How to: Plan your Itinerary to the Galapagos

The Galapagos is a dream destination for many people but because of the logistical challenges involved in planning a trip; the isolated location and the cost of visiting – it is often overlooked for more accessible holiday destinations.

So here are the important considerations for planning travel to the Galapagos.

Step 1: Figure out your budget

Although having a budget is important for any form of travel, having a budget for your Galapagos trip is KEY. The Galapagos Islands can be SO EXPENSIVE particularly if you have been travelling through mainland Ecuador before this.

Your budget will determine if you can afford to take a cruise or not, what sort of accomodation and activities you can pay for and how long that you can stay in the Galapagos as that cost just keeps on rising for every day that you are there (but is also exponentially better value).

To give you an idea of what you will need, our 12 day very strictly budgeted backpacker trip to the Galapagos cost approximately $6,000 USD for two people.

Step 2:

Decide what you are looking to get out of your holiday – do you want a relaxing vacation, and adventure or are you nature-mad and desperate to see everything the Galapagos has to offer?

If you are just after a nice holiday I would argue that the Galapagos is not the place for you BUT each to their own. You can laze around the pool and enjoy some of the finer things on some of the more luxurious Galapagos cruises BUT it comes at a huge cost so you will need to factor this in. You can get a luxurious cruise for a lot less elsewhere. If you want to pack in as many activities as possible and go to the places that you are going to encounter the most wildlife then this will come at a cost too – either through lots of day trips or a cruise that goes for longer or further into the unpopulated areas of the islands.

Step 3:

Figure out how much time you can spend here and add some more. This seems straightforward but if there is any way you can squeeze in a little extra time in the Galapagos then you should do it. We cut out a bunch of other things we wanted to do in South America so we could get 12 days here and it was such a great idea. Every day was packed full of exciting things to do and we wish we had had more time. Plus a lot of costs such as the flights etc. are one off’s and there are heaps of free activities if you can spend an extra few days so the longer you stay the cheaper each day is.

Step 4:

Make a decision as to whether you will do a Cruise in the Galapagos – this is a big decision as cruises are PRICEY. There are some day boats to some of the closer islands but mostly the uninhabited (and therefore more remote, wild and full of wildlife) areas are only accessible via cruise as the boats will travel overnight. Also this saves you time as on a day trip you need to travel there and back eating up a big chunk of your day. Each tour provider is limited in the frequency that they can visit each location so you will find that the tour operators have a variety of itineraries leaving on different dates. If you comment below that you would like to make use of it I am happy to share the comparison chart I used to choose a cruise.

Even if you choose do do a cruise, then you will need to decide for how long and if you will stay any extra days on the inhabited areas of the islands. I do recommend this also as you get a whole different experience of the place and there are lots of free things to do and areas with wildlife right next to these pockets of civilisation.

Step 5:

If you decide to spend some independent time on the islands and not just do a cruise then you will need to figure how how to be most efficient and cost effective with your time. Firstly, I would plan to fly into one airport and out from another so that you can visit 2 islands but save on a one way ferry (which takes up 3 hours and costs a lot). Secondly, don’t backtrack too much: Plan your cruise to start when you arrive at the airport or to be at the end of your journey so they will take you to the airport at the end. OR choose a cruise that will drop you in Puerto Ayora or on San Cristobal at the end.

Also, pick a few of your ‘must-see’ excursions or tours and make sure you mix these in with some self-guided exploring.

Let me know what your plan is for the Galapagos and if these tips were helpful in making your decision!

Erika xx