Galapagos on a budget

---

The question of whether or not to visit the Galapagos if you are on a backpackers budget is very difficult to answer. Over on Lonely Planets website there are dozens, if not hundreds, of posts dedicated to the topic. And that is just one resource. Despite reading as much online as we could, we still did not find as much information as we wanted. This blog is intended to be another resource and will hopefully answer questions we were not able to find answers to online. I will touch on some of the basics, but this blog t is geared towards those who have made the decision to go to the islands and to go on a cruise. It is our story of our cruise hunt and the lessons we learned over a 3 week period (yes, between shopping around and booking something and actually going on the cruise that is how long it took - easily can be expedited depending on what you want). Please note that this was our first and only visit to the Galapagos. We are not experts on the topic. We can only share what we learned in April/May 2012 which may or may not be a good indicator of what you will find.



Super Short Conclusions

If you just want to see the Galapagos and are not particularly picky about how - fly out to Puerto Ayora and take care of it there.

If you are picky about your visit to the Galapagos - book it in Quito or Guayaquil - the cruise prices/options are going to be about the same in Guayaquil and Quito and the $ difference is so small in the grand scheme of the trip it makes sense to just do what is convenient





Details

The first big question we were faced with was Where do I go to book a Galapagos cruise? Quito? Guayaquil? Puerto Ayora? The simple answer is, as long as you book your trip from one of those places and not from home you have already saved a ton of money. But choosing between the three places is a topic we struggled with quite a bit and I think the answer depends a whole lot on what you want out of your trip.

What do you want out of your Galapagos trip?

Regardless of what you decide to do in the Galapagos, just being there is an amazing experience. If you do not even set foot off Santa Cruz Island you can still have an incredible experience. Of course I would not recommend that (I would go to San Cristobal if I could pick only one of the populated islands). But the point is, being there is wonderful all in itself. Just the bus/ferry ride from Baltra airport to Puerto Ayora and hanging out at the docks in Puerto Ayora had me in awe.

Is your goal to get to the islands, spend as little money as possible, spend as little money as possible (not a typo), not go on a cruise but still have a great experience? If so, check out the very end of the blog.

If your goal is to get a good deal on a last minute cruise



I think you can accomplish this goal by just doing day trips and skipping out on the more expensive cruise. Even the cheapest cruises are going to run you $130+ per day. There are a number of free things you can do on the islands and some tours are inexpensive. If our budget was super super tight, yet we were set on going to the Galapagos, here is what I would do 1) Fly Aerogal in to Santa Cruz ($200) and hang out at the docks for the day, 2) go to the Darwin Research Center and evesdrop on tour guides ($0), 2) rent snorkel equipment and spend the afternoon at Tortuga Bay ($10), 3) take a water taxi to San Cristobal and hang out at the docks ($25), 4) go on a highlands tour to see tortoises ($30), 5) rent snorkel equipment and visit Frigatebird hill and the Interpretation Center ($10), 6) rent snorkel equipment and go to La Loberia ($10), 7) Fly Aerogal back to the mainland ($200). That is a week in the Galapagos for about $500, not including food and hostal. You would still see a ton and I think would come away satisfied with your trip.



Flights

Aerogal has the cheapest flights to the Galapagos. TAME is in the middle. LAN is the most expensive. I do not think you can expect to go to the airport and just get on an Aerogal flight the same day. We tried and they were fully booked. TAME had plenty of room though.

An advantage to booking your trip from Quito and Guayaquil instead of Puerto Ayora is you have the potential to save some money on the flight. Travel agencies in Quito and Guayaquil have good relationships with the airlines. They get discounts and are able to hold blocks of seats. From Guayaquil we were offered a round trip flight for $409 from Galsam travel agency. We spent $454 booking it directly, at the airport through TAME.

It is cheaper to fly from Guayaquil than from Quito, by about $50 round trip ($25 one way). Considering it is an $8 bus ride from Guayaquil to Quito, it is much more cost effective to fly from Guayaquil. That savings can be wiped out quickly though if you have to spend $6 round trip to get from the bus terminal in Guayaquil to a hostal or if you have to spend an extra night at a hostal.



Hostal Costs

Hostal costs are roughly the same in Guayaquil and in the Galapagos. And from the people we talked to in Quito the costs were roughly the same there too. Costs are for a private room with private bathroom.

Guayaquil -$20 (Hotel Galapagos), $20 without AC (Hostal Madrid), $30 with AC (Hostal Madrid), $18 with AC (Hostal Mantesa).

Puerto Ayora - $25 without AC (Hostal ????), $20 without AC (Hostal Darwin)

San Cristobal - $20 without AC (Hostal Azul Luna)



Food and Drink Costs

Food prices do go up in the Galapagos compared to the mainland (all costs are per person). A lunch menu of the day runs around $2 in Guayaquil, and you can find cheaper. The same in the Galapagos will be in the $3.30 range in Puerto Ayora. We did not look for a lunch place in San Cristobal. Dinner in the Galapagos was way more expensive for us. In Guayaquil we could get a large $1.25 rice and beans



Extra Costs

Other



So, you want a good deal on a cruise? What exactly is a good deal?

This is a tough question to answer, but it is the most important

It was the end of April, 2012. We had a month left in our backpacking trip through South America and in that month our one and only goal was to get to the Galapagos on the cheap.

So the first question: Quito, Guayaquil, or go directly to the Galapagos, Puerto Aroyo?

Heading up from Peru we decided to go to Guayaquil and start our search there because flights to the Galapagos are about $30 cheaper round trip and we were closer to Guayaquil anyway.

The answer to Quito vs Guayaquil vs Puerto Aroyo depends on many factors, but the two most important being time and what kind of trip you want.

Are there great deals to be had by just flying to Puerto Aroyo? Absolutely. At one point in Puerto Aroyo we were offered an 8 day cruise on a luxury boat for $1,300. There were 4 day cruises on a first class boat for $500 plus they threw in a day trip to San Cristobal. Another luxury option for 6 days at $1300. Or 6 days tourist class for about $900.



Is your goal to get to the islands, spend as little money as possible, spend as little money as possible (not a typo) but still have a great experience?

I think you can accomplish this goal by just doing day trips and skipping out on the more expensive cruise. There are a number of free things you can do on the islands and some tours are inexpensive. If our budget was super super tight, yet we were set on going to the Galapagos, here is what I would do 1a) Pay the $110 in fees, 1b) Fly Aerogal in to Santa Cruz ($200) and hang out at the docks for the day to watch the birds primarily, 2a) go to the Darwin Research Center to see tortoises and evesdrop on tour guides ($0), 2b) rent snorkel equipment and spend the afternoon at Tortuga Bay ($10), 3a) take a water taxi to San Cristobal and hang out at the docks in the morning ($25), 3b) rent snorkel equipment and go to La Loberia in the afternoon ($10), 4) go on a highlands tour to see tortoises ($30), 5) rent snorkel equipment and visit Frigatebird hill to swim with sea lions and go to the Interpretation Center ($10), 6) Fly Aerogal back to the mainland ($200). That is 6 days in the Galapagos for about $610, not including food and hostal, and on a tight timeframe. Given the cost just to get to the islands, it does not make much sense to me to do anything less than this. After the flight and park entrace fee you will already have spent $510. The extra $100 on top of that to follow this itinerary would allow you to see a lot and have a great, inexpensive Galapagos vacation.



Agencia Delgado Travel Fradelsa

$2500/p - 8days - Isabela, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Floreana, Bartolome, Punta Carion

Centro Viajero - $460 for just flight - May 6-10 $1450 on Darwin - May 2-1 $1750 Santa Cruz

Centro Viajero - $1750 each with airfare

May 6-13: 8d/7n - $1400 plus $413 flight - tourist superiior

---