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If on a budget and wanting to travel to Galapagos, take into consideration the flight of $410 and the National Park Tax of $110. From Cactuspad in Puerto Ayora, one could take a couple of day tours, if available, to nearby islands among other visits on the island of Santa Cruz.

Another reason for a variation could be due to what is included. E.g. a ‘package’ to Galapagos may include the $410 flight, hotels on the mainland at each end of the cruise and associated transfers. A ‘cruise’ only may not include these extra things. Some accommodations also offer packages which are indicated in the price list.

“The guide made the trip” is a comment heard from many tourists. Their knowledge of the area and language ability are very important features. However, what appears to be more important than these, is their personality and responsibility as they often carry the whole show and you are with them for a week. There is a rough system in Galapagos of Naturalist ‘I’, ‘II’ or ‘III’, where ‘I’ is a licensed guide with limited knowledge and ‘III’ is the most knowledgeable. However, looking for guides by name is the most credible way to go. We double check who the guide is before booking any cruise.

There are many islands/visitor sites in the Galapagos but many of the operators plan their itinerary by balancing an attempt to visit the 12 best sites (which are spread across Galapagos) and avoiding too much navigation. Top islands like Genovesa/Tower, Fernandina and Espanola are in three far-flung corners of the islands and are hard to get to. A top vessel with a greater speed (Integrity or Eclipse) could get to these places quite easily whereas the cheaper, slower boats may not be able to fit it all in and therefore tend to have more limited itineraries. These shorter tours would only be an issue for connoisseurs of Galapagos or people looking for specific things.

There are cruises on offer from 3 to 14 nights on board. By far the most common and the optimum time needed to have a good experience is 7 nights. You may often find these referred to in days where a three-night cruise is a 4-day and a 7-night is an 8-day cruise even though the first and last day of the cruise are traveling days: the first day usually includes an afternoon visit; the last day you disembark in the morning to catch the morning flight, sometimes with a quick visit before that.

The more you spend, the better the boat is more often the rule. Boats need a lot of maintenance in public areas for hygiene and in non-public areas (e.g. engine rooms) for reasons of safety. Although there are annual inspections from regulatory bodies, what happens between inspections varies from boat to boat. Be prepared to compromise on these issues when selecting the cheapest cruises.

Conservation has been the traditional pot in Galapagos with all monies going to help in the various projects of restoration. However, in recent years, as the human population of Galapagos has escalated, the future pressures will be from the people living here. Initiatives to help educate the population in order to teach it to help itself and protect its paradise are tricky and sometimes controversial. They shouldn’t be ignored, however. Such an organization is the Scalesia Foundation who is dealing with this issue in its School: Tomas de Berlanga. It is doing well, but with more financial aid, could achieve its goals quicker and on a larger scale.

If sensitive to these changes, it would be best to be on the safe side and bring a wetsuit. You could also contact us just before leaving home to find out the latest water temperatures in order to help make your decision. Another option is to hire a wetsuit on board upon arriving here and finding a wetsuit necessary. Some boats offer this service, typically charging around $25 for the week’s rental. There are also diving outfitters on land in Puerto Ayora offering the same service.

If this does not work for you, first try the wristband solution: this is a pair of bands that apply accu-pressure in strategic places. Failing this, transdern patches, available in North America are also a solution: they are patches that stick to your neck below the ears. Dramamine is medication that helps solve the problem, often causing drowsiness as a side effect though.