How to Book a Galapagos Cruise on the Cheap

To swim with sea lions, penguins and sharks that don't fear humans is an unreal experience that I could not pass up. Touring the Galapagos has always been a must do destination for me, but it always seemed out of reach financially. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would try to head there anyway to celebrate the realization of my dream and my 1 year anniversary of traveling.

On my first day in Quito, I went to a tour agency to find out about last minute deals to the Galapagos. They had tons on offer, but I had no idea what type of tour I wanted and what islands I wanted to see. I debated between a boat based cruise vs a land based tour where I would stay on the islands at night and visit other islands during the day. In the end, the cruise is a much better experience because I would see more islands and I could do the land based part on my own.

After reading up on the boats and islands through the book, Viva Ecuador travel guide located in the tour office, I decided that I wanted an 8 day cruise, vs a 4 or 5 day one, to ensure that my trip included Espanola island, the most beautiful one, and Genovesa, one of the only islands where one can see the red footed boobies. I tried to find a tour that included Fernandina on the far west side that recently had a volcanic eruption, but only the tour boats of more than 50 people did all three. So, I settled on making sure that I saw my top 2 islands.

Next, the boat selection. I didn't want to go on a boat with more than 16 passengers so I could have a more personal experience. Plus, from what I hear, boats with more than that do not get to stay on the beaches during the day and can only snorkel from the small boats. In terms of the actual boat, I didn't have any set requirements, but definitely preferred one with hot water, air conditioning, lower beds meaning no bunk beds, at least a Class II guide, and a nice sun deck. This would mean a boat in either the first class or tourist superior class classification. The website, happygringo.com lists all the boats and sample itineraries. In the end, I booked with Paul from carpedm.ca. I went into his office and he called up a couple places and the first-class Galaxy boat had one space left for half the price leaving in a couple days. Their website, galapagosgalaxy.com.ec lists the cruise at a cost of $3K for 8 days. In Quito, one can book it for $2400, but for last minute, I booked it for $1200. Booking from overseas is definitely more expensive. A last minute 4 day, 3 night cruise on the same boat last minute goes for $550; cheaper but I figured the extra days would be worth it. An economy boat without the amenities above would cost about $900 for a last minute 8 day cruise,

The flight to the Galapagos costs $360 from Quito during low season (May 1 to June 15 and Sept 15 to Oct 31, otherwise $415 at other times) and then the government charges $110 for a tourist card and entrance fee. The tourist card will go up to $210 next year, and the number of passengers allowed to enter the Galapagos will decrease from 120K this year to 85K next year, which only means higher prices. This has definitely been the most expensive part of my trip, but worth it.

After the cruise, I changed my flight for free and stayed for 5 days on Isabela island, which I didn't see on my tour, so that I could just chill and enjoy the experience. I also spent an extra couple days on Santa Cruz so I could scuba dive for $120 for 2 dives. Hotels only cost about $15 a night for my own room. The extra time exploring the islands outside of the cruise completed the whole experience for me since I will most likely never return. The Galapagos is a once in a lifetime adventure. In total, I spent about $2000 for an 8 day cruise, an extra week on the islands, and a day of scuba diving. This is how much I would normally spend over 2 months of travel and I managed to spend this much in 2 weeks. Despite the cost, my general advice is just go. The Galapagos is changing from the continued influx of tourism and going there will be harder and harder and more expensive each year. Where else in the world can one swim with sea lions and penguins?