The Galapagos is one of the most incredible travel experiences I’ve ever had. There are things there that will make you feel like you’ve stepped onto another planet. It’s unlike anything else in the entire world and the amount to see and do is endless.

From the moment you arrive, you’ll see piles of iguanas littering the ground, sea lions asleep on park benches, baby sharks swimming beneath the dock & illuminated by lamp posts, and vegetation that looks like it came out of a sci fi movie. Due to living on a distant island and lacking natural predators, the creatures in the Galapagos aren’t afraid of people! Swimming with sea lions and having them come right up to me playfully & curious is one of the coolest things I’ll likely ever do.

This is a place where you won’t have to push your way through massively large crowds. In fact, the Galapagos sees less than eighty thousand visitors a year. The entire experience you’ll find there is more intimate in nature. Most tours are limited to less than 16 guests, so you get really personalized attention to ask your questions and learn about this fantastic part of the world.

While it isn’t a cheap destination, the costs are honestly about the same as the US. But it’s absolutely worth the money and something I would encourage any visitor to Ecuador include in their itinerary. That said, I do have some recommendations for how to do the Galapagos as cheaply as possible.

However, before I get into that, I will say that I totally recommend splurging on a cruise if you can. The day trips are great (this is what we did), but you spend a lot of time in transit back and forth from your base town. Cruises transit overnight while you sleep, so you can maximize your time visiting the islands and sites. Since cruises don’t deal with going back and forth between town, they naturally can reach islands that are too far to access on day trips. Plus, cruises also have permits to dock in certain areas that day trips do not.

If you do decide to go cruise route, make sure to choose a small boat (ideal options are the 12 person catamarans). These boats are going to have a more intimate feel and provide a more in depth and personal experience.

Here are some of my cost saving tips for visiting the Galapagos….

Cost Savings Tips for the Galapagos

Book a Galapagos cruise on arrival in Quito

Now I know that cruises aren’t the cheapest way to see the Galapagos islands….however if you have a flexible schedule, one of the best ways you can find a deal is to book it once you get to Ecuador. There are a lot of tourism offices in Quito that will be happy to sell you a last minute deal on a cruise. This is usually done as a package with the flight included as well. It’s still not going to be cheap, per say. But it will be much cheaper than if you booked it ahead of time from home (around 25-40%).

Reach out to cruise ships DIRECTLY last minute

This is another trick to finding a cheap cruise is to reach out to the cruise ship directly. Often times, they can give you a cheaper rate than if you went thru an agency or website that takes a cut.

Base yourself on one of the inhabited islands in the Galapagos and do day trips

There are 4 inhabited islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela, San Cristobal, and Floreana. The biggest and most developed is Santa Cruz. I’d recommend staying on at least 2 of them so you can have a wider range of experiences. There are ferries between all the islands and they cost $30.

Keep in mind that you can’t see everything that a cruise would see….day trips naturally can’t travel as far (cruise ships travel large distances at night when you sleep) and cruises have permits to dock in more areas; but this should not detract you from going at all. Day trips are still an excellent way to visit the Galapagos.

Don’t pre-book accommodations, book on arrival and negotiate

We opted to show up in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) and book a hotel vs pre-booking, as we had heard this was a great way to save money. It ended up working out pretty well for us. We ended up getting a huge family room (3 beds) for $100/night. Not the cheapest place we’ve stayed by a long shot….but it was right on the main drag, included breakfast and was very clean & comfortable. We stayed in a hostel private room for $30 our final night before going home.

Visit in off season

Summer and the holidays are high season in the Galapagos, so consider going in off season! It might be a little cooler than you’d like. But with the wet suits they provide, it’s totally doable. Even a weather wimp like me was fine!

Think wisely about your meals

Another area that is a great one to cut costs is meals. Choose accommodations that include breakfast as a part of the room rate. Eat your lunches on your day tours. And consider visiting the grocery store and cooking your own dinner. Alternatively, there is a night market on Charles Binford street where you can find the most affordable dinners in town!

Book your tours in cash for a discount

Most tour operators will make you a bit of a deal if you can pay in cash. But keep in mind that ATMs on the island can be hard to come by and are often out of cash.

Travel in a group to share costs and get group rates

A nice way to share costs is to travel in a group….this way you can split accommodation costs, as well as potentially work deals with tour agencies on tours.

Volunteer

Another great way to see the Galapagos on a budget is to volunteer! The Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos National Park Directorate and a number of other opportunities are available to people who want to donate their time to unique projects and see the islands at the same time.

Spend time doing FREE activities!

Tours may be pricey, but there are a number of things to do for free in Santa Cruz. One of my favorites was visiting Tortuga Bay – a beautiful white sand beach with crystal blue water. There was hardly a soul in sight too! By just wading a bit out into the water, you can see tons of baby sharks swimming around in the translucent water. Keep in mind that it is a bit of a hike to get here though, you need to walk 45 minutes from the entrance to the actual beach (and that’s just the start of the beach). It’s open 6AM to 6:30PM (although last entrance is earlier than that).

Another popular spot is Las Grietas. It’s easily accessible via a 1 minute water taxi and is one of the best free snorkeling sites in the Galapagos. The jagged cliffs and clear blue waters are often occupied by teenagers cliff-diving too. If you’re brave enough, maybe join in as well!

The Charles Darwin Center is also free to the public! It has an extensive collection of preserved specimens from Galapagos plant life and a tortoise breeding center on site. It’s open 7:30AM-12:30PM and 2-5:30PM.

There are also a number of hikes you can take from Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) such as Los Gemeleos and El Mirador de Tuneles (free lava tunnels).

There are free things to do on other islands as well…

Isabela

· Playa Puerto Villamil Beach

· Snorkeling at Concha de Perla

· Hiking at Lagunas Salinas

· Tortoise Breeding Center

San Cristobal

· La Loberia (40 min walk from town) – home to TONS of sea lions

· Playa Mann

· Punta Carola

· Playa Baquerizo

· Snorkeling at Las Tijeretas or Playa Loberia

· Hiking Cerro Tijeratas

· San Cristobal Interpretive Center

Let’s look at some of the hard costs in numbers….

Flights from Quito the Galapagos are not cheap. They usually range between $300-500. There are a few flights a day, but options are somewhat limited. You can also look at flights from Guayaquill, which I’m told can sometimes be a bit cheaper.
Use Google Flights tool to search for cheapest dates
Upon landing in the Galapagos, you’ll need to pay a $110/person fee before you leave the airport. There is no getting around this.
If you are moving between the inhabited islands will cost you $30/person/ferry (or you can book a visit to another island as a tour and then transportation will be included)
Day Trips will cost you between $80-$120 if booked once in the Galapagos
A 2 day trip, like the one I’d recommend taking to Isabela, will run around $200

In case you need more convincing, here are some unique facts about the Galapagos to make you want to visit….

97% of the Galapagos is a national park and it’s been named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
The Galapagos has a number of active volcanos (including several eruptions over the last 100 years)
It is made up of 19 islands, but due to volcanic activity new islands are constantly being formed!
The Galapagos giant tortoise can live for over a century! Which is the longest of any vertebrate on land.
The Galapagos is the only place in the northern hemisphere where you can see penguins in their natural habitat
It is the home of the blue-footed booby (and red-footed & Nazca boobies). The deepness of the color of their feet is actually a turn on for females….those with the darkest blue feet get the most ladies. Their diet is responsible for the pigmentation of their feet.
20% of the marine life in the Galapagos is endemic to the islands….that means that it isn’t found anywhere else in the world! Pretty dang cool.
Marine iguanas (that you find all over the Galapagos) are the only lizards who can swim!
Sea turtles are thought to have been around since prehistoric times….can’t you just imagine them hanging out with dinosaurs!? Lol

When is the best time to visit the Galapagos?

Anytime! It’s close to the equator and a year round destination. The hot season runs December through May and the dry season runs June through November (and is cooler). We visited in dry season but it still rained a lot….I think this is a given anytime you are in a tropical climate. One of the really interesting things is that there are tons of mini ecosystems all over the islands….you’ll drive into a patch of rain in the center of the island and then exit the rainy area a few minutes later.

Don’t worry about visiting in the cooler season, as all the tours will provide you with wet suits and they keep you quite warm! If you’re prone to being cold, you can ask for an extra thick suit. The suits also help you float which is kind of nice.

Here is a recommended itinerary for those on a budget, who plan to visit with day trips….

Day 0, Friday – Depart Home for Quito

Day 1, Saturday – Quito City Tour

· Get an early start with a full day tour to get to know the capital city of Ecuador and it’s surrounding Quito City Tour + Teleferico Cable Car Ride & Volcano Hike

· Go out in La Mariscal area – check out some options nightlife options HERE.

Day 2, Sunday – Banos Day Trip (from Quito)

· This is a bit ambitious (it’s a 3 hour drive from Quito), but I think worth it….Banos has amazing scenery, views and endless adventure activities. Don’t miss the swing at the end of the world, ziplining, and river rafting!

· Alternative options include Cotopaxi Volcano Hike, Quilotoa Hike, Day trip to Mindo, Otovalo, etc.

Day 3, Monday – Fly to Santa Cruz Island (from Quito)

When you arrive, check into your accommodations and go book activities for the following day
North Seymour was the hardest tour to book so I would book that one first and then fill in your other days with whatever else interests you. Tours sell out so I would book everything ahead of time when you first arrive.
Once tours are booked, visit Tortuga Bay for white sand beaches & crystal blue water (you can also see lots of baby sharks swimming around!)
45 min hike to beach and it closes at 6P

Day 4, Tuesday - North Seymour Day Trip

Early morning departure for North Seymour, return late afternoon
North Seymour is an unpopulated island, expect to see lots of marine birds & sharks…tiger sharks, reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, snakes, hawks, rays, and more!
Upon returning, if time visit the Charles Darwin Center (closes at 5:30P)

Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos in 1835 and this is the place where you developed his theory of natural selection!

Day 5, Wednesday – Santa Fe Day Trip

· Early morning departure for Santa Fe, return late afternoon

· Santa Fe is an unpopulated island, the unique vegetarian and cacti are some of the highlights here and are a photographer’s dream! Expect to see land iguanas, marine iguanas, lava lizards, mockinbirds, finches, Galapagos hawk, sea lions, etc.

· Upon returning, if time visit Rancho Promicias (closes at 5P)

Day 6, Thursday – Bartolome Island Day Trip

· Early morning departure for Bartolome, return late afternoon

· Bartolome is an unpopulated island located on the centre of the archipelago – from the viewpoint you can spot more than ten islands (on a clear day). There is rich diversity here and wonderful snorkeling opportunities with penguins and sea lions.

· Great spot for snorkeling with sea lions too!

· Upon returning, if time visit Lava Tunnels (closes at 5P)

Day 7, Friday – Isabela Island 2 Day / 1 Night Trip

· Early morning departure for Isabela (populated island in the Galapagos)

· Snorkeling in Los Tuneles & Las Tintoreras – expect to see sea lions, penguins, green sea turtles, white tipped reef sharks, blue-footed boobies, sting rays, sea horses, and more!

Day 8, Saturday – Isabela Island 2 Day / 1 Night Trip

· Hike Sierra Negra Volcano for incredible views & rich vegetation

· Return to Santa Cruz

Day 9, Sunday – Fly Galapagos to Quito, Quito Home

Well I hope this article has inspired you to add the Galapagos to your travel bucket list! It truly is an incredible location. If you have any questions or need help planning, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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How to Visit the Galapagos on a Budget + Itinerary