How to Visit the Galapagos Islands

by alicesadventures-onearth | May 20, 2024 | Ecuador, Scuba Diving | 0 comments

If you’re interested in learning how to visit the Galapagos Islands, you’re on your way to experiencing one of the most biodiverse locations on planet Earth. Ecuador as a whole is incredibly diverse in landscapes, cultures, language, and food. From the highlands and lush Amazon to the Avenue of Volcanoes and all the way to the western beaches, this is destination of extraordinary beauty. But no place on earth quite encapsulates the variance of nature like the Galapagos Islands. Made famous by Charles Darwin as a scientific proving ground for evolution, this island chain has unique species, plants, and marine life unlike anywhere else on Earth.

If you’d like to explore this archipelago, this guide will cover how to visit the Galapagos Islands and the best ways to experience its unique environment. Planning can be a challenge, so let my experience visiting the Galapagos be your guide! Whether you choose to travel by cruise ship or land, on a budget or ready to splurge, you’ll find all the tools and tips you need to visit with hotel, cruise, and tour recommendations provided.

The Galapagos Islands are a treasure trove of biodiversity, so it’s more important than ever to obey park rules, keep a safe distance from wildlife, and leave only footprints when you visit. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you click and make a purchase.

Why You Should Visit the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands became Ecuador’s first national park in 1959, and later, a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. It is one of the most well-managed protected island chains in the world. It’s home to 19 major islands, three smaller islands, and over a hundred islets, all of which feature incredibly unique landscapes and differing wildlife. To protect the islands and the animals that reside here, the island chain has strict rules that regulate the number of people and ships allowed to visit each island on any given day. This helps maintain an exclusive feel and low impact on the environment.

While traveling to every single island isn’t possible for conservation reasons, there are still about 20 islands that are frequented by visitors. Each of them offers their own unique experiences and is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Best Galapagos Islands to Visit

Learning how to visit the Galapagos Islands starts with figuring out which islands you’ll want to see and explore. Some of the most popular and best islands out of the 20 that are frequently visitied include the following:

San Cristobal: As the capital city, San Cristobal is a common first stop for many tourists. Here, you’ll find several amenities, including hotels, restaurants, and shops to explore while you get settled. There are a variety of activities you can try here, including hiking, snorkeling, diving, and bird watching. The island is especially known for its diverse wildlife, pristine beaches, and unforgettable views.

Isabela: The largest island in the Galapagos, Isabela possesses a stunning and diverse landscape. Expect white-sand beaches, lush mangroves, massive sea cliffs, expansive lava fields, and active volcanoes on Isabela. This island is an incredible sight to behold and one of the most scenic. It also happens to be home to the Galapagos Islands’ largest population of wild tortoises!

Santa Cruz: As the most populated island in the Galapagos, Santa Cruz is also the most visited with a less natural and unspoiled feel. You’ll find several restaurants, shops, hotels, and amenities here, and the island makes a great base for adventures. The main appeal of Santa Cruz is the local wildlife, which includes marine iguanas, sea lions, and giant tortoises.

Genovesa: Nicknamed the “Bird Island,” Genovesa is a bird-watcher’s paradise. Here, you’ll find a variety of rare bird species, including Nazca and red-footed boobies. Off-shore, you’ll find some of the best snorkeling and diving areas in the entire island chain.

Floreana: The first Galapagos Island inhabited by humans, Floreana offers a mix of natural and historical sights. Here, you can learn about the Galapagos’ earliest settlers, visit an incredibly unique post office, and meet the island’s resident flamingos.

How to Visit the Galapagos Islands

Interested in how to visit the Galapagos Islands? It’s essential to get an overview of the best path to take because direct international flights are not available. When I’ve visited the islands, I’ve found the simplest route is through Ecuador with connecting flights in either Quito or Guayaquil, both of which provide regularly scheduled flights to the Galapagos Islands. These flights take about 2.5 hours and are operated by Avianca and LATAM Airlines.

Depending upon your plans, you’ll either fly into Baltra or San Cristobal in the Galapagos. When booking your flights, it’s important to pay attention to the departure location of your selected tour—these islands are quite far from each other. Also, be sure to see if flights are included in your travel package. If they aren’t, you can expect to spend between $400-$500 for a roundtrip flight to the Galapagos Islands from mainland Ecuador.

Once you’ve arrived in the Galapagos Islands, there are three main ways to explore.

Island Hopping: The most affordable way to see the islands, but limits how many islands you can see.
Live-Aboard Diving Cruises: Perfect for advanced divers, liveaboard diving cruises offer the opportunity to visit some of the best dive spots around the islands over 8 to 15 days.
Tourist Cruises: These range in length from 4 to 15 days, allow you to experience multiple islands on your trip, and combine lots of on and off-land activities.

Regardless of what you decide to do, it’s important to note that visiting the Galapagos Islands is, in general, expensive. While it can be done on a reasonable budget, traveling to the Galapagos Islands will most likely be the priciest part of your trip to Ecuador.

Tourist Cruises in the Galapagos

A tourist cruise is a great way to see the islands. Most of the itineraries stop at multiple destinations, including some of the more remote and hard-to-reach ones. A majority of the sailing happens overnight, so you are free to explore the islands all day. You don’t need to worry about accommodations or transportation from island to island, making this a simple option for travel. There are tour guides included, as well as all meals. Most ships provide entertainment and activities.

Cruise tours vary in length from 4 to 15 days and offer a variety of itineraries, with different islands visited each day. While shorter cruises may focus on more popular destinations, like San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Florena, longer cruises typically include more off-the-beaten-path islands and may even incorporate adventures back in mainland Ecuador.

Tourist cruises are offered year-round, however, the best time to visit the Galapagos Islands and enjoy tourist cruises is between December and May. During this time of the year, the weather is warmer, seas are calmer, and water visibility is greater, allowing for more adventures and exploration.

In terms of activities, there are a variety of excursions and things to do on cruise tours. While they can vary depending on the cruise you select, common excursions include the following:

Snorkeling and Diving: The Galapagos Islands offer some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world in terms of spotting marine life. You will swim alongside sea lions, hammerhead or whale sharks, eagle rays, and Pacific sea turtles.
Hiking: Land lovers rejoice! Besides the incredible marine life under the sea, there are some epic hiking trails on the islands. Think dried lava beds around active volcanoes, the world’s second-largest crater (Sierra Negra), and many more interesting landscapes to discover.
Wildlife Watching: There’s a reason the Galapagos are considered one of the most ecologically diverse areas on Earth. There are so many species of animals that can’t be found anywhere else. Add blue-footed bobbies, penguins, giant tortoises, and so much more to your must-see list.

Small Ship at sea in the Galapagos Islands

Heron standing on the shoreline of a beach in the Galapagos

Cost of a Tourist Cruise in the Galapagos

The cost for tourist cruises in the Galapagos Islands varies by the itinerary you choose, the cruise operator you select, and the level of comfort you’re looking for. Generally speaking, most Galapagos Islands cruises cost somewhere around $500-$600 per day. Luxury, high-end cruises can cost as much as $1,200 per day, so pick an option that fits well with your budget.

Here’s a real-life example of the cost to visit the Galapagos Islands: The cruise I booked with Adventure Life cost $4,900 for five days in a single-occupancy room. This price included on-board accommodations, meals, tour guides, on-ground transportation, activities, and gear rental—everything I needed for the five days of exploring the islands.

If you’re interested in booking your own cruise with Adventure Life, you can get started on their website. It’s best to reserve your trip a few months in advance— boats are known to book up quickly, especially during the high season.

Galapagos small ship cruise in the twilight

sea lion rests on a beach in the Galapagos

Sea Lion on the beach in the Galapagos Islands

My Experience with Adventure Life in the Galapagos

During my trip to the Galapagos, I explored the islands on a tourist cruise with Adventure Life. I set sail on Corals I, a 30-passenger yacht-style cruise ship that traversed the Southeastern islands for 5 days. Our itinerary departed from San Cristobal Island and included stops in Espanola, Floreana, and Santa Cruz.

Along the way, I had the opportunity to take in a variety of stunning landscapes, take unforgettable excursions, and witness incredible wildlife. Some of my most memorable activities included exploring the sea caves at Cerro Brujo, hiking Pitt Point to see the red and blue-footed boobies, swimming with sea lions at Gardner Bay, admiring the pink flamingos in Floreana, and visiting the giant tortoises at the Highlands Tortoise Reserve.

If you’d like to see my experience in full, be sure to check out my video: My Solo Trip to the Galapagos: An Epic Week of Snorkeling, Sharks & Sea Lions, where I take you along with me as I explore how to visit the Galapagos Islands and what adventures await you here.

Yacht sits anchored in the oceans of the Galapagos

Is a Galapagos Islands Liveaboard Cruise Right for You?

The Galapagos Islands are renowned for their dive sites, due to the rich diversity of marine life present here. The island chain lies at the confluence of three major ocean currents, which create an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters that attract marine life from across the globe. In fact, it’s estimated that the waters off the Galapagos Islands are home to more than 3,000 different marine species, some of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

From hammerhead sharks to Galapagos penguins, manta rays, marine iguanas, sea lions, and Galapagos sharks, there’s a lot to see under the water here. And one of the best ways to experience it all is from a liveaboard diving cruise.

Liveaboards in the Galapagos are not only convenient and practical for those interested in a dive-only vacation, but they also have the ability to go places that others don’t. Actually, two of the most popular dive sites in the Galapagos—Darwin and Wolf Islands—are only accessible via liveaboards. So, your access to dive sites and marine life is exponentially expanded with liveaboards. On top of this, many ships take no more than 16 guests at a time, so your experience will be much more intimate.

Trips typically range in length from 8-15 days and offer a variety of itineraries. Generally speaking, shorter tours focus on popular destinations, such as Darwin, Wolf, Baltra, and Cousin’s Rock. On the other hand, longer cruises typically include smaller, less-visited sites and may incorporate some land excursions. Regardless of your trip length, you can expect to do 3-4 dives a day.

While liveaboards operate year-round, the best time to take liveaboard diving cruises to the Galapagos Islands is between December and June. This time of year offers warmer and clearer waters, so visibility is at its highest. In addition to this, marine life, such as manta rays and hammerhead sharks, are most active around this time.

Important Note: Many of the dive sites visited on liveaboards in the Galapagos require advanced diving skills. If you’re new to diving, you’ll want to really do your research and be careful about the itinerary you choose.

Cost of Liveaboards in the Galapagos

The cost for liveaboard diving cruise in the Galapagos varies with length, itinerary, operator, and comfort level of your cruise. Generally speaking, most Galapagos liveaboards cost about $500-$700 a day, while high-end luxury cruises can cost upwards of $1,000 a day. This price typically includes accommodations, meals, dive insurance, and use of on-board amenities. Dive equipment is typically available to rent at an extra cost.

Liveaboards can be booked online via third-party vendors, such as Padi and Liveaboard.com, or directly through your desired company.

Galapagos Islands Hotels

The Galapagos Islands hotels you choose will have a big impact on your budget—something crucial to consider when you’re planning how to visit the Galapagos Islands. If you’re trying to save money on your trip, be very mindful of the accommodations you book. There are a variety of options spread out across the islands for you to consider.

Galapagos Islands Budget Accommodations: For the ultimate savings, you can opt to stay in a hostel or low-budget hotel where prices range from $30-$100/night. Some popular options include Galapagos Dreams on Santa Cruz, Hotel Galapagos Suites B&B on San Cristobal, and Hotel La Laguna Galapagos on Isabela.
Galapagos Islands Mid-Range Accommodations: For a nice, but not overpriced stay, there are a variety of mid-range accommodations available for $150-$300/night. A few popular options include Plaza Luna Suites and La Peregrina B&B on Santa Cruz, and Isamar Hotel on Isabela.
Galapagos Islands High-End Accommodations: For a more luxurious experience, there are several high-end accommodations offering prices of $400-$900/night. Some popular options include Hotel Indigo on San Cristobal, Royal Palm by Hilton on Santa Cruz, and Casa Baronesa Waterfront Villa on Isabela.
Galapagos Islands Sustainable Accommodations: For a more eco-friendly experience, consider staying at one of these incredible properties: Golden Bay Galapagos on San Cristobal, and Pikaia Lodge, Finch Bay, and Ikala Hotel on Santa Cruz.

How to Visit the Galapagos Islands Your Way

Ultimately, when deciding how to visit the Galapagos Islands, take your budget, preferences, and priorities into consideration. These are the factors that will have the most influence on your decision. That being said, I can make a few recommendations from my time spent in the Galapagos.

If you’re a serious diver with advanced training, then I’d advise joining a liveaboard diving cruise—this will provide you with the most opportunities to experience the underwater world. If you’re not a diver but want to see as much as possible, then consider doing a Galapagos cruising tour. You’ll be able to see several islands in one go. And if you’re working with a budget or simply prefer to do things on your own, then make use of the ferry and go island hopping at your leisure.

There really isn’t one right answer when you’re choosing the right Galapagos Islands hotels and accommodations for your trip. The Galapagos is an incredible destination unlike any other—regardless of how you decide to explore it, you’re sure to have an absolutely amazing time.

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