Galapagos Islands Trip 2022

I just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago. I went on a tour where everything was booked in advance. That's one way to do it. If that's what you want to do, I'd recommend internet search to find the tour that best suits your interests and timeline.

We spent one night at a hotel in Puerto Ayora prior to embarking on our cruise. From what I could see there, many tour operators are available for booking various day trips, scuba outings, etc. And based on availability, you could probably book a multi-day cruise once you are there. But I wouldn't want to go that route; I think I'd much rather know for sure what my plans were before I got there.

There are tours that start from the mainland and may include some time in Quito or elsewhere, and others where they meet you at the airport on Baltra Island. If you have any interest in seeing other parts of Ecuador, or other countries in South America, you can look into some broader tour options. The one I did included Peru as well as Ecuador.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.

Oh, and for me, visiting the Galapagos was the trip of a lifetime. You will love it!

I researched this and found several great cruises that were more expensive than land tours. Ultimately, we decided to take Celebrity Cruise lines. They have three ships to choose from, we picked Xpedition.

It was a great cruise, but expensive.

We had numerous snorkeling opportunities that were fantastic. No scuba.

I did a scuba diving cruise recently with Voyagers and they have a couple of other options like luxury and more budget. You can choose the "dive" option from their website ( http://www.voyagers.travel and then scroll down to Galapagos cruise categories). I got to dive with a whaleshark with them which has long since been a dream of mine! I have been on liveaboards in Indonesia and Thailand and this was by far the best one.

Only a planner, not a goer, but some comments:

All flights to the Galapagos leave from (or stop in) Guayaquil. There is a surcharge for these flights for foreigners so they are expensive and basically fixed price. It used to be possible to get fare deals and even points redemptions to the Galapagos thru American Airlines but LATAM left the OneWorld alliance so that's over. I have no idea how a person would get to Ecuador from South Africa, via Brazil. Atlanta, or Miami I would guess.

There are larger cruise ships as mentioned but the workhorse of the Galapagos cruise business is the smaller 15-25 passenger boats run by locals. Check out TripAdvisor for advice on the smaller boats.

It has become popular to do self-constructed land tours without going on a cruise. Tens of thousands of people live on the islands so there are hotels and AirBnBs like everywhere else, and one can arrange daytrips on speedboats into the protected areas. There are also places that can be visited on foot or via rental car. I am not saying that this is the best alternative, just that it is 1/4 or 1/3 the price of a cruise so a budget alternative. It is possible to take daily speedboats between 3 or 4 islands, or charter a flight. There may be jets between Baltra and San Cristobal.

It's common to not reserve a tour or cruise and just show up the night before departure seeing what vacancies and price reductions there are, either in Quito at the travel agents or on the docks in Puerto Ayora.

Pointing out the most common misconception, that the Galapagos is a national park without local residents or services, but quite the opposite is true.

As part of a three week Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador tour I spent four days exploring the Galapagos Island on a 16 passenger ship. It (the Galapagos part) was an outstanding all inclusive adventure - boarding, meals, water activities, scuba diving, etc. It would have been great spend additional time and venture to some of the more remote islands and a broader variety of wildlife. Each island has some unique distinctions and ‘inhabitants.’

Here is a link that recommends things to consider when viewing options.

https://globetrottergirls.com/visiting-the-galapagos-islands-things-to-know/

All flights to the Galapagos leave from (or stop in) Guayaquil.

Avianca actually has one direct flight a day each direction from Quito to Baltra.

It has become popular to do self-constructed land tours without going on a cruise. Tens of thousands of people live there so there are hotels and daytrips on speedboats into the protected areas. There are also places that can be visited on foot or via rental car. I am not saying that this is the best alternative, just that it is 1/4 or 1/3 the price of a cruise.

This is true, and it may be an option for you, but since you said you want to explore "all the islands," a cruise will probably be a better choice. However, no cruises explore all the islands. One of the things I learned on my trip is that these islands are much bigger and farther apart than I imagined. My cruise was just three nights, and we only got from Santa Cruz to Santiago, plus a few of the smaller islands nearby. On a longer cruise you might head south and east (San Cristobal and Española) or west (Isabella and Fernandina). Still, we saw virtually all the wildlife one expects to see on a visit to the Galapagos, with the exception of albatross and whales.

Avianca actually has one direct flight a day each direction from Quito to Baltra.

That opens up Star Alliance redemptions, possibly. People arriving on a tour will have the flights paid for, and also will have prepaid the admission to the national park, which if not on a tour used to be $100 cash paid on arrival.

I just finished planning a trip there for next Feb. Great to see all the responses here. Thanks!

We did Celebrity's ten day cruise with tour in Quito (3 days). We flew Avianca on charter flight form Quito to Galapagos (Baltra airport).

I started with a guidebook, maybe Frommers, but ended up with a smaller group tour with several friends. Did Macchu Picchu first. We were a small part of a small-ship excursion around a few islands. My takeaways (in general) were:

Southern hemisphere Winter vs. Summer is a choice between wetsuits or no wetsuits (snorkeling only for us.)
I understand land-basing is now possible, but a ship may get you to more & different, places.
The bigger the ship, the less awful the wave action. You may also have luxuries like delivery of your snorkel bag to the beach after your nature hike.
Heat and time of day are issues, just like an East Africa safari. Be ready for early rising, and sweaty shirts to change twice daily. I don't personally like napping, but it's helpful after lunch, in an AIR CONDITIONED cabin.
Our ship had 100 guests, I think. Among the biggest. No sea sickness for me.

We did the Celebrity XPedition and loved every second. It started in Quito with a flight to Baltra. We spent extra days at the end in Cuenca and had a private guide which we enjoyed. He took us outside of Cuenca a few hours but I can’t remember the name of the place. I believe the ship’s capacity is 100 guests? At each island we would split up into small groups with our own naturalist and zodiac in. The snorkeling was wonderful. I had seals and turtles come up to my face. We saw young sharks and penguins. It was awesome!
Upon returning to the ship we were greeted with a wet washcloth, wine and snacks. I had to cover my glass as the wine was free flowing.

Lots of useful info on Wikitravel.org