Ecuador Galapagos Land Tour

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador · Ecuador

Easy7 daysSouth America~£3,500 est.

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Overview

You do not need a cruise for the Galapagos. Basing yourself in the islands and hopping the public ferries between Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal delivers evolution's laboratory at half the cost - and the animals' total indifference to your presence is exactly the same. On Santa Cruz, giant tortoises graze wild through the El Chato highlands like slow boulders; marine iguanas pile up on the white sand of Tortuga Bay; sea lions commandeer the benches of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Day boats fill the gaps a land tour cannot: North Seymour's blue-footed booby colonies, the snorkel walls of Kicker Rock with hammerheads below, Isabela's lava fields and flightless cormorants. The rules are the framework: a US$200 national park fee on arrival, licensed naturalist guides mandatory at protected sites, and strict biosecurity - clean your boots between islands. Ferry crossings are two hours of open-ocean bouncing, so take the seasickness tablets seriously. December to May is warm and calm with the clearest water; June to November brings the cool, nutrient-rich Humboldt flow and peak seabird activity. Around £3,500 covers a week of guesthouses, ferries, day trips and fees, flights from mainland Ecuador aside.