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. 

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.

Where are the Galapagos Islands located? 🧐

How to get to the Galapagos Islands? ✈️

The answer to this question depends on where you are flying from. But in all cases, you’ll need to get from your country to Ecuador mainland, since there are no direct flights to Galápagos. The reason for this is because you need to pass to several controls and the government needs to make sure you comply with all the Galapagos Entry Requirements and the way to make sure you don’t introduce anything that might harm the Galápagos environment is an exhaustive luggage control on the mainland airports before you enter Galápagos. Most commercial flights land in Ecuador’s two main cities: Guayaquil (José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport) and the capital Quito (Tababela Airport).

You can do a stopover for a few days there (which we highly recommend) or do a scale flight straight to the Galápagos Islands and skip those cities.

Flights to Galápagos go to the 2 commercial airports the islands have. The most popular and visited one is located in Baltra Island and its called Seymour International airport. The other airport is located in San Cristobal Island. 

There are only 3 airlines tha flight from those cities to Galápagos:

• LATAM AIRLINES
• AEROGAL / AVIANCA
• TAME. This a local airlines company, but we don’t recommend it if you are on a tight schedule since they tend to delay flights and an awful customer service.

To which Island should it buy my flight to?  🏝

The answer to this question mostly depends on what are your plans on the Galápagos Islands and how many days you have there. Here’s your comment on both

Baltra (beside Santa Cruz) Airport

Baltra Island has the main airport and is located besides Santa Cruz Island (the capital). The good thing about this is that Santa Cruz is at the center of the archipielago and gives you a good chance to move around many islands like Isabela or day trips to Bartolomé.So basically this gives you a good checkpoint to move around different places, although in Santa Cruzitselfl besides Tortuga Bay and las Grietas there’s not much to do compared to other islands, since is the most “cosmopolitan” city. Another con about landing here is that the ride from Baltra Airport and Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz where mosthotels aree located  is a bit long and you’ll have to get a bus, a mini boat and a taxi to reach to your hotel. Onthe bright side the ride from the airport to the city center you get the chance to see Santa Cruz highlands and see the giant turtles and lava tunnels. 

San Cristobal Airport

The greatest thing about San Cristobal airport is that is located 5 minutes by car from the city center, so as soon as you land you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of the islands. Flights to San Cristobal are usually a bit cheaper and this island has a lot amazing beaches and free activities to offer. This is also a great place to surf in Galápagos. 

The cons about landing here is that if you don’t have many days in the island is going to take you more time to move to other islands like Isabela, since you’ll have to stop in Santa Cruz first before taking another ferry and that would make you lose a lot of time.

Why not both?

We usually advice for people who want to make the most out of their Galapagos Trip and want to cover all the main highlights in less time tochoosee a mixed option, meaning landing in Baltra and departing from San Cristobal. Its a bit more than a round flight but not so much and you’ll save in island transfers.

 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 Island health insurance

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That phrase can summarize our recommendations when it comes to health insurance before traveling to the Galápagos Islands. Everyday we get a lot of questions about the Galapagos Entry Requirements and the health insurance is the most frequent one.

Galápgos is a unique destination and that’s what caughs the attention of all tourist. Not for nothing they are called “The enchanted Islands”  and to keep its uniqueness the Galápagos government has a set of rules and requirements tourists have to comply with in order to enjoy the islands.

Galápagos is also an adventure destination and that means most activities and daily tours are outdoors, doing snorkeling in open water with sharks, rays, climbing to the top of a volcano, relaxing on an isolated paradisiac beach, hiking and so on. To live this is an amazing experience but it also carries a bit of risk. Saying this we don’t want to scare you away. Most activities are safe and you are always in the company of a well experience certified guide and its really unlikely that something happens to you during your trip.

Do I need health insurance for my Galapagos Trip?

The short answer is yes. Given the covid 19 situation, health and travel insurance is now a mandatory requirement for the Galápagos Islands.

Even if it wasn’t mandatory, we highly advise you to get one. They are as cheap as $3 a day and can save you a lot of money for even the slightest accident or a bug bite for example. It’s always better to be prepared. We recommend Mondo Health Insurance and if you book following this link you’ll get a 5% discount. Click here to get 5% on insurance discount. 

Galapagos Health Insurance Price

You can get health and travel insurance for your trip to the Galapagos Islands for as low as $3 a day. The final price always depends on the coverage and how long are you staying on the islands (the more days, the cheaper it gets). Get a free insurace quote with 5% discount here.  If you would like a quote or help with your Galapagos itinerary feel free to drop us a line and we’ll be happy to help you.

What’s the best Health Insurance for my Galapagos trip?

There’s plenty of insurance companies offering different plans, we recommend you to get the one that fits better your needs and your budget. In Galapagos Low Cost we work with Mondo Health Insurance but any authorized company will work to comply with the entry requirements, so make sure you pick the one of your preference and make sure it covers covid 19 as Mondo does.