There are a wide variety of boats & hotels currently operating in the Galapagos Islands. The boats operate strictly within the Galapagos archipelago and do not extend their voyages outside this region. Visitors are required to purchase a return airline ticket from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) in order to reach the Galapagos Islands.
GALAPAGOS BUDGET – in order to make a decision of what cruise, boat or package is best for you, your budget will greatly determine your feasible options. For those who do not like spending extended periods on boats, or for those that have very young children, a land-based package is usually prefered. With any given visit to the Galapagos Islands, there are three main costs:
ROUND TRIP AIRLINE TICKET
- These are fixed costs, regardless of the actual time spent in Galapagos;
- There are high and low season flight rates (see below);
- Visitors have the option to fly from either Quito or Guayaquil out to the islands, and then return back to either Guayaquil or Quito at the end of your visit;
- Roundtrip airline tickets are booked in conjunction with any given Galapagos package: flights dates are usually guaranteed for package dates by the operator in question;
- Visitors wishing to fly our earlier and/or stay on after the package dates, is subject to flight seat availabilities.
HIGH SEASON: January 1st to April 30th / June 15th to September 14th / November 1st to December 31st
GALAPAGOS FLIGHT RATES – HIGH SEASON
| ROUTING | ADULT | CHILD |
|---|---|---|
| QUITO – GALAPAGOS – QUITO | USD $422 | USD $217 |
| QUITO – GALAPAGOS – GUAYAQUIL | USD $403 | USD $208 |
| GUAYAQUIL – GALAPAGOS – QUITO | USD $400 | USD $205 |
| GUAYAQUIL – GALAPAGOS – GUAYAQUIL | USD $372 | USD $191 |
| $10 per ticket airline surcharge on all routes (as of March 2010) |
LOW SEASON: May 1st to June 14th / September 15th to October 31st
GALAPAGOS FLIGHT RATES – LOW SEASON
| ROUTING | ADULT | CHILD |
|---|---|---|
| QUITO – GALAPAGOS – QUITO | USD $367 | USD $190 |
| QUITO – GALAPAGOS – GUAYAQUIL | USD $349 | USD $181 |
| GUAYAQUIL – GALAPAGOS – QUITO | USD $346 | USD $178 |
| GUAYAQUIL – GALAPAGOS – GUAYAQUIL | USD $328 | USD $169 |
| $10 per ticket airline surcharge on all routes (as of March 2010) |
Note: ‘Child’ is anyone under 12 years of age / ‘Adult’ is anyone over 12 years of age.
- Included in this section is TOURIST CONTROL CARD (TCT). “Tarjeta de Control de Transito” or TCT card costs $10.00 per person (regardless of age or nationality), and is now required by every visitor to the Galapagos Islands. Presently, this card can only be paid upon arrival into the Galapagos Islands. This fee is in addition to the Galapagos National Park entrance fee. With the TCT card, INGALA, the institution that controls migration to the islands, will be better able to regulate the flow of all arrivals and departures to Galapagos. Go to www.ingala.gov.ec for more details.
GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK ENTRANCE FEE
- This is only payable in US cash only upon arrival into Galapagos;
- The respective costs (per person):
-
US $100
Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age US $ 50
Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador under 12 years of age. US $ 6
National Tourists or Foreign Residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age. US $ 3
National Tourists or Foreign Residents of Ecuador under 12 years of age. US $ 25
Tourists non-resident foreign students registered at one of the National Universities of Ecuador.
THE TOUR ITSELF (cruise, scuba diving or land-based)
This is the most extensive and variable portion – and the part the greatly dictates how muc (or little) you will end up spending.
