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Traveling to Galapagos Islands: What You Should Know
You’ve done it! You’ve finally booked that trip to dive the isolated Galapagos Islands and see the famous schooling hammerheads. You can’t wait to get your first peek at marine iguanas in the wild and capture the perfect under/over image for Instagram.
Your excitement is palpable but now the true trip research begins… You have so many questions and Google Search is starting to become your best friend. “Where do I fly to?” “What’s the best airline?” “How much camera gear can I bring in my carry-on to Galapagos?”
We’re here to help you navigate those tricky travel questions so you can spend more time perfecting your photography skills to capture those magical whale sharks and less time surfing the internet.
We’ve taken your most frequently asked travel questions and answered them below. As always, our helpful reservations team is standing by to assist with any further details you may need – info@explorerventures.com.
Traveling to and from Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands comprise a multitude of uninhabited islands as well as five inhabited islands. They have a total population of more than 35,000 people who mostly reside in Puerto Ayora, the largest town located on the island of Santa Cruz.
Getting to the Galapagos is unlike many other destinations as there are no direct international flights to these remote islands. All passengers are required to fly first into mainland Ecuador, clear customs, and then board a domestic flight to the Galapagos.
Where to fly into Ecuador – Quito or Guayaquil?
There are two international airport options when flying into Ecuador – Quito and Guayaquil.
Quito, Ecuador (airport code: UIO) is the capital and largest city in Ecuador. There are many day tours, sightseeing opportunities, and a touristy downtown core. If passengers choose to fly to Quito, we recommended they arrive two days or more before the vessel’s departure day. Quito’s airport is 45 minutes from the city of Quito. Transfer price is approximately $30 USD (depending on how many people).
Hotel options in Quito include:
- Hotel Mercure
- Nu House
- City Art
- Patio Andaluz
- Real Audencia
- Casa Jimenita
- Wyndham Quito airport
Guayaquil, Ecuador (airport code: GYE) is the second-largest city in Ecuador. It does not have much sightseeing but does offer direct flights to Galapagos. If passengers have no time for tours this may be the best option. Guayaquil transfers to the nearby city are approximately $13 USD per person each way for more than 2 passengers ($23 each way for single).
Hotel options in Guayaquil include:
- Unipark
- Macaw
- Wyndham Guayaquil
⇒ Pro Tips: It is also sometimes cheaper to fly into one international airport and out of the other. Taxis to/from the airport and hotels use reliable companies. It is not recommended to hail a taxi on the street.
Arriving Internationally in Ecuador
Passengers must fly to the above-mentioned international airports (Quito or Guayaquil) at least one day before their trip departure date to ensure they make the domestic flight. Both airports are serviced by a number of US and international airlines. Most common airline travel includes:
- From Europe – Iberia and KLM
- From US- Delta, AA, United, Jetblue, COPA, LATAM, Avianca, TAME
- From South America- LATAM, COPA
⇒ Pro Tip: We recommend that guests fly into Quito or Guayaquil at least 2 nights ahead. This is to make sure if a bag is lost in transit that there is time to recover it. Once the guests arrive in Galapagos it is very difficult to get a delayed bag to them onboard.
Departing Internationally from Ecuador
To be safe, passengers need to leave at least 3 hours between arrival from Galapagos and their international flights home. Flights are often delayed by a few minutes. It is also not possible to check bags through from Galapagos to an international destination. Passengers must collect luggage then go to their international airline to drop bags, then clear immigration out of Ecuador. All airline employees are contract employees so are only in the airport when there are flights. This means that normally it is not possible to check in more than 3 hours before flight departure time.
⇒ Pro Tip: Departure tax is already included in international tickets.
Tourist Departure Fee
- INGALA tourist card $20 cash (payable on leaving mainland Ecuador for Galapagos)
⇒ Pro Tip: Ecuador, including the Galapagos, uses US currency. $100 bills are not accepted widely in Ecuador. Travelers checks are not accepted at all. ATMs are readily available in Quito, Guayaquil and Galapagos. Plan accordingly.
Travel to Galapagos Islands, from Mainland Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands are indeed islands, which is why you’ve booked a liveaboard – to reach the very best dive spots! This also means you cannot board liveaboards in mainland Ecuador as the crossing to Galapagos by boat would take 3.5 days. Once you’ve arrived in Quito or Guayaquil, you must board a domestic fight over to Galapagos.
Domestic Flights in Ecuador
There are two airports in Galapagos that receive domestic flights from mainland Ecuador – Baltra and San Cristóbal. Three domestic airlines service the Galapagos Islands – TAME, LATAM, and Avianca.
We recommend Avianca as they have flights to both airports in Galapagos every day of the week. Please make sure you know where your trip departs from so you can book to the correct island. It is not uncommon for people to book to the wrong island on the day of the charter. Humboldt Explorer departs from San Cristobal (SCY). Tiburon Explorer departs from Baltra (GPS).
Domestic Flight Times
Flights from Quito to the Galapagos make a stop in Guayaquil. The Quito-Guayaquil flight is 45 minutes, with a layover between 30 and 45 minutes in Guayaquil before leaving again for the Galapagos. You do not get off the plane. The flight from Guayaquil to Galapagos is about 1 hr 45 minutes. Flights can often be late both directions, so be sure to bring reading materials and a cold drink.
⇒ Pro Tip: We recommended Avianca for its reliability for schedule and luggage.
Arrival in Galapagos Islands
On arrival in Galapagos, guests will need to line up to pay the $100 Galapagos National Park fee (cash only, US dollars) and then have their carry–on checked for fruits and vegetables. To collect bags, guests will need to have baggage claim tags. After collecting luggage, guests are met by the guides for their trip and taken by bus to the dock.
Travel within the Islands of Galapagos
Transport between three of the islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobel, and Isabella) is possible and is done generally by smaller charter boat. This takes approximately 2-2.5 hours from port to port on each transfer. These boats are on set schedules traveling between Santa Cruz and Isabela twice daily and between Santa Cruz and San Cristobal twice daily. If you choose to travel this way, be prepared for a bit of rocking and rolling as the ferries between islands cross the open ocean. Please note there are no boat transfers from Baltra to the other islands.
Air Travel within Galapagos
As noted earlier, there are two islands that receive flights from mainland Ecuador. The third airport on Isabela island receives flights between the islands. A small local airline flies between islands once daily on a set schedule. You can fly Baltra– San Cristobal or Baltra-Isabela. The plane carries 9 people. Luggage limit is 25 lbs per person.
San Cristobal airport is located 5 minutes from the main town of Puerto Basquerido Moreno on San Cristobal. The Isabela airport is located 10 minutes’ drive from Puerto Villamil.
Baltra airport is located on Baltra Island. There are no hotels or other types of accommodation on Baltra. The only inhabitants are the navy, the people that run the fuel station, and the land iguanas. Puerto Ayora is the closest town to Baltra’s Airport.
Getting To/From Balta Airport
To get to Puerto Ayora from Baltra airport you take a bus ($5 and 10 minutes), a small boat across the channel between the islands ($1 and 10 minutes), and lastly a taxi across Santa Cruz to Puerto Ayora ($25 and 40 minutes). These are easy to book on arrival at each location.
To return to Baltra airport from Puerto Ayora can take up to 1.5 hours depending on the availability of the boat and buses, and a number of people traveling. This is something that guests arriving one day early should consider as it may be more convenient to arrive on the charter day directly into Baltra.
Additional Information
Domestic Luggage
Luggage is limited to 23 kg in one bag per person. Extra luggage is about $50 per 23 kg bag payable at the time of check-in. Carry on is limited to 8 kg but it’s rarely weighed. We recommend guests carry on as much as possible, similar to what they would carry on in the US. The planes are Boeing 737, Airbus 319 and 320. All have sufficient onboard storage.
International Luggage
International checked bag and carry on limits depends on the airline. Usually, one 23 kg bag is free with additional payment for the second bag. Be sure to check your airline.
Haven’t reserved your trip yet? For Galapagos liveaboard diving availability, visit here or book now!
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If you found this information helpful, be sure to check back this fall for the second post in this series – Diving in the Galapagos Islands: What you need to know.
