“Can we really stay in the Galapagos on a budget?”

Sherri’s voice carried quickly in the early morning air. A mother walking her son to school looked back over her shoulder at us; along the road, cars filled with diving gear and men in board shorts passed by.

We were waiting for our tour guide to arrive: for a man we’d never met who was about to take us to San Cristobal island for a day of snorkelling.

Except we happened to be an hour ahead of schedule – hence sitting on the kerb outside his closed-up shop at 7am. And they say the Galapagos islands are luxurious…! 

Traveling to the Galapagos on a budget

Of course, if you’ve decided to take one of the (hopefully!) affordable Galapagos cruises around the islands, then you probably don’t need to worry about missing the start of your tour.

But for those of us on a definite Galapagos budget – those who opt to spend their visit searching out the cheap Galapagos tours and day trips to different islands – there’s no time to waste.

Going back in time in the Galapagos Islands…

Travellers who’ve already been in South America for a while might be confused about the Galapagos. This isn’t mainland Ecuador – not at all.

First up, the Galapagos islands have a different timezone (hence why I neglected to wind my watch back an hour as the plane landed, and got out of bed an hour earlier).

Second, the hospital, dentists and at least twenty pharmacies are all clustered together on the main road; the sole purpose of the vast majority of shops is to sell boat tours; and there’s one long street with all the evening’s food options flanking either side, with tables jostling for space on the tarmac.

Most of all, there’s an overwhelming sense of safety and security. While Quito may be known as one of the most likely cities in South America to get pick-pocketed, this small island couldn’t feel more different.

Puerto Ayora is an Ecuadorian city with a great deal of wealth. There are sealions lazing on the pier, iguanas scuttling along the pavements and herons swooping overhead.

And Santa Cruz island, located in the middle of an infamous archipelago, is the place where pretty much every Galapagos-bound visitor arrives.

So what’s the cheapest way to visit Galapagos?

When I decided to volunteer in Ecuador I knew that the Galapagos islands were a must-see, but I didn’t want to spend a large part of my budget on an expensive cruise. So I decided to try attempt the cheapest way to get to Galapagos: fly to the archipelago, stay on the main island of Santa Cruz and take day trips to the surrounding islands.

While this can start off as a good idea, it’s very easy for the money to start vanishing. We met people who were spending two weeks on Santa Cruz and taking day trips almost every day: when you add up the $70+ day trip price, plus nightly dinners and accommodation, it starts to look like an all-inclusive cruise would be more economical!

My friend Sherri and I were certain we could get the majority of the Galapagos experience without the huge price tag – but obviously that comes at a price of its own.

• We didn’t eat a huge amount, and the meals we had weren’t at all fancy.

• We walked most of the time, resulting in occasional flipflop blisters and a fair amount of sunburn.

• We hungrily searched out every free activity we could – even if it involved extra effort and time.

But it worked!

We managed to experience a large amount of what the Galapagos had to offer for a surprisingly cheap price – each spending approximately $900 (or £600 of my own native British currency) for a six day trip.

Intrigued? Sceptical perhaps? Here’s how I saw the Galapagos islands on a budget of $900…

How to visit Galapagos Islands on a budget – the full breakdown

First up, I don’t suggest this method for everyone.

This is essentially the ‘Galapagos Islands Backpacking Method’: it’s for the long-term travellers who are happy to cut all possible corners, rather than families with only a few weeks holiday to travel Ecuador with. Put simply, it’s not the glitziest style of travel!

Secondly, it’s helpful to know the cheapest time to visit Galapagos. Many will say there’s no ‘bad’ or ‘best’ time, but avoiding the summer and Christmas/New Year influxes of tourists is a good start. We went in April when the rainy season was finishing, which meant lots of lush green vegetation and not many tourists. August to November is the coolest part of the year, which is best for clear diving waters. September is the least touristic month and so probably the best for scoring last-minute Galapagos tour deals.

Thirdly, decide how long to spend in Galapagos. We opted for just under a week: bearing in mind that arrival and departure days are mostly spent travelling, that gave us three or four days of solid exploring.

Finally, you should be relaxed about this style of trip, and have enough free time to play with. That’s because we booked everything last-minute, from flights to accommodation to day trips once we’d arrived. It’s the absolute best way to guarantee you’re getting the best Galapagos Islands deals (and bartering in Spanish is pretty fun too!)

Flights to/from the Galapagos: $430 (£274)

There’s no doubt about it: when flying to the Galapagos cheap tickets are hard to find. But the vast amount of visitors seem to come to Ecuador for these islands only – when it’s surely much more cost effective to combine a budget Galapagos trip with a few weeks in the rest of the country?

– Fly to the Galapagos from somewhere close. Because I’ve been living in Cuenca for the last five months it was no hassle to book the two hour internal flight to the Galapagos. And instead of flying from Quito, I flew from Guayaquil, my nearest airport, which cut my air fare pretty much in half.

– Book your flights last-minute. By booking flights just two weeks before I wanted to be in the Galapagos, I got a great deal: just $430 round trip (or £274 for us Brits).

Galapagos airport tax on arrival: $100 (£64)

The other major sting in transport prices is the requisite Galapagos entrance tax of $100 – unless you can prove you’re Ecuadorian national, when it’s $6.

But I don’t recommend attempting the identity fraud method unless your passport looks suspiciously like an Ecuadorian one. The last thing you want is to be thrown back on the plane without having seen a single sea lion.

Local transport in Galapagos: $10 (£6.40)

Emerging from Baltra airport was a tad confusing. We weren’t met by a guide and whisked away, and there weren’t any visible directions for those not joining a cruise (presumably because not many people do it!). Luckily we worked it out soon enough.

The airline bus ride to the water is free. This is followed by a five minute $1 boat ride across to Santa Cruz island. After that you either wait patiently for a non-visible bus (timetable not strictly adhered to), or sight three other people in your eye-line and approach one of the many pick up truck drivers, waiting patiently in the parking lot, to be your taxi for the next 45 minutes.

The journey cost us $12 split four ways, and making conversation with our driver resulted in good tips for what to do for free on the island.

There’s little need for transport in the actual town of Puerto Ayora, as it’s small enough to walk everywhere. That said, heading to the various beaches on the island’s coast require the use of a water taxi to cross the bay – but at 60 cents a ride, it’s not exactly expensive!

Galapagos accommodation: $15 a night (£9.50)

After 45 minutes of rudimentary Spanish while driving through the bizarrely sparse but bird-filled Santa Cruz, we were firm friends with our taxi driver. So when we mentioned we had no accommodation sorted, he dropped us in the centre of town near a cluster of hotels, and threw his arms around vaguely to ensure us that everywhere here would be fine.

Check out some Galapagos hostels here!

The first place we walked into had decent enough private rooms with heavy duty fan and an ensuite for $15 each a night, and the smilingly rotund Miguel, the owner, rubbing his stomach in satisfaction that we wanted to stay there, sealed the deal for me.

Hostal Lirio del Mar was parallel to the main street of Avenida Baltra and only a few minutes walk to the harbour, which made it easy for us to come and go as we pleased. There are cheaper places to be found in town, but Lirio del Mar was more than suitable for what we needed.

Galapagos food: $90 for six days (£57)

Spending money on food is where the budgeting really shows – and it’s much easier to do if you’ve only recently been living the “I’m an impoverished student” lifestyle.

Avoiding the $5 or $6 ‘American Breakfast’ options on the harbour, we headed further into town where we had a typical breakfast of bollon de queso and aji plus a coffee for $3.

On trip days, we breakfasted on yoghurt and fruit purchased from the tienda next door and kept overnight in the hostel fridge. Being in a hot climate tends to make me less hungry anyway, so we usually just had a snack for lunch; an empanada from a street stall, some cookies or a bag of crisps, none of which cost much.

Occasionally a doughnut from the supermarket if we were feeling particularly rebellious.

But dinner time on Santa Cruz is where a budgeter can really see the pay off. While there’s plenty of dining options for tourists, Puerto Ayora is fundamentally an Ecuadorian town – and Ecuadorians like to eat.

So every night, the main food street is littered with whiteboards advertising that evening’s ‘cena‘ offering; a soup, main dish of meat, rice and salad, and a glass of juice, all for the princely sum of $4.

It also arrives on your table faster than any other order – perfect if you’re hungry.

Our hostal did have a kitchen, so while we never fully utilised its cooking capabilities there was clearly an option to eat even cheaper than we already were. For supplies we headed the supermarket on the waterfront, where there was more than enough available to cook with, if we’d so fancied.

As there’s no potable water on the island we also picked up bottled water in bulk (four litres for a couple of dollars), and refilled little bottles each day.

Galapagos day trips: approx $70–$100 per trip (£45–£64)

Without a doubt, the bulk of your Galapagos Islands budget will be spent on day trips.

Day trips from Puerto Ayora allow tourists already staying in land-based accommodation to catch a small tour boat in the early morning, spend the day at sea and return to Santa Cruz in the early evening.

The downside to day trips is that many of the most popular islands to visit aren’t that close to each other, so it’s only possible to see a few via the day tour method – hence why so many visitors take multi-day cruises instead. (It’s also possible to book a few short, multi-day tours if you fancy a longer stint at one specific island (ie two days/one night or three days/two nights) – just make sure you’re getting a good deal. And be sure to check the accommodation you’ll be using on board! 

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Read more: How to find a Galapagos cruise on a budget

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However, the upside of a day trip – apart from the much cheaper cost! – is that you’ve got the freedom to decide exactly when and where you want to go.

If you fancy a full day of snorkelling in the waters around San Cristobal, followed by a day off exploring Santa Cruz, and then a day on land at Isla Isabela, it’s perfectly doable.

As a general rule, all day tours should include:

• transport to and from the island

• a guide (specify that your guide gives his tour in English too if you don’t feel your Spanish is up to scratch)

• lunch either on board the boat or on the island

• depending on the company, they may also include snorkel gear (mask & fins) for free / for a rental price

NB: Bear in mind that Isabela island charges you a $20 tax upon arrival which is never normally included in the tour price – i.e. you’ll have to pay it as an extra.

In the Galapagos, it’s a good idea to haggle

After six days, we felt like we’d talked to pretty much every agent – including Stalin, an enterprising young guy who constantly alternated between smiling, winking, and asking us out for beers, which we turned into an opportunity to successfully bargain for a discount!

Remember: the same tour will often be sold by multiple agents in different shops, but it’s ultimately up to your particular agent to choose the end price of the tour (which essentially means he’s able to work out what commission he’s going to make). So spend enough time bartering and you can easily save $20.

Galapagos activities: free!

Ah, the magic word! Everything touristy on Santa Cruz island is free, from the otherworldly rock chasm of Las Grietas to the Charles Darwin tortoise breeding centre to the stunning white sand beaches of Tortuga Bay.

All you need are a couple of willing legs and a large dollop of suncream. We explored the island thoroughly over three days, and spent our other two days on trips to other islands.

I’d also recommend heading to the Tourist Information office on Avenida Charles Darwin to pick up a free guide book with maps of all the main islands and highlights of each.

This little book was indispensable for me and Sherri – not least because we both have a pretty terrible sense of direction!

Unexpected bonuses to seeing the Galapagos on a budget

While I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the amount of nature and wildlife in the Galapagos, I’m more of a people person at heart. One of my favourite things to do when travelling is seek out the hidden elements of a place, to really feel like I’ve discovered something special – and through choosing to stay on Santa Cruz rather than onboard a boat in the water, we were able to see parts of the island that many people probably never experience.

We had the time to stumble across a hidden mosaic garden, for instance, delighting in the detail the creators had clearly worked hard to achieve.

We discovered the local graffiti and gorgeous colours that make Puerto Ayora a wonderfully bright and exciting place to wander through.

We spent hours at the fish market, watching the birds flutter excitedly over the latest catch.

And all the while, the sealions slumped under the tables and snored in total relaxation.

Budget versus all-inclusive: which style of Galapagos trip is best?

We spent a large portion of our time postulating about how our trip compared to a cruise.

Although the benefits of cruising are more than evident, I still whole-heartedly believe that I had just as good an experience of the Galapagos when doing it cheaply. We visited three different islands, snorkelled with giant turtles, sea lions and sharks, sunbathed as much as we were physically able and ate a great deal of fresh fish.

Plus, by the end of six days spent on Santa Cruz, primarily in Puerto Ayora, we felt like we knew the place backwards. We’d discovered the best place for a local breakfast of bollon de queso and unholily delicious fresh homemade ahi; chatted with the friendliest tour operators; befriended the supermarket staff; rode with a variety of different water taxi drivers; and had sampled the majority of the evening cena plates on offer.

The Galapagos is an incredible place, but its not just about the animals, the weather and the landscapes. The people who live on these islands are incredibly warm and welcoming, and deserve equal recognition for why this destination is so favourably touted worldwide.

If you’re still considering opting for a budget Galapagos cruise instead of spending your time here, by all means do it – but perhaps tack a few more days onto the end of your trip, and take some time to explore Puerto Ayora too. Because for the ever-constant influx of tourists who experience Santa Cruz and the archipelago as their sole impression of Ecuador, there are few better places in which to form their opinion.

Have you ever budgeted like this on a ‘luxury’ destination? Do you think you could spend less money in the Galapagos than I did?

Let me know in the comments (and please pin this article if you found it helpful!) 

A bite-sized budget guide

Round trip flights from Guayaquil: $430 | £274
Airport arrival tax: $100 | £64
Local transport: $10 | £6.40
Accommodation for six nights at $15 per night: $90 | £57
Food: $90 | £57
Two day trips at approx $80 each: $160 | £102

Total: $880 | £560