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Travel guide
The Galápagos Islands
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: January to March, and June to August
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Welcome
The Galápagos Islands, in a few days
Thirteen volcanic islands about 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador, where the animals do not run away: marine iguanas piled on the lava, sea lions asleep on the benches of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, blue-footed boobies a metre from the path. The national park covers 97% of the land, with licensed guides and visitor quotas.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Tortuga Bay free · half a dayA 2.5 km paved path from Puerto Ayora through cactus and palo santo forest to Playa Brava, a long white beach where marine iguanas bask.
- Afternoon · Charles Darwin Research Station free · about 1 h 30Ten minutes' walk from Puerto Ayora, it has bred giant tortoises since 1964 and displays Lonesome George, the last Pinta tortoise, who died in 2012.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Silberstein€125 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bartolomé Island · a full dayA bare cinder cone off Santiago: wooden steps climb to 114 metres, with two crescent bays and Pinnacle Rock, the archipelago's most photographed view, below.
- Afternoon · Concha de Perla free · about 1 hFive minutes from the Puerto Villamil dock, a boardwalk through mangroves leads to a sheltered, shallow lagoon where sea lions swim around snorkellers.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Angermeyer Waterfront€180 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Los Túneles · half a dayCollapsed lava off south-west Isabela has left arches and flooded tunnels; walk the basalt bridges, then snorkel with green turtles, eagle rays and seahorses.
- Afternoon · Sierra Negra Volcano · half a dayAn hour's walk on red earth to the rim of a caldera about 9 by 7 km, last active in 2018; mornings are often misty.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Verde Azul€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Punta Suárez · 2 to 3 hA 3 km trail on Española past booby colonies, red and green marine iguanas, a clifftop blowhole and nesting waved albatrosses from April to December.
- Afternoon · Kicker Rock (León Dormido) · half a dayAn hour by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, two 150-metre tuff blocks split by a narrow channel where Galápagos and hammerhead sharks gather.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Katarma Hotel€120 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Ceviche: Ecuador's version is usually prawns in a citrus and tomato juice, served with popcorn or plantain crisps on the side.
- Encebollado: a fish soup of tuna, cassava and pickled onion, eaten in the morning and said to cure a hangover.
- Llapingachos: fried potato and cheese patties, often with a fried egg and peanut sauce.
- Hornado: whole roast pork carved at Andean market stalls.
- Chocolate and fruit: fine cacao grown in the country, and juices from fruits you may not have seen before.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Quito sits at 2,850 metres: take the first day slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol.
- Drink bottled water and favour food that is cooked and served hot.
- Galápagos park rules are strict: keep your distance from animals, never feed them, and visit park sites only with a licensed guide.
- Take official taxis or ride-hailing apps rather than hailing cars in the street, especially at night.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €215 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJanuary to March, and June to August
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingA 10% service charge is often on the bill; extra is appreciated
Emergency911
EntryVisa-free for 90 days in any 12 months for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports, which must be valid six months from arrival. For the Galápagos you also need a transit control card bought before check-in, health insurance, and cash for the national park fee on landing.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Yellow fever vaccination is advised if you go into the Amazon, and malaria is limited to lowland areas away from this route. Allow for the altitude in Quito.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/galapagos
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.