The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador and are situated in the Pacific Ocean about 605 miles (1,000 kilometers) west of the northern part of South America. This is an archipelago of 19 islands that emerged from the bottom of the sea due to volcanic upheavals around 5 million years ago. Animal life began to migrate to the archipelago 2 million years after the initial islands formed. These animals had to adapt to a drastically different environment and climate (compared to their native habitat), leading them to evolve in unique ways. The diversity and surprising characteristics of these animals led Charles Darwin to put forth his theory of evolution in his revolutionary book “The Origin of Species.” He called the islands a living laboratory, and today they have become a monumental site for scientific research and investigation. Thanks to a lack of natural predators, wildlife in the Galapagos has no fear of humans, making the islands one of the world’s greatest wonders and an incredibly magical destination to visit.
Having said that, some things to keep in mind before you plan your trip to the Galapagos are:
- Be prepared to pay more than double for everything starting with the flight, tours, food, groceries…. you get the point!
- The only way to get here is by flying either from Quito or Guayaquil, and the Galapagos has 2 airports, one each at the islands of Santa Cruz and San Cristobal.
- You have to pay for the INGALA Transit Control Card ($20) & Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee (Foreigners: $100) at the airport before you enter the islands.
- Paying for tours is cash only so remember to bring enough cash with you (Ecuador’s legal currency is USD).
- Follow the National Park rules and keep in mind that conservation and protection of the animals is of utmost priority here.
- Traveling from one island to another is via speedboat, takes 2 hours and is very rocky. So if you have a weak stomach, be prepared with some sea sickness medication.
- Check the fine print and the class of airline tickets as there is a premium price for foreigners vs Ecuadorians, and if you happen to book the wrong class, you will end up paying a fine to the tune of $350 at the airport.
There are plenty of cruises you can book to tour the islands. We did not choose a cruise, and through my research I found that you get the best deals if you go to the island and shop around for last minute deals. But you will be taking a chance that you might not find one available, especially during peak season. So, if you are pressed for time, you might be better off booking a cruise in advance. Since we were not on a tight schedule and weren’t keen on paying the exorbitant prices that the cruises charge, we decided to go to the island and take day tours. I had read a few blogs where people did it this way, so we were confident that we would find some good deals. 
We booked a one way flight from Quito to Baltra Island (which is a short ferry ride to Santa Cruz and the only way to get there). Note: make sure you check the fine print when booking because there is a different (higher) price for foreigners and the discounted prices you see on the airline websites are for Ecuadoreans if you are already in Ecuador. You have to go through special baggage scanning as there are restrictions as to what you can bring into Galápagos. The airport is located on Baltra Island which is a military base. After reaching the airport we were led to a bus that was waiting. For $5, the bus took us on a 15minute ride and dropped us off at the pier. We had to take a short 5 minute boat ride ($.50 each) to reach the neighboring Santa Cruz Island. Here, there were buses waiting or you could take a taxi to the town of Puerto Ayora, which is on the other end of the island. We took the bus for $5 each, and this was a long 1.40 hour drive to reach Puerto Ayora. On the way we saw several of the giant tortoises freely roaming around on some farmland which we later found was one of the Highland Turtle reserves. 
We were dropped off on the main avenue and a short 5 minute walk got us to our hotel. We had booked 4 nights on this island and 3 nights in San Cristobal. After checking in, we walked back to the main street and had lunch. We then walked down the street towards the pier where we were told all the tour operators were. We talked to several operators and after a lot of haggling and going back and forth, we finally booked a tour for the next day to Isabela Island with Galapagosliving.com (link). This was a full day tour for $110/person that included a ferry to the island, guided tour and lunch. 
Isla Isabela
We met the tour group at the pier early next morning at 6 am. We had to take a small boat to where the ferries were docked. 
After hopping on to the speedboat we headed off to Isabela Island which was a bumpy 2-hour ride. As we docked and walked toward the bus, we spotted several large marine iguanas just lying on the side of the road. We also saw a couple of sea lions in the water.You get to know the true meaning of co-existing with these wonderful exotic creatures here when you see these animals living freely without any fear of predators.
Our first stop was at the Tortoise reserve center. Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoises on the planet and their average lifespan is 80-150 years. Out of 15 known subspecies of Galapagos tortoises, only 11 are left in the wild and are thus endangered. This is a conservation center where they house tortoises that have been rescued from poaching for the last 20-30 years. The center was created to restore the tortoise population of the southern part of Isabela Island and the Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes. There are hundreds of tortoises here from tiny newborns to some that are over a hundred years old. The tortoises here are being bred and fully cared for in captivity for reintroduction into the wild. 
Did you know: The Galapagos Islands are named after these tortoises. When the first Spanish sailors arrived on the island, they spotted a large number of tortoises. Since tortoises are called “Galapago” in Spanish, the whole island is named Galapagos Island.
From the tortoise reserve, we trekked for about 20 minutes to reach the beach. All along we could see giant cactuses and other vegetation that have grown around volcanic rocks. We passed by a small lake where we saw some pink flamingos, marine iguanas, lava lizards, some ducks and various Darwin finches.
We reached the beach and spent around 10-15 minutes here while we spotted lots of smaller marine iguanas and Sally lightfoot crabs all over the volcanic rocks, and we even saw a couple of brown pelicans. 
A short walk along the beach and we reached the restaurant where we were served lunch (included in the tour). Post lunch, we took the bus to the docks and then to the boat that was waiting for us. At the docks we saw several sea lions sleeping without a care in the world. We had to walk around them as they were completely oblivious to anybody around them. This was such an incredible sight to see these animals just living their lives carefree and with no fear of predators. Animal habitat is respected and protected here which allows both humans and animals to co-exist harmoniously. That is the Galapagos in a nutshell.
Las Tintoreras
Just a short distance offshore from Isabela Island is a group of small islets known as Las Tintoreras. 
A short boat ride brought us to one of the small islets where the speed boat slowed down so that we could get a closer look at the Galapagos penguins perched on the rocks. There were only 3 small ones staring in the same direction looking like they were waiting for someone. After circling the boat around the island we headed to another small islet where the boat docked. We walked for about 5 minutes on a nature trail surrounded by a strange alien-like landscape, dark volcanic rock, covered on one side with white lichen. At the end of this trail we came upon a small channel filled with whitetip reef sharks. 
This small islet gets its name from the white tip shark, locally known as tintoreras and is the best place to see these 4 foot long Sharks, especially around midday which would be their nap time. Most of them were sleeping and there were just a couple of them swimming around. There were also tons of marine iguanas which were hard to spot as they seemingly blended with the dark volcanic rock background and some Sally lightfoot crabs. After spending around 10 minutes taking pictures, we headed back to the boat. Our next stop was on the other side of the same islet where we went snorkeling. The calm waters here were ideal for snorkeling and a good place to spot sea turtles. We were given a half hour and once we suited up our snorkeling gear, we walked off from the beach into the waters. Just a few yards in we could see several turtles at the bottom. The water was not very deep, maybe around 6-7 feet and as we swam around looking for more marine life, something funny happened! Govi had our gopro pointed at the turtles and all of a sudden one of the turtles headed straight towards Govi and bumped into him!! I was right behind Govi and I kept yelling at him to watch out but it happened so fast that he didn’t really have time to react. The turtle just swam away as though nothing happened. This was truly the highlight of the day to be in such close proximity to one of these wonderful creatures. After this, we swam around for a bit longer looking for other life and we saw a few small fish but nothing more than that. This area does not contain a reef, so fish did not really live here. 
This was our last stop after which we were brought back to the pier and we boarded our speed boat which would take us back to Santa Cruz Island. This was again another bumpy ride on the speedboat and although everyone on board tried to sleep and rest, there was no way we could rest on these turbulent waters. 2 hours later we arrived at our destination.
Playa Brava / Tortuga Bay
Today we explored what Santa Cruz Island had to offer and the one place that came highly recommended was Tortuga Bay. To get to Tortuga Bay, you can either take a water taxi from the pier ($10/person) or hike up a 2.5 km (1.55 mi) trail from Puerto Ayora to Playa Brava which is what we choose. We hailed a taxi from near our apartment to the trailhead for $1. The trail/path starts with stone steps which take you past a gorge and up to the Park Services station. The station is open from 6 am – 6 pm and there is no fee to visit the beach but you need to sign in and out when you arrive and leave, respectively. It was an easy 30 – 45 minute walk on a well laid out path. We saw lava lizards and a number of birds including yellow warblers and Galapagos mockingbirds. 
We also enjoyed seeing the large cactus and other plants along the way. The end of the path led us to Playa Brava. This is a beautiful beach with fine white sand, blue turquoise waters and some black lava rocks in between to add to the beauty. Swimming is prohibited here because of the strong currents but surfing is allowed.
Playa Manza, which is a popular spot for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking, is at the other end of the beach, tucked away behind the mangroves. We walked along the Playa Brava beach for 10-15 minutes and saw tons of marine iguanas just lazing on the beach and occasionally one or two taking an easy stroll. 
After taking some pictures, we made our way to Playa Manza. This beach is ideal for families with children to swim as the water here is very calm. These mangroves also attract little fish and plant growth that animals like the blue-footed boobies, small white tipped reef sharks, marine iguanas, and sea turtles like to feed on. We wanted to snorkel but we didn’t find anybody snorkeling here. There were a lot of people who looked like regular beach goers, with their beach blankets, umbrellas and picnic baskets. We went around looking for a good spot to snorkel and found some boys standing on some lava rocks contemplating. We approached them and found out that they tried to snorkel here and didn’t find much. As it was a cloudy day, the water was also a bit murky and visibility wasn’t great. They mentioned that on the other end of the beach close to the mangroves they found some whitetip reef sharks. So we made our way there and we could see several sharks swimming around. We didn’t even have to snorkel as the water was only upto mid thigh level and we were able to see lots of them. Again since the water was not very clear, it was hard to get a good picture even with our GoPro. So we spent some time here chasing these sharks and Govi snorkeled a bit further in but came back shortly empty handed. Disappointed that our snorkeling adventure didn’t pan out as expected, we decided to head back. 
As we were walking past the mangroves towards Playa Brava, we saw a great blue heron up close about 10 feet away which was a real treat.
A bit further away, we also found a few brown pelicans and other small birds. All in all, it was not a total disappointment, at least for me, but Govi was a bit bummed about the snorkeling not working out as hoped. Nevertheless, it is a really nice beach to spend a sunny afternoon in Santa Cruz Island. And best of all, it was free!! So I would recommend you give Tortuga Bay a try and experience it for yourself.
Isla Floreana
Floreana Island is located far south of the Galapagos archipelago and is one of the first islands to be inhabited. Due to its relatively flat surface, supply of fresh water, plants and animals, Floreana was a favorite stop for whalers and other visitors to the Galápagos.
The meeting point for the tour was at the Galapagos Living tour office where we arrived at 7.30 am. After picking out our wetsuits and flippers which we carried with us, we set off around 8 am from the pier at Santa Cruz Island. It was another 2 hour ride on a speedboat and this one was not a fun journey by any means. Not only was it bumpy, but we were seated at the tail end of the boat which was closer to the motors and I was constantly getting drenched. So I had to put on a waterproof jacket and cover my legs with another borrowed jacket so as to keep from freezing. 
We finally reached our destination and as we got off the boat, the first thing we saw were the Christmas iguanas. These are sub species of the marine iguanas that are endemic to the Galapagos but they are special because they sport bright hues of red and green on their bodies. The male iguanas turn into these bright colors to make themselves more attractive to the female ones and they are only found on Islands Floreana and Espanola. We saw a few of these lying all around the pier. 
There were a few sea lions also napping here. We then went in an open 4×4 vehicle for about 15 minutes and reached a place called Asilo De La Paz. Here, the National Park Service has built a corral where you can see Galapagos giant tortoises (from various islands) in captivity. This is a farm with a surrounding 4 foot wall where these giant tortoises are left to roam about freely. These giant tortoises that were the original inhabitants here have become extinct and the National Park has initiated a breeding program to bring back the extinct Floreana tortoise. At the end is a cave where the first settlers lived and the birthplace of the first person to be born on the Galapagos Islands. Our guide also explained how the first pirate who lived on this hill for several years had built the cave, a giant rock face and used the rocks as a hideout and a vantage point to guard and protect himself from intruders. 
After touring these ruins, we had lunch at a restaurant near the pier. We then rode on the 4×4 again to a spot on the island where we could snorkel. We suited up with our gear and snorkeled for about half an hour but we unfortunately only saw some small fish. The others in our group saw some turtles and a couple of rays but we did not, which turned out to be another disappointing snorkeling experience. This was pretty much the end of the trip and we headed back by the same speedboat to Santa Cruz. 
In my opinion, this trip was not what we hoped for and we felt it was a wasted day and money. I understand that spotting wildlife in their natural habitat depends on luck, and in our case we were just unlucky. But this island also has some pink flamingos, blue-footed bobbies and other birds, but I think the tour was designed such that the majority of the time was spent at the caves, and very little to spot wildlife. So I would advise you to check on the tour details before you plan your trip to Floreana Island.
San Cristobal Island
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the town on San Cristobal Island and is the second most inhabited island in the Galapagos archipelago and one of the oldest geographically. We stayed here for 3 nights and I preferred the vibe of this island better than Santa Cruz mainly because I got to see more wildlife here. It was a 2 hour boat ride from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal Island and once again it was a bumpy ride the whole time. I feel like they should probably use larger ferries for transport between these islands since this is the only means to travel for tourists with luggage, locals for trade and tour companies for day tours. But instead they have these privately operated speed boats with a 30-35 passenger capacity. For people who travel between these islands with luggage, it is even more painful as these boats cannot come up to the docks. They are anchored a few yards from the docks, so you have to take another small boat from the docks, load up all your luggage and travel around 50-100 yards. Here you will need to hop over to the speed boat and you sit along the bench on the perimeter of the boat while your luggage sits in the middle on the floor. And for the people who are unfortunate enough to pick seats at the back of the boat, will get completely drenched.
We took the 2 pm ferry and reached Puerto Baquerizo Moreno at around 4.15 pm. After checking into our Airbnb, we took a walk over to the pier where all the tour operators were located. After talking and negotiating prices, we went with Dava Tours as they offered us the best deal of a 360 degree tour of the island for $120/person.
We started early at 7 am and made our way to the pier which was just a short 5 minute walk from our apartment. While waiting for our boat, we spotted a couple of pelicans and 2 blue-footed boobies which I was so thrilled to have seen, albeit from a distance. But I had a feeling I would run into more on this island and was excited by the prospect. We then started off on a small private boat for our tour with 5 other tourists and a guide. 
After an hour, we arrived at our first stop, Playa Rosa Blanca. We docked our boat along the beach and made our way to a small inlet where we were geared up to snorkel. As we were walking towards this inlet, we spotted a couple of blue-footed boobies just a few yards from us. The truly amazing thing about these islands is that the animals and birds are not afraid of humans and hence they don’t run away at the sight of us, which gives us a great opportunity to see and take pictures up close.
We then came upon the small inlet with a natural pool where there were already several groups of snorkelers present. This was called “La Casa de los Tiburones” (The House of the Sharks), and indeed, as we entered the pool, about three metres below us were around 30 or so whitetip reef sharks swimming around. The whitetip shark grows to only around 1.6 metres long, and we were told that they rest around noon and are apparently rarely aggressive towards humans. Still, the unmistakable shark-shape of the creatures just metres below us was very intimidating, but I felt reassured as I was holding Govi’s hand the whole time and there were also so many of us around.
We made our way back to the boat and continued our journey northwards to our next stop and had our lunch provided by the tour company on the boat. Shortly we reached the northeastern-most tip of San Cristobal Island, called Punta Pitt, which was a photo op stop without disembarking. Here we could see hundreds of red-footed boobies which we were to view from a distance and take pictures from the boat. After this we continued on to another beautiful beach called Bahia Sardina. This was a beautiful beach where we spent over an hour just relaxing. Some of the other tourists went snorkeling just offshore and the rest just walked around taking in the view. There were a couple of sea lions playing in the water which we all enjoyed watching and taking pictures of. One of them really put on a show for everyone by walking up on shore and posing for pictures. He then slid back into the water and played for quite some time with the other sea lions. This was a really wonderful sight and it almost felt like the show we watch at Sea World or other amusement parks.
Once back on the boat, we continued onto Cerro Brujo (Witch Hill). There is a large natural arch through which we could see the famous Kicker Rock which was to be our final attraction for the day. 
We circled this rock formation taking pictures and after 10 minutes, we headed to Kicker Rock or “Leon Dormido” (Sleeping Lion). This is a huge rock jutting up 140 meters vertically out of the ocean, with a split down the middle so that another separate rock juts out of it at a spectacular angle. The landform is quite amazing, but what makes the place famous are the huge schools of hammerhead sharks, which make it an excellent place to snorkel and dive. 
We were to snorkel in between the 2 tall rocks for about an hour or so, in search of hammerhead sharks. Even though the water here is quite clear, you will not be able to see the bottom of the sea (around 120 meters below the sea surface). Additionally, there is no shore or beach to snorkel off of, so you have to jump off the boat into open waters. This was extremely nerve wracking for me, even though I have snorkeled in many places, as I am afraid of open waters and not a strong swimmer. After a good 5 minutes of stalling, I finally found the courage to jump in and started swimming towards the rest of them and the guide, as promised, followed me with a floating tube which a couple of us not so good swimmers held on to. Our guide pulled the tube along with a rope and we swam along. We looked hard, but we did not see any hammerhead sharks, although we did see some giant turtles and a school of fish. 
We snorkeled for about an hour and returned to the boat. I am glad I did this, but I’m not sure I would want to do it again. I still have a few scary visions in my mind of jumping into the ocean with unfathomable depths below me, and also the image of the school of whitetip sharks. I think next time I’d like to stick to nice corals and colorful, tropical fish instead and also be able to snorkel right off the beach.
After this, we returned to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, having completed the full 360 degree tour of San Cristobal, and having done something brave and something quite new for me: jumping off the boat in the middle of the ocean and swimming with sharks! The other highlight of this day was to have finally encountered the blue-footed boobies which I was really looking forward to. Wow, what a day! We had dinner at a local restaurant, and returned to our peaceful apartment for a good and a very comfortable night’s sleep.
The next day, we just wanted to take it easy, and since we were done with all the day tours we wanted to take, we thought we would explore a little of what Puerto Baquerizo Moreno had to offer. Charles Darwin Interpretation Center and a beach called Playa Mann were located just a short 10 minute walk from our apartment. Playa Mann was on the way to the Interpretation Center and so we stopped there for a while. This is a very small beach but chock-full of sea lions. There were at least 30-40 sea lions napping, strolling around, sun bathing, swimming, etc and we spent some time just observing them. We also saw a tiny newborn baby lion just bawling and calling out to its mother while trying desperately to take its first steps. This was such a treat and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, albeit from a distance so as to not disturb them. 
We then walked to the Interpretation Center. This was more like a history museum with all the information pertaining to when Charles Darwin first visited and after observing and studying the various finches, contributed to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection. 
After exploring the center, we returned to our apartment and had to finish packing for our flight out the next morning to Guayaquil.
All in all, I have to say that I really enjoyed the Galapagos Islands and especially the variety of endemic wildlife here. But the fact remains that all of this comes at a very high cost and it is not easily affordable to everyone. I understand that they have kept the prices high to curb the influx of tourists and to preserve the natural ecosystem. Below is the breakdown of the cost of our day tours, flights and other major expenses during our visit to the Galapagos:
- Flight from Quito to Baltra – $194/person
- Return flight from San Cristobal to Guayaquil – $167/person
- Fees to be paid at the airport:
- INGALA Transit Control Card – $20/person
- Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee – Foreigners: $100/person
- Ferry from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal Island – $25/person
- Day Tour of Isla Isabela – $110/person
- Day Tour of Isla Floreana – $90/person
- Day Tour of Isla San Cristobal 360 – $120/person
So as you can see, even if you try to be as conservative and budget conscious as you can, it will still cost you a minimum of $800 per person plus accomodation and food. But was it worth it? If you are a nature and wildlife lover, I would say yes. Visitors to the Galapagos are usually interested in seeing and experiencing the endemic wildlife here and they should definitely give it a try but do your research before you embark on this trip.
1 comment
Very iinteresting &nformative. You have explained so well👌👌
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