Ecuador: Galapagos

Mainland to Galapagos

A few ways to visit Galapagos are: book an all inclusive boat tour in advance from abroad, book an all inclusive boat tour in advance from mainland Ecuador, fly from mainland Ecuador to Galapagos and book last-minute boat tour, or fly from mainland Ecuador to Galapagos and DIY island-hopping
Cheapo option is to do the DIY island-hopping
Way to do it to head to the airport in either Quito or Guayaquil and compare prices from the three airlines that fly there: LAN Ecuador, TAME and Aerogal
Flights from Guayaquil are cheaper since it’s closer (around $475)
Ideally, you’ll want to fly into Baltra airport and fly out of San Cristobal airport
Prior to boarding your flight, you’ll need to have you luggage scanned and get a “visa” for $10
Once arriving in Baltra airport, you’ll need to pay another $100 for the national park entrance fee
Each airline will have a shuttle bus that brings you to a canal (free)
Take a ferry ride across the canal to get from Baltra island to the main island Santa Cruz ($0.80)
To reach the main port city Puerto Ayora in the south of Santa Cruz, you’ll need to either take a taxi or local bus for the 45-min tri
Taxi costs around $15 per cab
Cheapo way is to take local bus that costs around $1.80 per person

Total expense: $588

One way ferry ride to any of Galapagos’s main islands (Santa Cruz, Isabella, San Cristobal, Floreana) all takes about 2 hours and costs $25
All ferry departs to and from the main island Santa Cruz
Hostels in the islands should cost around $10-$15 per night
For lunch, ask for set menu “almuerzo” and for dinner, ask for set menu “merienda” ($3.50) which consists of a soup, an entree and a drink