Travel in Galapagos

Galapagos is unlike any place on Earth, not only because of the unique natural environment, but also due to the conservation strategies and protections that are in place to preserve the environment for future generations.  While the islands are developed, allowing you to visit and stay comfortably, you should be aware that a visit to the Galapagos Islands is not like travel to other tourism destinations.  This should not be thought of as a typical island/beach vacation destination.  A trip to Galapagos is a natural science based travel experience akin to visiting a national park.

What protections are in place?

97% of the land surface of the islands are designated as Galapagos National Park.  This status has been in place since 1957.  The islands were declared the first UNESCO natural world heritage site in 1978.  The Special Law of Galapagos was passed in 1996 to define the activities and business practices that are permitted.  

What does this mean for me when I visit?

You should not plan to or expect to “show up” in Galapagos and freely make arrangements like you might when visiting a Caribbean island, for instance.  

• There are no rental cars in Galapagos.  Ground transportation is done by taxi - these are privately owned by local residents and are almost all white 4-door pickup trucks.

• There are no large resorts, or high-rise hotels.

• You are not able to freely explore around the islands.  Firstly, there are very few roads outside of the population center on each island.  The road(s) typically connect from the port city to the highland communities.  However most of each island is untouched, raw nature.  

• Most of the tour sites that you will want to visit, both on land and snorkel/dive sites are part of the Galapagos National Park.  This means that you must be accompanied by a guide who is licensed by the park.  There are many such guides in Galapagos, and it is possible for a hotel to find one for you for short excursions, but it is best to connect with your guide prior to travel

• The Galapagos National Park approved tourism sites are controlled by the park and the licensed guides so that there are never large crowds. For example each boat operator is approved only for certain sites.  A given boat cannot take you to any and all sites.  The guides are only permitted to take a certain number of guests with them to each site, and they coordinate with one another and with the park so that the visits are staggered (again, to reduce the crowding at sites).  If you have not planned to visit a certain site ahead of time, you might not be able to find a guide to take you there because that site might be booked for that day.  For example, it is necessary to make arrangements about 6 months in advance to join a tour to Bartolome.

The most important take away is that we highly recommend that you plan your trip ahead of time.  The best and easiest way to do this is to coordinate with a local tour provider.  The last thing you want to do is to arrive at this most special place on Earth and then waste time trying to coordinate tours or miss out on tours that are fully booked.