On July 13 2020, Galápagos Islands opened again to the world, allowing tourist from different countries to visit again the Enchanted Islands.

The Galapagos Islands, being an archipielago, has had very low impact of the covid 19 pandemy, compared to ecuadorian mainland or other touristic destinies around the world. For this reason and the special protocol established by the goverment and the Galapagos National Park, since the beginning of the pandemy, the Galapagos Islands remain a covid safe place to travel.

However, to keep it safe, besides the usual rules of Galápagos and entry requirements, there is a few additional requirements that will be mandatory to enter while the pandemic remains.

If you are planning to visit the Galapagos Islands, read this post for all the details about the protocol to follow before, during and after your stay.

If you already have your tickets to Galápagos, you should know that there are not direct flights to the Galapagos Islands and you always have to do a stop either in Guayaquil or Quito Airport before you go to Baltra or San Cristóbal.  Covid-19 protocols may vary from one airport to another in Ecuador mainland, so keep this in mind when you depart.

LAST UPDATE: PCR test are not necesary if you are vaccinated

Since April 2021, the government admit the covid vacination certificate as a valid document fo enter the Galapagos National Park. If you are already vaccinated from covid,  and have the covid vaccination certificate, you are exent to present a negative PCR when travelling to the Galapagos Islands.

To enter Ecuador mainland, you have to bring a negative RT-PCR test, done at least 10 before the departing flight. Once you land in Guayaquil or Quito an authorized doctor will review your test and if everything is correct it will allow you to enter Ecuador. Don’t forget to print it to save time, since a digital version on your mobile or any digital device wont work, it needs to be printed.

However, to access Galápagos this requirement changes and instead of 10, the required PCR to enter Galápagos should be no more than 96 hours before your flight to Galápagos.

Es muy importante que en los resultados de laboratorio se especifique que la técnica realizada para la prueba es PCR (no se tomarán como válidas pruebas de anticuerpos o test rápidos) y que se indique la fecha en que se tomó la muestra.

What happens if my PCR is positive?

If your PCR is positive, the airile would not let you enter the flight and travel to Ecuador. However, most of the airlines now have very flexible policies and make it easier to change dates so you can postpone your trip for when you are fully recovered and able to get a negative PCR.

What happens if I don’t bring any PCR test? 

In the very unlikely case that the airline knowing that you don’t have a negative test and allows you to jump in the flight what will happend when you land in Ecuador is that you wont be able to enter and will have to go over a mandatory quarantine in one of the hotels specified by the goverment and of coruse, the hotel fees will be paid by yourself. You’ll have to stay on the hotel until your PCR (the test will be paid by you too) turns negative, allowing you to go out.

Every person (locals and foreign) need to fill a special Health Declaration Form before entering the country. This document should be filled at the arrival in any ecuadorian airport and its usually handed out by the airline, so dont forget to show it along with your documents. Protip: always bring a pen to avoid contact and to avoid wasting time.

Masks are mandatory in public and in the Airport. In Galápagos, masks are also mandatory when the safety distance of 1.5m is not possible to achieve. Also, a mask will be required during transfers, tours (except at the moment of snorkeling) and whenever you are in close contact with other.

To enter Galapagos is necessary, same as it is to enter Ecuador, a negative PCR. The main difference is that to enter Ecuador PCR could have been done 10 days before the departure flight, but to Galápagos it has no be no more than 96 days. This means that if you take the PCR in the country of origni, make sure that you dont spend much days in Ecudaor mainland to avoid having to take another PCR in Guayaquil or Quito.

If you have plans to travel around Ecuador mainland (Quito, Guayaquil, Amazon, etc) you’ll have to take a second test before your flight to Galápagos. If this is your case, you can get PCR test from $50 Usd. Here’s a quick list of laboratories we recomend:

• Junta de Beneficencia $50
• Synlab PCR + Fast test $65
• Interlab $90

Results are usually available 1 day after the test its done. In the case of Interlab, if you take it early in the morning, in the late night the same day sometimes results are already available.

You will need to show, before entering Galápagos a booking for all the nights you will be staying in Galápagos. If you need help booking tours or accommodation, feel free to drop us a line. 

To be able to travel you will need to make sure that you book your tours with a certified agency that complies with all covid safety protocols. Remember that in Galapagos Low Cost you can book in advance tours and we can help you make the most out of your trip with a personalized itinerary. Contact us here. 

A new requirement caused by the pandemic is to have a privated health and travel insurance covering covid 19 to be able to enter Galápagos. However, even before pandemic in Galápagos Low Cost we recommended to have insurance to avoid any trouble in case you have a smal accident in the Islands. A little thing like a twisted ankle could be transformed into a big rescue operation if this happens to you on a remote location. To make sure you dont travel without insurance we got you a 5% discount if you book with Mondo clicking here. Click here to get 5% in health and travel insurance.