Galapagos Islands

RRD

Level 2 Member
We are looking at a trip to Galapagos Islands this June. The cruise to the inner islands is quite a bit expensive (~3.5k pp) and was looking for ideas to bring the cost down. I've heard of last minute deals. Any other tips or tricks that you'd like to share regarding the cruise or the islands themselves? Thanks in advance.
 

dctech

Level 2 Member
I think this may be better placed in the travel hacking forum. This is not really MS related, and if it were, you would need to provide a lot more information about your trip/methods/points stashes etc.
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
I went there last year (oops ... it was May 2015) as part of a 4 week sabbatical trip. I opted for a land-based visit with 3 boat rides to different islands. It WAS expensive even this way, and they LOVE cash on the islands. NOTE that the Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, which uses US$ as its legal tender. Honest! So bring your US Dollars and lots of them.

I have a trip report for Peru and Ecuador I can share with you if you would like. I will PM the link in case it proves helpful.

Spoiler Alert: I was slightly underwhelmed with the islands, personally. But others think way differently. Just in case you see it on my "Notes" page. This was after seeing Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo, so perhaps I was pazazzed out!
 
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thepaul500

Level 2 Member
Theres a few big boats you can go on to bring the cost down quite a bit (8 years ago was less than 1k per person). That said, getting on a small boat is the way to go if you can. Tough to beat hopping into the water 45 minutes before dinner for a quick snorkel with some seals.
 

RRD

Level 2 Member
Thank you for your inputs.

Based on TripAdvisor suggestions, an overwhelming majority suggests doing the cruise. The least expensive (and not luxury) package costs at least 3k/pp. The smaller boats, about 16 passengers, is what I am looking at.

Not using miles and points for airfare and no such luck with hotels in these remote parts of Ecuador.
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Galapagos is high on my wishlist, but 3k is very steep. Is this an all inclusive cruise? For how long?
 

RRD

Level 2 Member
Galapagos is high on my wishlist, but 3k is very steep. Is this an all inclusive cruise? For how long?
Yeah, all inclusive for 7n/8d. Knick says the islands are quite expensive and incidental costs could cost me much more. :(
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
My trip report (I believe I PM'd links to both @italdesign and @RRD) does document some of the costs if you want to look at that specific section (and "logistics" at the front) of it. We stayed on the main island and hopped to 3 other islands on different days ... so we did not have a cruise-based experience. The cost of the trips/tours are in the report (and I don't remember without checking myself). Food and transport on the main island were up a little, from memory, but not outrageous. We opted for a land-based, pick-our-own-boat/tour-trips scheme because we were unsure of sleeping on a moving ship and we thought the costs were a bit high. I have no regrets about how we did things, but would have probably also enjoyed a ship-based trip. We saw enough during our trip that I feel no need to return (trying not to sound negative, but in all honestly, I was a little underwhelmed).
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
From the logistics page of my trip report:

"Overall, we spent a whopping $2750 in cash from the ATM. A great deal of this was in the Galapagos Islands where almost everything was a cash transaction and nothing was cheap. Major Galapagos expenses included: $240 just to get in via airport/park fees, $475 for our hotel, $270 for 2 people to tour Isla Isabela, $90 for the Santa Cruz Highlands tour and $370 for the North Seymour Island tour."

Cash out of the ATM because credit cards were NOT the normal there. Turns out we did go to 3 "other" islands, (corrected from 4) 5 total including the one that houses the airport (you take a ferry across to the main island) and the main island itself. One was an extremely small piece of land next to Isla Isabella. Trip reports help to keep my memory in check!

A quick peek at this report and my pictures and I am better remembering the creatures. The huge tortoises and large iguanas WERE cool. It was a good trip. Trip prices quoted were for 2 people.
 
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