I’d like to ask you to close your eyes for a moment and try, if you can, to visualise the sort of person you think would visit the Galapagos islands – 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador.
You should remember that these islands are famous for, among other things, being extremely expensive. That means most people only see them from the deck of a luxury cruise ship.
So if you pictured a smiling middle-aged couple, staring at sea lions and marine iguanas with an expensive camera in each hand, you wouldn’t be far wrong. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you know the secrets, you can see Galapagos on a far tighter budget.
(And if you really want to immerse yourself in the lives of the people and animals that inhabit this weird and wonderful archipelago, travelling independently is a must). Follow these Galapagos Islands travel tips to find out the best way to enjoy the area.
by Scott Ableman, on Flickr
Galapagos Islands Travel Tips
There are lots of myths when it comes to backpacking the Galapagos and many people are even unaware that four of the islands are inhabited. The largest of these – Santa Cruz – boasts a population of around 15,000.
Strict preservation rules in Galapagos only allow you to visit inhabited islands independently. But within those four islands – Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela – you will experience enough wildlife to sate you for a lifetime. You will, for example, find giant tortoises, sea lions and marine iguanas on every one.
It is easy to hop between the islands too. Boats leave regularly for around $25 a ticket and take two to three hours, depending on the journey. On even the shortest trip you can be surrounded by scores of dolphins and enormous humpback whales.
Hotels and hostels generally start from around $25 a night, per person. While that may not be cheap, it’s far more achievable for the average backpacker.
So if that sounds good to you, but you need a little help with your itinerary – San Cristobal, the closest inhabited island to Ecuador’s coast, is probably the best place to start. You can fly there easily from the mainland.
On San Cristobal you will enjoy the antics of hundreds of sea lions – in fact, you will struggle to avoid stepping on them as you wander along the waterfront. And, while the animals generally sleep in a huge colony on the beach, it is not unusual to catch the biggest males curled up on a wooden bench – snoring merrily in the sunshine.
San Cristobal is also an excellent place to snorkel and scuba dive and both tourists and locals flock to one particular spot – Kicker Rock. This impressive volcanic tower is not far from the coast and its eerily deep waters are home to hundreds of fish and sharks, including the elusive hammerhead.
(The slightly less adventurous swimmer can also wander to Tijeretas Hill on the island itself. It’s a beautiful inlet where you can kick away your flippers and float lazily on your back, watching pelicans and other birds soaring overhead.)
Similarly, if you stay on San Cristobal long enough it is also worth taking a day trip to nearby Floreana – the smallest inhabited island – if only to enjoy the much-visited cave where a notorious Irish castaway lived out his days.
Your next stop would be the island of Santa Cruz, two hours away by boat.
This island is best known for being the home of Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who is the sole survivor of his sub species. George lives in the island’s Charles Darwin Research Station with his friend Diego who, by contrast, successfully saved his own sub species from extinction (you don’t need me to explain how… let’s just say he’s the energetic type).
The centre is worth visiting but you may prefer to hunt for the island’s largest giant tortoises yourself. You can find them wild in the highlands, easily accessible by taxi and there you can also hike through lava tunnels. You may also like to take an afternoon stroll to the secluded Tortuga Bay to see hundreds of marine iguanas.
But once you have sampled the sites, shops and cafes on Santa Cruz you may be itching to return to the quieter side of Galapagos. Happily, you’ll recover that tranquillity on the next island, Isabela, which remains charming and sleepy despite being the largest island of all.
Isabela boasts beautiful beaches and is stuffed with volcanoes and craters, so take your pick of the hikes and horse riding trails and lose yourself. This is also one of the best places to snorkel with sharks in shallow waters and see dozens of penguins assembled on the rocks nearby.
Now, if travelling Galapagos independently is starting to sound good to you, remember something else too. Staying on the islands means you can sample the local nightlife, unlike cruise ship passengers who face water taxi curfews at around 11 p.m.
(Besides hotels, it is equally easy to lodge with a local family, who generally offer three meals a day and as much Spanish as you can speak. Just ask around.)
Of course, there are drawbacks to travelling this way. Some species live solely on the islands that are only accessible by cruise ship. The albatross, most famously, can only be found on the uninhabited island of Espanola.
Equally, being accompanied by a local guide will only enhance your experience – both of the wildlife and the geology – although some Galapagos tour operators try to bridge this gap, offering reasonably-priced land-based tours which include food, accommodation and English-speaking guides.
So I guess it’s time to close your eyes again and imagine that stereotypical Galapagos traveller, lost amid white sands, volcanic rocks and a menagerie of weird and wonderful animals. Except maybe this time, that traveller is you.
Galapagos Islands Facts
Airlines flying to the Galapagos include TAME and Aerogal. Visit www.tame.com.ec or www.aerogal.com.ec.
All tourists must pay $100 to enter Galapagos which goes towards conservation.
Vicki Kellaway is a British freelance journalist who lived on the Galapagos islands for three months. Follow her exploits at bananaskinflipflops.com and on Facebook.
