When friends heard that we’d just visited the Galapagos islands, most of their reactions were ‘WHAT?! How did you afford it?’. Truth betold, it was the most expensive leg of our trip through South and Central America. But armed with our determination to save every buck we could, the wildlife buffs in us came up with a strictly-budgeted way of seeing the islands without burning a big hole in our pockets.
Planning your Budget Trip – DIY
Most travelers go on liveaboard cruises that bring them all over the islands, sailing at night and arriving to a different island every morning. This way, they save time and get to explore every single island. A 1-week cruise, however, sets you back around US$1,000 or more, depending on the level of luxury. This includes all expenses, food and snorkeling equipment.
A quick look at our tight budget (especially since we were travelling for four months), we knew the cruise was not an option for us. We did some research, and found out that we could actually see the islands on our own, without too much difficulty and trouble. Here’s how:
1. Find a Base
From Guayaquil (you can also fly from Quito), we flew in to Baltra on TAME, the Ecuadorian national airline. All flight prices are the same, at US$117.90 each way, regardless of date/day. AeroGal also does the same route, with similar airfares. Whether you are taking a cruise or DIY, you still have to catch a plane to the Galapagos islands due to its distance from the mainland.
From Baltra, the only way to get accommodation is to take an airport bus (free) to the crossing, where you can catch a boat (US$0.80) to the neighboring island Santa Cruz. From there, it is a 1-hour bus ride (US$1.50) to the port, Puerto Ayora.
During the entire week that we spent on the Galapagos islands, we based ourselves in Puerto Ayora, and from there, we took excursions to other islands. We’d heard beforehand that Puerto Ayora has more budget accommodation and is generally cheaper than other islands.
2. Get Cheap Accommodation
We found our reasonably-priced hostel, Hotel España (us$30 per double room) after looking around for 15 minutes. We usually prefer to turn up and hunt for a good bargain rather than book it online. There tend to be cheaper ones, other than those online and in guidebooks.
Most hostels are located on the main street of Puerto Ayora, where the bus/boat drops you. There are definitely hostels cheaper than US$15 per person per night, it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re the no-frills type of traveler who doesn’t give a care in the world where you stay, then you will definitely find something cheaper.
3. Make Your Own Food
To cut down on food expenses, we made our own lunchboxes. There is a big supermarket right by the port, where taxi boats dock. Many small grocery stalls along the main road also sell yogurt, bread and other basic food products.
Restaurants in Puerto Ayora can be quite expensive, at double the price of usual Ecuadorian food on the mainland. Most of them cater to tourists, and serve international food. Check out small local joints along the alleys. The food street opposite the hospital, is the best budget eating-out spot with economical burger stands and barbeque joints.
4. Island-hopping on Day tours
To see the other islands, we went on day tours organized by operators (cost around US$70). These tend to be easier to arrange and cheaper than going on a cruise. Most of the islands are impossible to visit on your own, except for big islands like San Cristobal and Isabela which rightfully deserve a few nights’ stay.
MoonRise has an excellent reputation for reliable and reasonably-priced tours. Although our boat broke down in the middle of the open sea, MoonRise still managed to get us onto a different boat and continue with our day tour.
Academy Bay Diving S.A. (Av. Charles Darwin, galapgs_academybay@hotmail.com) offers affordable diving packages (around US$110 for 2 dives) that includes lunch, all equipment and even underwater photos.
5. Take Public Transportation
Puerto Ayora is a small town, and everywhere is within walking distance. However, most interesting sites require a certain amount of walking, eg. tortuga bay is about 20 minutes’ walk from the center.
Public water taxis are a cheap and fast way of getting around Santa Cruz island, eg. when you want to visit Las Grietas.
6. Keep Track of Your Expenses
By keeping check of what you spent on a daily basis, you are definitely more aware and conscious on what you will spend on.
In our 1 week on the Galapagos Islands, we spent a grand total of US$500 each, including food, day tours, hostel accommodation (except dive trip & airfare). Compared to the price of the cruises, we spent half the price! Honestly, ignore what they say about Galapagos being a rich man’s playground, because you, a budget backpacker, can make it there too!
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I was in Ecuador a couple of years ago and really wanted to see the Galapagos Islands but ran out of time and money. Looks like you had a fantastic time there. When I get back to that side of the world, I will use your advice.
Thanks!
Okay, I think I might have to drop by the Galapagos now! Very helpful article!
I agree. This is a very helpful article. I will be bookmarking this!
This is awesome Nellie. Very helpful. Really want to go there while we're in Ecuador.
Aye
Great advice! I'd love to visit the Galapagos, but it always seemed so cost prohibitive. I appreciate you breaking down the scary price tag down so that people can see it on the cheap. Thanks!
This is fantastic advice, Nellie! Thanks for doing all this research for the rest of us.
Excellent tips! Going to Stumble this one.
Thanks all! Glad it was useful to everyone!
Absolutely great tips, thank you.
This is so reassuring to see that a trip to Galapagos wont bust the budget!
I have heard there is a fee to get into the Galapagos National Park (~$100), and that they limit how many people can go to the Park at a time – did you run into any of these??
hey Maya, though Galapagos did take up a big part of our travel budget, it really didn’t completely bust it!
Yes, there is an entry fee of $100 (think I mentioned it in my post) and they limit the number of people entering – but once you get your air tickets flying from Guayaquil or Quito, you’re good to go. Unfortunately flying is the only way to get there, even if you wanted to take a cruise, you’ll have to fly and then board the cruise. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the tips! I live in Brazil and I've always wanted to go there. Now I think I can go there this year!
The Sulidae is also a good backpacker boat (1912 wooden sailing ship) to go on. We had awesome food and a great crew and guide. The benefit of going on a boat tour, as oppose to what you did, is that you can get to islands that are farther away and that have different wildlife on. You're a little more limited if you stay on one of the main islands.
Booking from Quito with Rainforestur.com I paid US$950 for 8 days (inc all accommodation, food, soft drinks, guide etc). You only pay for the airfare and tourist visa on top (as everyone does). Friends also paid US$400 for 5 days on the same boat and US$850 for 8 days by booking their own flights and negotiating with the boat owner/captain directly when they arrived. This is often a better way to do it, especially in May – the only month of low season in The Galapagos.
hey thanks for sharing! You got a really good deal there, I also met quite a few people who nabbed excellent last-minute deals. These boating tours definitely allow you to see more of the Galapagos and explore deeper. I unfortunately didn't have the budget for it, but I'm sure I'll be back in the future to go a boating tour.
A great resource for booking a trip to the galapagos is http://www.galapagoslegend.com. They offer customized packages, rather than standardized menu packages. I spoke with Chris when booking my trip. I had the best experience in planning my trip with their company Wildlife Vacations. Let me know your thoughts if you speak to them!
hi nellie,
where/how did you buy your plane tickets to galapagos? at the airport?
aerogal website doesnt work for international bookings..
thanks
hey Genny, I bought it through a dive operator in Montanita, Ecuador. Yeh, it’s quite difficult to book it online in advance. Tour operators usually sell the tickets the same price as the website, so I basically got mine a day before my actual flight.
No worries, it shouldn’t be a problem to get it when you’re there.
Hi Nellie
Great advice – unfortunately too late for me. I visited on the cheapest 5 day tour i could find as i thought it was the only way and it was a real disappointment, we didn't get to see any of the other islands and most of the stuff we did was very basic and didn't give much insight into what the islands offer which i know is amazing.
Will have to go back and follow your tips this time around!
Tom
Hi Nellie,
Thanks for sharing your excellent tips on how to see the Galapagos Islands on the cheap! Good to know that it is possible to go there on a small budget. I will definitely keep this in mind for when I am in South America.
Lisa