I am a single 40-year old male and want to visit Galapagos Islands in early May for 8 days. I don't have a lot of money so feel that $10,000 for a tour is super expensive.
1. Do people manage to tour the islands on their own?
2. Where should I fly into from San Francisco, SFO?
3. Are there good cheaper tours?
4. What kind of other tips to keep in mind for DIY visit?
Thanks
Are you including air fare?
$10K seems like a lot, even for an 8 day cruise.
Read the forum and get an idea if you want a land based or cruise based vacation, and what is important for you to see/do.
Land based - probably cheapest, you're restricted to the 3-4 islands with hotels plus whichever islands you can take day trips to, you can set your own activities and schedule, you can visit bars, etc, to socialize at night.
Cruise based - have access to more islands, which may also mean different animals/birds to an extent, food and drink are provided but with limited choice, no bar hopping, a set and usually very busy schedule of snorkeling, hiking/nature walks, panga rides around the islands. There are a full range of cruises, from "economy" to luxury, many (most?) from local providers.
Thanks for your reply. I am not calibrated so don't know how much to expect. I am interested in land-based. Not interested in a cruise. I am solo as well.
Thinking of flying into Quito from California and then to Santa Cruz and stay there and exploring? How does that sound? Are there activities that are open to only cruise though? Or do I need special permit or license?
There is a Top Question on the right (not visible on phones) titled Land-based trip reports. The first one is a very long, very comprehensive thread that will answer all your questions. Read through that, figure out what sounds good to you, and come back to the forum with any further questions.
Just in case a cruise is of interest, you can find good deals with reputable boats here https://www.galapagoscruiselinks.com/ I see there is a killer deal for the Samba in February, which would be my choice, hands down.
Punjipatti,
From California if you are in the south maybe you can border cross from San Diego to Tijuana and from there board an Aeromexico flight that will lead you towards CDMX and then Quito, probably this will be the cheapest flight connection.
Land based tourism has been growing up lately since the main inhabited islands are easy to navigate on your own if you are a good explorer.
The cheapest 5 day backpacker type cruise runs for something like USD 1600 all inclusive. Maybe with that money you can survive for 10 days traveling on your own and staying at cheap hostels. This doesn't include the internal airfare in Ecuador.
The main populated islands are Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela, all of those are friendly to travel and you can have a great experience by visiting the tourist sites which are allowed to be seen on your own plus you can take day tours to some interesting islets/islands which can't be visited on your own such as Seymour, Bartolome, Kicker Rock, Española, Tintoreras and Tuneles.
If you have more questions please ask, it will be a pleasure to help you.
Saludos cordiales,
Dennis Yépez
Guanguiltagua Expeditions
From SFO you have several options, but they all involve a connection. Avianca, Aeromexico and Copa can all get you to Quito/Guayaquil, depending on where you want to start.
The long thread by Snaek29 that AZB has referred you to will probably be the best resource to get you started. Even though the original post is somewhat old now, a lot of the logistics are the same, and people still contribute to it regularly to keep it up to date.
This is the link in case you can't access the Top Questions.
Hello punjipatti,
in addition to the many helpful comments above, you might like to have a look at my land-based trip report (https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294310-i6637-k14215568-Trip_report_Seven_nights_land_based_Summary_Amazing-Galapagos_Islands.html) as my journey seems to be very similar to the one you would like to do. I am about your age and stayed for eight days on a budget, this included accomodation on two islands, two day tours by boat (to beautiful Bartolomé and amazing Espanola) and daily excursions and hikes on the islands I stayed on (e.g. by having a driver for a full day). I flew in from Santiago de Chile and back to Quito and including these flights, the eight nights were a little above 2000 USD and this included everything (food, tips, entrance fees, accomodation and so on). Without the flights it was a little above 1500 USD I think (that is, all money I spent from arrival at Baltra airport to departure from San Cristobal airport). Depending on what you think is "super expensive", it is easily possible to visit these amazing islands on a budget and still have a very comfortable and exciting time. You do not need to dine in restaurants as there are nice cheap cafés and lovely street food stands, and it is as well possible to self-cater in the supermarkets. The only expensive part of the journey were the day tours by boat and they were sooo worth the money! (I did not want to compromise here as I wanted good boats, experienced guides and I wanted to go sure the company I book with takes care of the flora and fauna respectfully.) You will for sure enjoy your land-based stay!
Hope this helps, happy travels!
Welcome
some disclosures...
> 62 y/o solo male traveler. been doing so since 2012 where i started off in Europe. Then a several trips later switched to S.America and working my way up to the USA.
> My 1 month trips cost me 5K USD. This is for EVERYTHING other than food. Your eyes maybe popping out of your head for the 5K but if you can stop and catch your breath and put your eyes back in, consider what i got for the 5K. One month of travel for EVERYTHING other than food, IN both Europe AND S.America. If you want, do the math. thats about 165$ USD/Day. How much does it cost you per day to live in SFO? maybe go to/from work? I do my own research and planning. I start by buying some travel books first and read any and all relevant sections. Then i use a spreadsheet. And i also use a map too.
> now in the Galapagos, my 5K budget was not so 5K anymore due to the cruise. yes, 10K USD is alot of money, and i would say 5K USD is too. but i look at it as that was 2 of my yearly trips. Also, it wasnt like someone shoved a gun in my face and took that 10K. I was able to go to someplace thats unique and cool and i got something for it. Something that its part of me and my memory. in any case, it cost me 7K+ USD for the cruise part since i had to pay for SS - Singles Supplement. Note i think the link below has info on ships without SS.
> here is a link to a post about last minute trips/cruises. I didnt do my trip that way, i PLANNED my trip months ahead. why? because i will go on those trips not wish, or hope. I knew the costs up front event though they were more and my travel books said so. If you have the time to go and do the "wait n see" go for it. I didnt. I had places to go before and after, so i had to plan for that cruse, just as if i was going to some other place.
> its up to you how you want to do this. But consider this. will it be free or cheap to fly there? what about time off of work? there is no free ride.
> If you want to make travel less painfull for your wallet (again it wont be free), then you will need to do the work to do so. Sorry, again, its not free in the work department either. But i find my time is less expensive than my travels and i have the time to do the work. You will find the time too if you really want to do anything in life.
> but use a spreadsheet. they are great in that you can input numbers and then use the handy SUM feature to see how much that trip may cost you. If you really want to try and do it yourself, you will do the work but herre are some hints....
>------- Start by looking at your transportation. This will probably be your #1 costs. The cost threshold is up to you. I use anything > 50 USD. Again, you can use whatever threshold number you want. So, look at your flight first. chances are your puddle jumpers wont be free and will be > 50 USD.
>-------- Lodging will be your #2 costs . again travel books will have budget/ranges. or if you want, look at using any of the search engines..... such as... Input your dates and budget/range if yuou want and then look at what is available for your dates. you can use the map feature too showing where they are located. Note, you may see a pattern. Places closer to the "place" is more expensive. Places away from that "place" is less expensive. But consider the time & money lost commuting. How will you commute? walk? or taxi? or bus? Also, consider how much TIME you will be there? a few days or a LIFETIME? a few days wont cost that much in the long term, but a LIFETIME, it will add up. I think there were/are Hostels down there. How does using a bunk/bed in a hostel sound to you?
"...2. Where should I fly into from San Francisco, SFO?.."
> does it make sense to fly from NYC? if you live in SFO? Do what works for you and your time and budget. If you want, look at other "nearby" airports. But can you get there for free? what about time lost? is that free? But again ,use a spreadsheet. Look at flying out of SFO first and then look at the numbers. If you need to trim some numbers, then look at other places to use.
> also, in my way of thinking, i want to fly TO where i want to go. You may find some cheaper flight that may say, go to NYC first THEN to Galapagos. what about time lost? And when you start adding any connections, ANYTHING can go wrong to make you miss that flight or that flight may not show up.
>only YOU will know what you are willing to accept in costs - time & money. If its cheaper to fly from LAX for example ? what about travel time and cost? What if you drive? what about your car and where to park? for how many days or weeks?
> im sure you have limited time to do this trip too. So, would it not be the better thing to get there ASAP and have some fun than to spend more time flying someplace you dont want to be? does warming a seat plane equate to the Galapagos?
".....3. Are there good cheaper tours?..."
> dont know. I dont know whats "cheap". Try using numbers. you did for the 10K USD.
".....4. What kind of other tips to keep in mind for DIY visit?..."
> Again, get a travel book and start reading.
> If you really want to travel and more you WILL do the work necessary. I wont say it will fall into your lap with a pretty pink bow, but if you want it bad enough, doing some work wont stop you. Also, once you do a few trips, you may find that others will get easier. Chancs are your 1st DIY trip will take more time, just like anythig else you have LEARNED to do in the past.
good luck
Edited: 13 February 2024, 00:58Fly SFO- Miami- Quito or GYE (AA)
Tours are all snorkel based so get yourself some decent snorkel gear
Carry plenty of sunscreen
Do 2 islands only in 8 days - Cristobal and Baltra
Book hotels in advance but tours on the island
Enjoy and buy your tickets now.
On a phone, open the menu (3 dots top right) and select "desktop mode". You will be able to see the section on top questions. Thank you for pointing it out. I would not have seen them from my phone and they are helpful.
