Tag: budget

Itinerary: 12 days in the Galapagos Islands

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The Galapagos is one of those places you can’t believe still exists in this world. It feels like you are on another planet. It is a must-see destination for any nature lover or even anyone vaguely interested in nature. Unfortunately, the actions of a few people are slowly destroying this incredible ecosystem so please be a responsible traveller when you visit and help discourage those who take advantage of this magical place.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away:

Guayaquil is the gateway to the Galapagos in Ecuador and all flights leave from here – from Guayaquil you can travel to/from many places in Ecuador and beyond. The Guayaquil bus station is right next to the airport (15 minutes walk) but you can also taxi for a few dollars in daytime and it is advised to taxi at night due to safety concerns.

You have the option of flying into either Seymour Airport on Baltra Island (just off Santa Cruz Island) or the San Cristobal Island Airport. If you follow my itinerary below you will fly into the Galapagos via one airport and out via the other. If you want to follow the below itinerary but get return flights from the same airport you will need at least an extra day (possibly two) to make your way between islands. The Flight from Guayaquil is 2 hours.

Despite flights to the Galapagos technically being domestic, you are advised to arrive at the airport 3 hours ahead of time in case of delays. Once at the airport you will need to queue for a migration card (at the Consejo de Gobierno Counter); then have your luggage bio-checked. After you have completed both of these tasks you can then check in. You will need to pay approximately $120 USD per person in fees at the airport including for the migration card. 

Accommodation:

There are lots of basic accomodation options in the Galapagos Islands which cost about as much as a nice hotel on the mainland. However, in general the accomodation is clean and tidy and very conveniently located. You can compare options and prices on Booking.com.

Food:

Food is expensive in the Galapagos so be prepared to use up some dollar dollar bills going to any restaurant or bar. However, you can still eat well on a bit of a budget:

  1. Take advantage of happy hour – all the beachfront bars have happy hour where you can get 2 for 1 beers or cocktails.
  2. Buy your own beer from the local convenience store – they sell big bottles that you can return to the store for a partial refund.
  3. Bring plenty of packaged snacks from the mainland. Make sure not to bring any fresh goods as these are a biosecurity hazard.
  4. On Santa Cruz Island you can visit Fish Fry Road. This is a collection of street food stalls selling and cooking fresh seafood. It’s pretty touristy but still more affordable than eating at a restaurant (and the seafood is amazing!).
  5. Each island has a market where you can purchase fresh food and a convenience store or two. You can purchase simple ingredients and make some food for yourself if your accomodation has a kitchen.

Getting around:

The only way to get to and from the different populated islands in the Galapagos (unless you are on a cruise) is by ferry. When I say ferry I don’t mean a large public service boat but instead a small privately owned speedboat that will make the trip there and back in a day so the staff can be back home with their families overnight.

The trip is approximately 3 hours so its a bit of a journey. You can also only travel between Santa Cruz and San Cristobal or Santa Cruz and Isabela so if you need. to get from San Cristobal to Isabela your journey will take the whole day (no thanks!). You can see how I structure the itinerary below so you don’t need to do this.

The ferries will also cost you about $35-45 USD each one way (NOTHING is cheap here!)

You can have a great time though! If your ferry has one try to get the seat right up the top by the captain of the boat. You will have great views and if you make friends with the captain he may even let you drive the boat like my husband got to!

Top Tips:

  1. Get out some money beforehand if you need to pay for cruises or tours in cash (as there is a $600 USD a day limit in the Galapagos).
  2. Make sure you take every opportunity you get to experience what the Galapagos has to offer. I’m not a super fit person and I don’t particularly like snorkelling but you bet I took every opportunity to get in the water and experience the incredible sea life here. Sometimes I didn’t feel like it and I was EXHAUSTED after 12 days but I always enjoyed myself once I started and there was always an incredible experience I would have been really upset to have missed out on.

DAY 1

Fly into San Cristobal Airport in the morning; settle into your accomodation; and have a wander through town. After lunch, walk to Las Tijeretas. There is a lookout here with great views out to sea and also a calm cove that is great for snorkelling. On your way back, stop at Punta Carola – a sandy beach close to town where you will often find sea lions.

DAY 2

Take a full day tour to Kicker Rock today. This tour starts early and when we were here the tour company Nature Galapagos were happy to organise a slightly earlier return time so we could catch the 3pm ferry to Santa Cruz – you will need to jump on the ferry straight from the kicker rock tour so bring your bags!

In Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) head down to the main waterfront after dark – If you are patient you will see nocturnal marine animals attracted to the lights shining in the water. 

DAY 3, 4, 5 and 6

Take a cruise! Many of the cruises in the Galapagos are 4 days long and they allow you to travel to the uninhabited islands. This is a more expensive option but worth it even if you take a very basic cruise like I did – It’s all about the cruise itinerary anyway.

Most cruises begin from the airport on Baltra Island (closest to Santa Cruz) so you will need to make your way there to begin the cruise if you are already on the Islands.

DAY 7

If you took a 4 day cruise it will finish today. There is usually an early activity in the morning before the passengers are ferried to the airport – we chose a cruise that had its final activity in Puerto Ayora so that we wouldn’t need to make the trip to the airport and back again.

Once settled in Puerto Ayora head to Las Grietas which is a calm, deep inland lagoon where you can swim in the cool water and see some fish.

When you return from Las Grietas (around 4pm is the best time) head towards the Puerto Ayora Fish Market to watch the fishermen bringing in their catch and the animals this attracts. The market gets swamped by birds, pelicans and sea lions. From late afternoon a little barbecue stand will cook any of the fresh fish for you.

DAY 8

Get up early today and do the short hike to Playa Tortuga where you can see marine iguanas and swim at the beach. In the afternoon take the ferry to Isabela Island.

DAY 9

Early in the morning,  visit Concha Perla to do some snorkelling then take the Cabo Rosa Los Tuneles Tour with Rosadelco.

DAY 10

Take the Sierra Negra Tour with Rosadelco. This is a 5 hour hike so will be a long, hot day of hiking and therefore you likely want to spend the rest of the day just relaxing – you could visit the lovely beach right in front of the town called Playa Grande.

DAY 11

Hire some bikes for the day to bike to Muro de las Lagrimas to see a wall that prisoners built and visit a beautiful lookout point. On the way back there are lots of stops to take along the bike trail: Cerro Radar, Cerro Orchilla, Tunnel de Estero, Playa de Amor, Pozas Verdes, and La Playita. A slight detour just before returning into town is Pozas de las Diablas and the Isabela Tortoise breeding centre. Take the afternoon ferry back to Santa Cruz.

Tunnel De Estero

DAY 12

If you have some time before your flight, take a short walk to Laguna de las Ninfas – a quiet lagoon surrounded by 3 different types of mangroves and many birds. Fly out from Seymour Airport on Baltra Island.

I hope this Itinerary has given you an idea of how best to spend your time in the Galapagos Islands. If you need to restructure this due to cruise dates, cruise stops or flight availability please see my post on How to: Plan your Itinerary to the Galapagos for how to restructure or plan your visit differently.

Erika xx

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