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. 

Did you know that in Galapagos there are 2 of the 10 best beaches in the world? Definitely, one of them sound familiar to you and have seen it as a wallpaper ion Windows. It also has recently been recognized as one of the most beautiful beaches to visit. Here we tell you all what they are, how to get to them and we tell you about others that you may not have known but that you will definitely want to include in your itinerary.

It was a headache to choose just 10 beaches of the archipielago, so we made a selection of our favorite beaches in each of the 3 main islands.  If you want to know further, have a look our selection of the top beaches in Santa Cruz , Isabela and San Cristobal.

Although Galapagos is a destination where you are always in constant activity, long walks, snorkel tours, hiking on volcanoes, you also have to take advantage of the time to relax, even more if you are in of the best places in the world to do it.

If you are thinking of visiting the Galapagos soon,  we have prepared a list of beaches that you must include in your itinerary. Some are easier to access than others, since in the Galapagos there are many restricted areas that you can only access on tours or accompanied by a guide. However, with time and organization, everything is possible. Remember that if you need help creating your Galapagos Low Cost itinerary we can help you create one that fits your budget and taste. Write us!

Rabida Island can only be accessed through a Galapagos cruise, since there are no full days that go here because it is very far away from the islands with airports (Santa Cruz and San Cristobal).

However, we did not want to miss the opportunity to get to know this island and its unique red sand beaches in the Galapagos. The color of the sand is due to the lava and makes the landscape make you feel like you are on another planet.

If you have the opportunity to cruise, make sure you include a stop here as it is a unique place in the world.

You already know some of the places that you cannot miss in your visit to the Galapagos Islands. Now comes the most important: what to bring?

As you know, the Galapagos Islands are a unique destination and for being like this it requires special preparation. Many of its beaches are desolate, its rocky, volcanic terrain, there are bugs and the sun is very strong. For this reason, we have prepared a list with recommendations of things to take on your trip to the Galapagos to be 100% prepared for any eventuality.

The first thing we recommend to get before your trip (and now because of Galapagos covid Restrictions is mandatory) is health and travel insurance. We recommend Mondo and you can get 5% discount on your insurance by clicking here. Get 5% discount. 

If you are thinking of traveling to Galapagos, remember that at Galapagos Low Cost we can help you prepare a personalized itinerary that fits your budget and allows you to make the most of your days on the islands. Write to us!

Come see them yourself!

Galapagos Blue Footed boobies are beautiful, unique and funny animals and can be found in several spots on the Galápagos Islands.  Anything we tell you here can’t compare to the experience of watching them so close (complying to Galapagos distance Rules always ) and seeing how amazing nature can be, specially on these Islands. 

If you are looking to visit Galápagos, at Galapagos Low Cost we can help you make this come true.

Santa Cruz Island  is the most visited in Galapagos since plenty commercial flights from the mainland land here. There’s another airport in San Cristóbal Island, but most tourist prefer landing here because Santa Cruz has a privileged centered location and makes it easier to visit other islands in Galapagos in less time.

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz is also the most populated too island and because of that seems to be the more “cosmopolitan” compared to others in Galápagos where you can feel completely isolated and away from civilization. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you’ll get plenty of craft beer bars, hotels, restaurants and cool places to enjoy the typical Galapagos Island’s nightlife. Also, you’ll have plenty of ATMs that are very escarce in the rest of the islands.

But don’t be fooled by first impressions, even though Santa Cruz seems to be too much of a city it has plenty of unique out-of-this-world places that you must visit during your stay in Galapagos and best of all: they are free. You just need to know where to look and that’s where we come up to help you.

There’s plenty of ways to get to Santa Cruz but it depends from where you are coming. Here’s some of the available options:

After you’ve landed on Baltra Island, you’ll have to pay the entrance fee to Galapagos National Park on the Airport before being able to go out. Once you do this, there’ll be local buses from a company called Lobito that will take you to the coast of Baltra Island. This bus ride takes about 10 minutes and it costs $5 per person. You journey doesn’t end here. After the bus ride, on the coast there will be few taxi boats to help you cross Itabaca Channel, the channel that separates Santa Cruz from Baltra. The price for this boat ride is $1 per person and is less than 5 minutes. When you cross Itabaca Channel many taxis (white trucks) will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel. From this part of Santa Cruz Islands, Puerto Ayora is about 45 minute ride away.

We offer different options for this tour:

From Puerto Ayora, there are to shifts every day, in the morning and in the afternoon, and the cost is $60.

We also can schedule this tour from the airport, ending the your in your accomodation. Price for this is $75 per person. Taking that combined tour you save $15 per person, since the transfer from Canal de Itabaca to Puerto Ayora costs $35.

If you don’t want to get lost or confused with all of this process on your first day in Galapagos Low Cost we recommend the airport pick up service with HighLand Tour on the way to Puerto Ayora. It save time and make the most of the ride.

We will take you to Highlands Tour where you can visit a natural giant tortoises reserve called El Chato, cross lava tunnels and see huge twin volcanic craters called Los Gemelos with a bilingual guide. After that we will drop you on your hotel in Puerto Ayora. You don´t ahve to worry about  your luggage, as we will wait you in theairport with a pick up van, and take care of it while you enjoy the spotlights of the  tour.

After your flight to the Galapagos Islands, you might want to see some of the wonders of the islands as soon as possible: this is the best way. You can see details of the Highlands Tour here.

The cheapest and most common way to move between populated islands in Galápagos (Santa Cruz, Isabela, Floreana and San Cristobal) is on water taxis or ferry that depart from the port. Price per way rounds $35 and lasts around 2 hours (2h30 depending on sea conditions and weather). This ferries only have scheduled two hours a day to depart, one in the morning and another one in the afternoon, so keep this in mind when you are planning for your tours and activities in Galápagos.

If you would like to make the most of your time in Galápagos and your budget allows it, you can move between islands on a flight. There’s two airlines in Galápagos that offer this service. Prices per trip are around $150 but depends on the season. Here’s the website of both pages if you want further information:

• EMETEBE
• FLY GALÁPAGOS

How to pack for Galápagos Islands?

As we’ve previously mentioned on our Isabela Island post, you need to be prepared for your trip to Galápagos. Before packing for Galápagos, is good keeping in mind that even thought this is a beach destination Galápagos isn’t like any other place you’ve ever been before. We usually associate the beach with flip flops and resorts but Galápagos is a unique preserved place on earth and some spots are a bit extreme.  And honestly, this is what makes Galápagos special.

So, here’s our recommendations on what you should pack:

Gopro is widely known and a good investment for your trip given all the features it has to make it easier to make videos or take pictures for your trip. If you go with the Gopro, the Dome accessory is a must to be able to take amazing pictures above and under water (few examples on pictures below). And if you don’t want to spend much on a camera, Apeman is a great brand too.

Restricted products and items in Galapagos

What things can you do in Santa Cruz Island?

Santa Cruz Island has a lot oc activities to do. It is the siland with most popupaltion, and Puerto Ayora is it´s city most alive. But geographically it is also de island in the middle of the arachipielago. That is the reason that most of the most amazing tours departs from this island.

In our website you will find both, the must do tours that  you can not miss, and a lot of recommendations of activities to do on your own with really low cost  or no cost at all.

The most famous beach in Galápagos and one of the top 10 beaches in Santa Cruz and of the world. Tortuga Bay is a great beach and the best of all is: entrance is free.  The only price to pay is the 45 minute walk but on the bright side is a very nice, 2.5 km full of nature path and the best reward is the amazing white sand and clear water beach at the end.

Once you get to the end of the road, you’ll see what is called “Playa brava” in Tortuga Bay (meaning angry beach) because of its huge waves. This is not the place to take a nice relaxing bath (good place to surf tho) since you’ll always see a red flag advicing is not safe. But don’t worry, the right spot is just few meters away. Walk a little towards the right side of the beach and you’ll get to Playa Mansa (meek beach) where there’s no waves and is a great spot to snorkel if you have your mask or kayak on your own (there’s a renting tent there)

Despite its popularity Tortuga Bay is a very isolated beach with not much people around and no shop at all so as we said above, make sure you have plenty of water, snacks and a hat to keep you safe from the ecuadorian sun.

Tortuga bay is only open until 17h30 so make sure you arrive early enough to enjoy it. In case you don’t want to walk your way through it, there’s a taxi boat service to get you there from the port in Puerto ayora at $20 per way per person.

Las Grietas is a place located in the south of Santa Cruz Island. Is a small water channel between volcanic rocks where you can swim in turquoise water and many colorful fishes. A great place to snorkel or just take a relaxing bath. Las Grietas is like a natural pool and if you are lucky enough you may see some locals jumping from the higher rocks to the water doing some acrobatic tricks.

To get to Las Grietas you have to take a 5 minute boat taxi from Puerto Ayora at $0,80 per ride per person and bring some comfortable shoes because the walk to get there is very rocky (and very nice too). Another way to go to Las Grietas is by taking Bay Tour in Santa Cruz, that includes a visit to this spot among other main highlights from this islands and a snorkeling session. This tour is $45 per person and its 3 hours with a certified guide on a boat, snorkeling session and a visit to Playa de los perros an exclusive beach you can only access by boat.

Perfect place to get to know more about Galapagos history, its discovery and of course you’ll get to see the famous Lonesome George.

A nice lagoon to take a walk on a free afternoon. Very near to Puerto Ayora. 

Close to Puerto Ayora, on the way to Darwin research station, Los Alemanes beach is small but charming one. Good place to just relax after a day full of adventure and excursions. Its near Las Grietas too, so keep this in mind when you are planning your daily itinerary.

You will walk to this place a lot of time since this is where most of the tours depart, but its worth taking some time on your schedule to spend here, get a coconut while you watch locals play volleyball, have a beer or see fisherman bringing fresh fish you’ll enjoy later on for lunch or dinner.

A 10 minute walk from Charles Darwin research station, a good place to buy fresh fish or eat one nearby on some of the small tents allocated around the market. You can have fun too watching pelicans and sea lions trying to steal fisherman some food and running away afterwards. In case you need to buy some souvenirs and hand made crafts for your family and friends you’ll find that here too.

To get the full Galapagos experience we recommend taking at least one paid tour per island to get to know places only reachable with an authorized guide and boat. Since Galapagos is a protected area, is not a place where you can just walk around and make your way to meet some places. There are standar paid tours where a certified bilingual guide will lead your way to some amazing places that give Galapagos the Enchanted islands name.

Here’s the ones we recommend on Santa Cruz, and off course, you can book any of them with us.

Galapagos has plenty to offer and not everything is among the sea. If you go deep in to Santa Cruz Island highlands, you’ll find yourself in a whole different environment (and a micro weather). This tour can be done on the way from the airport to the hotel, to make the most of the 45 minute ride that takes you to get to Puerto Ayora. The airport pick up + highlands tour + hotel drop off is $75 per person and if you would like to do it from the hotel instead of the airport is $60 per person. Highlands tour goes to Los Gemelos (two giant craters) then you’ll walk trough lava tunnels and ending in Rancho Primicias where you will see Galapagos famousegiant turtles.

Here you will spot the giant tortoises from Santa Cruz in its natural habitat. Rancho Primicias is a protected area dedicated to preserve and promote this endemic species Chelonoidis porteri (giant turtle from Santa Cruz). This singular specie has a black and oval shell with a vault shape and has around 1 meter long. The highlands are mostly inhabited by males and as you go down to the coast you’ll find females and baby tortoises.

This is a nice full of wilderness spot, with a unique ecosystem where you’ll learn about endemic plants (Scalesia, guayabillo, among others) and animals (lava lizard, owls, finches) and off course giant tortoises. Rancho Primicias is also a good place to have lunch and buy some souvenirs for your family and friends.

This is one of the most popular tours in Santa Cruz not only because is not very expensive ($45 per person) but its also very complete and gives you the opportunity to see Santa Cruz highlights and unique places that can only be reached by boat.

It’s a good way to save time because in a few hours you’ll cover the most important spots in Santa Cruz. There are two departures for this tour, one in the morning and another one in the afternoon. During the tour you will see several bird species, have a walk in the most iconic spots of the island, do snorkeling and a rest at a very beautiful beach.

Here’s the places you will visit during the Bay Tour:

Also known as Caamaño islet, here you will see a huge sea lion community to whom you will be able to do some snorkeling.

The best spot to enjoy sea life. You’ll do a quick stop here to enjoy snorkeling among blue footed boobies, frigates and sea lions.

Shark channel is a small crack in the volcanic rocks that has become the favorite sport to rest for sharks in Santa Cruz. We’ll step near the channel to see the sharks and the peculiar unique color of the channel and then wak towards Playa de los Perros (dog’s beach) where there’s a concentration of Galapagos iguanas and another endemic species.

The love channel is a cliff of gentle turquoise waters, it is a very beautiful and excellent place for photos. After watching the love channel, we’ll go to Las Grietas, which as mentioned above, is a place where you can snorkel and enjoy a refreshing swim.

If you are checking instagram before travelling to theGalapagos Islands, sure you have seen the amazing photos taken in this calm and wonderful spot of Santa Cruz Island.

One of the best things about Santa Cruz is its strategic centered location which give you the opportunity to do day trips to other islands such as Isabela o San Cristobal and also the most unique inhabited ones like Bartolomé or North Seymour. All of this day tours include lunch and usually depart very early in the morning to make the best out of the day, because of this is very important that you slept the night before in Santa Cruz.

Here’s some of the daily tours we offer that you can do from Santa Cruz:

Your trip to Galapagos starts here. In Galapagos Low Cost we’ll be happy to help you plan your trip with a personalized itinerary that suits your budget and needs. Take a look at all the tours you can book with us or drop us a line to let us know how can we help you make the most out of your trip to Galapagos.

Isabela Island Things To Do 🏝

Isabela Island is the favorite island most visitors to the Galapagos Islands. Why? Because of  its amazing and diverse landscapes, exotic vegetation. Also its peaceful  lifestyle in harmony with the animals and nature makes everyone fall in love with Isabela Island.

In this guide to visit Isabela Island will find out what makes this island so special. We have thoroughly described every activity on Isabela Island (free and daily tours) that you can do during your visit to Isabela Island in the Galapagos Islands.

Plan your trip to Isabela Island: all you need to know

Isabela Island in the Galapagos is the largest in the archipelago. It is one of the least populated and most isolated, making it a true paradise for those seeking a total disconnection.

What things you should bring to Isabela Island?

Packing for Galápagos is not the same as packing for any other beach destination and especially at Isabela Island there’s a few items that would make your life easier while you are there.

What things you cannot bring to Isabela?

Also, there are a few things you are not allowed to bring not only to Isabela but Galápagos Islands in general so make sure you know and understand all the Galápagos Rules and Entry Requirements before start packing.

 We’ll help you build and organize a personalized itinerary so that you make the most of your budget and time in the Galapagos Islands.

We help you to organize your travel on a budget. Let us design a worderful travel saving money and time.

A few decades ago, Galapagos wasn’t a top surf destination, not even in Ecuador. It was widely known for its unique landscapes and marine life but surfers were not aware the wave paradise Galapagos really is. Surfers used to prefer Montañita or other traditional sport in the continental Ecuador for a surf trip.

Things have changed. Nowadays more a more people are discovering The Galapagos Islands as a unique surfing spot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Even an international competition as the ALAS Latin Tour realised about the uniqueness of Galapagos and bet for it in 2018 to held the competition.

Surfing in Galápagos is a great option not only for its year round world class waves, but its privileged warm weather and marine life. Also it’s uniqueness makes it a really attractive spot for your surf trip, as there is the only places where you can enjoy the waves along with sea lions and marine iguanas.

Keep reading and find everything about the best surfing spots in The Galapagos Islands, how and when to get there, faqs and more.

Surf Camps in Galapagos are another great way to learn how to surf in a cool and relaxed environment surrounded by the surfing community. There’s a few surf camps in Galápagos buy we recommend LavaWave and The Point in San Cristobal and Galapagos Bike and Surf in Isabela Island.

The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, 1000 km away from Ecuador mainland. In this location the islands benefit from a warm weather all year (never less than 19º). The Islands also have swells from the north and south of the Pacific, assuring you good waves all year.

However, if you are able to choose the dates, the best time to visit the Galapagos Islands to surf is from december to may. During this time there’s plenty of sun (27º) and lots of waves. The rest of the year, even though it doesn’t get cold, it may get a little cloudy and rainy.

Here’s more information about the dates and what you can find: 

You need to be prepared when it comes to packing for Galápagos Islands. You have to remember that there’s a few things that are not easily found there. There’s no huge malls, no beach bars, specially on isolated places where its only you, your surfboard and nature. So keep in mind this when packing.

There’s no doubt that San Cristobal island is the best in Galapagos to practice surf. San Cristobal has many points for intermediate and advanced surfers, not recommended for beginners. You can also find a great surfing community in this island since there you can find 4 world class waves, 2 of which are square tubes. The reason why the waves in the Galapagos Islands are so special its because its exceptional location, where it gets both north and south swells from the Pacific Ocean.

The North-West coast beaches of the island is the one you should look for to find the top waves. There are spots for all levels. La Loberia is the best spot for surf beginners, while Tongo Reef is the spot you must head to if you are a pro surfer and look for an exciting experience.

On the days when the sea is calm, it is a wonderful beach to lie down and sunbathe. The beach is one of the most beautiful in San Cristobal, and the sea lions that rest there will surely give you a smile throughout the day.

Are you planning to surf in La Lobería? Here you can find the weather forecast for the next week

On this island, north currents arrive in the beach season (from November to April) and south swell from May to October, where the temperature of the waves usually go down a little and although it does not get cold, the sky is more cloudy, It is less appetizing and there may even be drizzle.

There are many other spots to surf in Santa Cruz Island.  Some of them very close to city centre as Playa el Bazan, Tres pico and Piedra Ahogada. You can even get there by walking.

Some others are only reachable by boat but definitely worth it. This spots are Punta Nuñez, Ola Escondida o Punta Gallina.

Isabela  islandis undoubtedly one of the favorite islands for tourists who visit Galapagos. Its environment and unique landscapes make it an authentic natural paradise.

In terms of surfing, this island is ideal for beginners or people who want to learn this sport since it has wide beaches where a high level of experience is not required.

For this reason, there are many stores that offer surf lessons around the island. If you visit Isabela, we recommend the spots El Faro, El Hospital, Barahona, Los Túneles and of course, the beach of Puerto Villamil for classes focused on beginners.

Planning to visit Galapagos? We’ll be glad to help with tips, recommendation and also we can create a personalized itinerary for you to enjoy and make the most our of your days on the Islands. Drop us a line! 

Baltra airport airlines

The main commercial airlines that travel to the San Cristobal Island Airport and to Baltra are the following:

• Airline Tame: The local airline.
• LATAM
• Aerogal (Avianca)

These three airlines make daily flights to the Islands from mainland Ecuador, departing from the two main cities of Ecuador: Quito and Guayaquil.

The price of flights between Quito / Guayaquil and the Galapagos Islands (be it Baltra or San Cristobal) is around $ 200.

If you are thinking about traveling to Galapagos remember to check the entry requirements according to your country of origin as well as the procedures and rules that you must follow when visiting the Islands.

How to get from Baltra Airport to Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz

If your flight lands in Baltra, there’s a few things you need to do in order to get to your hotel in Puerto Ayora. Here’s the step by step guide to do it.

As we mentioned earlier, Baltra is a very small island, small enough to have the Airport and that’s it, nothing more. This Island is located in the north of Santa Cruz.

Once you land in Seymour Airport in Baltra, you’ll have to go through passport and entry requirements control, where you’ll need to show your passport, accommodation booking, TCT card and pay the entrance fee according to the country of issue of your passport. After paying and showing all the requirements needed, you’ll go through another luggage control, in order to avoid entering things that may harm the island diversity (such as seeds, animals, bugs, etc)

Itabaca Channel

Once the bus drops you in the port, you’ll take your luggage and then take a taxi boat to cross from Baltra Island to Santa Cruz through the Itabaca Channel. The price for this short but very fun and pictoric ride is $1.

After you cross the channel you will finally be in Santa Cruz Island. From there a lot of taxis (don’t think about the classic yellow taxi, look for a white truck instead) will be waiting for you to take you to the hotel.

The taxi ride from that point to Puerto Ayora is around $35 and 45 minutes. Our recommendation is that you take the Highlands Tour with airport pick up to make the most out of thos 45 minutes. On the way to Puerto Ayora, the Highlands tour stops at Rancho Primicias to see giant turtles, los gemelos craters and also it visits a lava tunnels before taking you to the hotel. By doing the Highlands tour, which is around $50 you have the transfer to the airport covered (we’ll take care of the luggage) and also you get to see that side of the islands that is far away and you wont get to see again unless you specifically go there. For more info on the tour click here. 

Landing in Baltra vs. Landing in San Cristobal Which one is better?

The answer for this question depends on many factors. An important one is the amount of days you are planning to be on the Island. Santa Cruz (Baltra) is very well located in the center of the archipielago, meaning that you have access to many day trips to other islands such as North Seymour, Bartolomé, San Cristobal, Santa Fe, Isabela and so on. So that’s a very big plus staying there. However, flights to Baltra are usually a bit higher (not for much) than flights to San Cristobal, where there is usually offers and discounts and adding to that, as we explained earlier, the trip to get from Baltra to Santa Cruz is long and it requires to spend a little more money on the taxi. San Cristobal airport, on the other hand is not very far from the city center, literally 5 minutes away in a cab and no more that $10 for the ride.

Santa Cruz its becoming a very cosmopolitan city and for some people it may be losing nature and its exotic attractive. We don’t agree with this statement, we know there a lot of activities and things you can do for free in Santa Cruz (like Tortuga Bay or Las Grietas) that are pretty amazing, but it is true that it’s the most city-like island in the archipielago and that’s why some people prefer to spend more time on Isabela or San Cristobal.

If you have many days to spend on the islands and want to do many many tours to different islands, Santa Cruz is the place to stay. If you have less days and want to do a lot of free activites and dont move around that much maybe San Cristobal is your option. However, if you tell us a little bit more of what you would like to do, the days and your budget we’ll be happy to build a personalized itinerary for you that fits all your needs. Drop us a line!

A good option if you can’t decide is to land in Baltra and depart from San Cristobal, this lets you cover most of the islands and avoid thinking about transferring back and forth from one island to another.

 We’ll help you build and organize a personalized itinerary so that you make the most of your budget and time in the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos Islands Cruise 🚢

The best way to explore Galápagos?

There’s two ways to explore the Galápagos islands. The first one which has gained a lot of popularity in the last months is discovering Galápagos from the land, doing daily tours to another islands and with different experiences for everyone’s need.

Which of these two options is better depends on many things.  There’s no “good” or “bad” option cause it mostly depends on your budget, the days you have available, what are you looking forward to see on the islands and the type of traveler you are. We’ll cover all the pros, cons and frequently asked questions about Galapagos cruises so you can decide and remember, you can always drop us a line if you have any questions. 

Access unique places only reachable by cruise 🏝

One of the best advantages of doing a cruise on the Galápagos Islands is that you’ll get access to very remote and wonderful islands that you won’t be able to see if you are based on the main islands. The reason why these islands are only reachable by cruise is because they are far away from and you won’t be able to go there and then come back on the same day with daylight to the main islands (Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal) it takes a few hours to reach their location.

Another reason is that  they are protected you cannot spend the night there (there’s no hotels, population or any infrastructure whatsoever there) since the Galápagos Rules do not allow camping there either, so having a cruise where you can spend the night is a good solution.

There’s 21 islands and many islets in total on the Galapagos Islands. Out of those 21, only 14 are open for visitors with a certified authorized guide to make sure everyone follows the Galapagos Rules. 

Without a cruise the amount of islands you can reach is even more reduced. For this reason if there is a specific island you want to visit and its a non-negotiable, make sure to check for a cruise that has that one included on their itinerary.

A true opportunity to disconnect for real 📵

When we take days off we see it as an opportunity to disconnect from our daily stress and work. However, even if thats the intention, we fall into the bad habit of checking the phone, looking at the email just in case, whatsapp notifications and reading news because is very difficult to detach from it when you have easy access from your phone.

Even though in Galápagos main islands you do have coverage, is not as fast as in the continent and the more away you get from them (like you will on the cruise) the difficult it gets to have internet on your phone. Of course some cruises have wifi included but we would really recommend this trip as a great opportunity to get away from civilization and get more in touch with nature, sea lions, fishes, the sea, marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and even sharks and you’ll see how renovated and full of energy you’ll get back to your country, because nothing compares to the joy that nature can give you.

More places in less time 🕐

Good thing about traveling on a cruise is that you don’t have to get back to the island every day to sleep on the hotel. That way you make the most of your time in Galápagos getting to several places in just one day, more that what you could visit on a regular day tour. However, this depends on each cruise itinerary, it’s not something you can create on your own as you would on the land base way to know Galápagos.

All included mode, no need to worry 👑

On cruises there is usually all the food, refreshments, necessary equipment and, depending on the ship, entertainment already included, so you will not have to think about organizing any of these activities.

Favorite choice for scuba divers 🐟

Price twice as much as a land based itinerary 💰

This would be completely different if you create your own schedule. Remember that in Galápagos Low Cost we can help you build a personalized itinerary that fits your needs, days and budget. That way you can add only the activities you want to do, avoid the ones you are not interested in, spend as much as you want on the best Galapagos beaches and enjoy a lot of free activities and time on your own, with a slow or fast paced itinerary, whatever works best for your.

Seasickness can really ruin your trip 🤢

A lot of people suffer sea sickness and if you are one of those (you can be and not know it) you can spend a few days of the cruise with nausea and headaches. That’s why we recommend bringing sea sickness pills to your Galápagos trip to avoid this happening and another advice is that if you suffer from this we would recommend a longer and bigger cruise (more stable).

No flexibility on dates 📆

The final price for a Galápagos cruise depends on the durations and the type of boat you chose, but if you want to have an idea  of the cost it can be from $400 to $700 a day. So, probably a total for all days is usually around $3000 but as we said before, depends on the cruise company, the season and many other factors. Sometimes there’s last minute discounts so make sure you keep an eye on them if you have enough days on the islands.

If you need help booking a cruise or daily tours feel free to reach out to us and we’ll give you advice and a personalized itinerary for free.

4 to 5 days Galápagos cruise

8 days Galápagos cruise

This is usually the most requested option by tourists who want to take a Galapagos cruise. In 8 days it gives time to explore many iconic places in the archipelago and it is also enough time to get used to life on board without suffering discomfort from movement.

15 days Galápagos cruise

In a 15-day cruise you can cover almost all of what the Galapagos Islands have, since they visit both the main and the most remote islands that also have great attractions. Being so long, they can afford to spend a little more time and without being in such a hurry in the places you visit. However, it can be uncomfortable for some people to spend so much time on board, depending on the comforts of the boat. It all depends on the preferences you have.

How many days is it recommended to take a cruise in Galapagos?

It really depends a lot on several factors. First, the number of days you have available and the activities or sites you want to visit. The second important factor is money, since obviously the more days the more expensive the cruise will be (the same number of days on a cruise costs less than half staying on land) and the last factor is comfort.

In our opinion, a 5-day cruise that visits places that are not accessible on daily tours can be a good option to be able to do a combined itinerary.

Remember that at Galapagos Low Cost we can help you put together your personalized itinerary or choose the cruise or ideal for your trip to Galapagos at no cost. Contact us, tell us your budget and plans and we will work with you to reach a proposal that perfectly matches what you need.

The type of boat is a crucial point when defining the experience that you are going to have on your Galapagos cruise, since as we have previously mentioned, comfort is an important point when it comes to enjoying (or not) a cruise in Galapagos.

Galapagos small size cruises

A small cruise will surely be a little cheaper and they also have the added benefit of being more flexible, since it is easier to coordinate fewer people (between 15 and 16 passengers). Therefore if at any time you want to extend a visit, a snorkeling session is easier for everyone to agree and as far as possible, safe and legal to adjust the experience a little more to travelers. The downside to small boats is that they have fewer recreation areas, common spaces, and no extra activities. For this reason, besides being in the cabin, the only entertainment will be enjoying the view and doing the activities.

An advantage that is a double-edged sword is that being a small boat, it is easier to interact and create a close environment with the people on board, that is, it is easier to get to know and connect with everyone. The bad thing that can happen is that in the end you do not get along too well or there is not a good relationship with the rest of the people on board, since there is not much place where you can go to avoid them.

Galapagos mid-size cruises

This type of boat usually has between 30 and 50 passengers. The biggest benefit of this type of cruise is that they keep some of the advantages of small ones, such as flexibility, but with a little more space. In addition to this, being a little larger they are more stable so there is less propensity to suffer from dizziness and seasickness.

Galapagos big cruises

Larger cruises tend to be more expensive but compensate for on board entertainment and service. This means that there’s more common areas, many more dining options and some may even have live performances. The downside is that by focusing the experience inside the ship, depending on the duration of the cruise, expeditions may not spend enough time, there is more haste and less flexibility. It is not the type of cruises that we usually recommend. On these cruises there are usually between 50 and 100 passengers.

Most Galapagos cruises depart from Baltra Island, where the airport is located. Baltra Island is located north of Santa Cruz Island and has an excellent location since being very north it is quite close to some of the islands that are usually visited on cruises such as Seymour or Bartolomé. For this reason, it is necessary that when you book your flight to the Galapagos, you do so with the destination of Seymour Airport in Baltra and not in San Cristóbal. You can always cross from one island to another by ferry, but for comfort and being more practical we recommend doing it that way.

The cost of a cruise trip is much higher than other options. But even having this money, is it the best way to get to know the Galapagos Islands? If you have the budget and the availability of time, a cruise can be the perfect complement to discover the islands that can only be accessed through a cruise such as Isla Rábida. Therefore we recommend you identify the places you do not want to miss, your budget and your days and based on that make a decision and if you need advice remember that you can drop us a line and we will be happy to help you.

 We’ll help you build and organize a personalized itinerary so that you make the most of your budget and time in the Galapagos Islands.