re looking at around £300 for a return flight – it’s not cheap!
At the airport
Now you’ve got your flights booked. The check in process for the Galapagos is slightly differently than normal. Before checking in your bags, there are two additional steps that need to be done: get your Tourist Control Card and get your luggage inspected.
The Tourist Control Card costs $20 and needs to be paid in cash. You need this card to enter the Galapagos so don’t lose it!! It’s the equivalent of a visa really.
Luggage inspection is to check for products and items not allowed on the Galapagos.
Now, the time taken to do these two steps, drop bags and go through security varies. I know a girl who was through in 20 minutes and I’ve heard stories of it taking up to 3hrs.
I would always play it safe and give myself more time. In my case, I arrived to the airport 2hrs30 before my flight and I’m glad I did. The queue for the Tourist Control Card was long, mainly I think due to a big tour group.
It took me 1hr30 to get the card, bags inspected and dropped, and through security so I was happy with the time I had. No stress!
Arriving to the Galapagos
When you arrive to the Galapagos, you have another fee to pay, a $100 entrance fee. It is steep, but I was happy to be contributing to the conservation and protection of the islands and wildlife living there.
Cost of the Galapagos and Breakdown
First things first, the Galápagos Islands aren’t cheap! A visit to them is going to eat into most peoples’ travel budgets and funds. That said, it’s totally possible to visit them without blowing the bank!
I opted for island hopping over a cruise mainly for price reasons; you’re looking at least a $1000 for a last minute cruise and most cost more!
Money wasn’t the only factor for choosing island hopping, I also didn’t want to constantly be on a boat for that long and I fancied the greater independence and flexibility that island hopping brought.
Here’s a rough breakdown of what I spent for a 12 day trip to the Galápagos:
Flights: Approx $365 return
Entrance fee and tourist card: $120
Ferries: $85 for three ferries. I managed to get one of them for $25, the other two were $30.
Accommodation: $214
Tours: $330 for three tours. I did one on each island.
Other (food, water taxis, bus, snorkel, Isabela island tax…): $120
Overall total: $1234 = £980 approx
Total not including flights: $869 = £690 approx
As you can see, it does all add up. I can say though it was entirely worth it!
Final thoughts on the Galápagos
I had an incredible time on the Galápagos! They’re definitely my Ecuador highlight so far and I’m extremely extremely glad I went! Still can’t really believe I was there!
It was a unique place and unique experience that’s for sure! Snorkelling and swimming with giant sea turtles, sharks, rays, colourful fish, playful sea lions, seeing huge tortoises, eating great fish, visiting beautiful beaches, watching fab sunsets…it was wonderful! I also really appreciated how all the places I stayed provided free water – loved it!
Tip: I bought a snorkel on San Cristobal and, although I didn’t use it as much as I thought, I’d still say it was worth it. I saved on renting one and had more flexibility. Plus I’ve even managed to sell it on! If you can find a snorkel on the mainland I’d get one.
If I was to make any changes to my trip there, I would probably swap around my start and end islands. So, start on Santa Cruz and end on San Cristobal because San Cristobal is an easier airport to get to and I also liked San Cristobal more!
On the same budget, I would potentially go for ten days instead of twelve. If I’d done more tours, twelve would have been good. Since I was sticking to one tour per island, I ended up with a quite a few free days and could have cut one or two.
That said, now looking back, I was happy with the number of days I had. I enjoyed taking my time and not feeling rushed.
Thanks Galápagos – you were grand!!
I’m now back to travelling mainland Ecuador for another three weeks (I reckon!) before I cross into Colombia. My next stop is Baños for a few days!
P.S. Having carried my green sandals around for four months and not worn them, they came into their own on the Galápagos. I lived in them!
