10 days "backpacking" Galapagos Islands
- Tania
- 24 may 2017
- 9 Min. de lectura
Blue Footed Boobies found in the Tunnels Snorkelling Tour
EXPENSES
Galapagos is by no means a cheap destination, but it is still possible to do it in a midrange budget. Our trip was land-based, although I’ve read that it is possible to find sailing trips that are also midrange budget. The local currency is USD.
We stayed in private rooms with private bathrooms in 3 star hotels, we ate at the markets (cheap) and restaurants (not so cheap), and overall we were not deprived of anything. It helped that it was low season, in addition to some negotiating skills that we will talk about in another post. Either way, there are many free activities, snorkeling on all beaches (special mention to Las Grietas in Santa Cruz and Concha Perla in Isabela), some trekkings and free entrance at various places of interest. The following table is a summary of our expenses. I reckon that it could be possible to visit the islands for less money (2/3).
AIRPLANE TICKETS
To Galapagos you can fly in South America with LATAM, Avianca and other local airlines. We chose to redeem LATAM kilometers. Each ticket cost 33,000 kms, plus CLP $ 77,000 for taxes and fees from Santiago to Galapagos. LATAM is a member of Oneworld, so it should be possible to redeem miles from another Oneworld company.
The three main islands are Isabela, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal, Santa Cruz acting as an intermediate station, so that to get to Isabela by sea from San Cristobal you have to go through Santa Cruz and vice versa. For the same reason, it is advisable to choose a flight that lands in San Cristobal or Santa Cruz, and to leave Galapagos from the other island. This way, you save a trip by ferry, thus 30 USD and 2 hours of travel.
Flights usually stop in either Quito o Guayaquil. Try to buy a ticket with the smallest or longest stopover possible, to spend some time in Quito or Guayaquil, if you haven´t visited them before, or to sleep in a hotel and then return to the airport to take the second flight. We did a short stop in Guayaquil on the way to Galapagos, and a long one (12 hours) on the way back.
A 100 USD entrance fee has to be paid at the airport, plus 20 USD for a “transfer” tax.
GALAPAGOS IN MARCH
March is low season in Galapagos, but we arrived in San Cristobal when Carnival had started. As a result, there were many Ecuadorian tourists on the islands. After the holidays were over, the number of tourists dropped significantly.
Throughout our stay the weather was very hot, always accompanied by intense humidity. It only rained a little on the last day.
BACKPACKS
We carried 18 kilos between the two of us, distributed in a backpack of 40 liters and another of 60, in addition to our daily backpacks. During our stay it was very hot and humid, so we just needed shorts, t-shirts and comfortable walking shoes (many of the trekking trails are filled with volcanic rocks, so it is not convenient to go with hawaianas). We packed our trekking shoes, but it was impossible to use them due to the heat, and also warm clothing, which were only useful at the Guayaquil airport, where they do not skimp on air conditioning.
In addition to light and comfortable clothing, it is essential to pack: (i) snorkel equipment, (ii) sunblock (as it is too expensive in Galapagos), (iii) a bottle to fill up with water (you get free filtered water in the hotels and hostels), (iv) cash (there are few ATMs and the shops that do accept credit cards charge an extra fee if you pay with card), (v) a waterproof camera (vi) medicine for the rough sea travels (we had Mariamin), and (vii) repellent, because the mosquitoes get very hungry at night.
ISLANDS
Many different islands form Galapagos. We chose to visit the three main ones: San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela. This is a very relaxed land-based itinerary; it is possible to visit more attractions in the same amount of days.
SAN CRISTOBAL
An iguana posing for the picture in Playa Brava – Santa Cruz Island
Day 1
We landed in San Cristobal at midday and walked less than 10 minutes to get to the hotel. We ate lunch at the local market (4 USD for soup and main) and then took a taxi to La Loberia (3 USD). You can walk too, but it's 30 minutes under the Galapago´s heat and the path is not exceptionally beautiful, so it's preferable to go with the taxi.
In La Loberia there are many sea lions and iguanas. You can snorkel, though with caution because the currents on that side of the island are very strong. If you follow the walking path for about 20 minutes there is a cliff from which you can see different birds. The path is partly sandy and partly volcanic rock, so do not forget to bring your walking shoes.
Day 2
We went to Cerro Tijeretas. On the way you pass by Playa Mann, Punta Carola and a snorkelling point. It is a bit difficult to enter the water, because it is not a beach, but a bunch of rocks, but once in the water it is easy to swim around. We were unlucky and did not see much wildlife, but there were several fishes and we did come across a sea lion. On the way back we found a good spot with shade at Punta Carola, so we stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. We were told that the sunset looks very nice from Punta Carola, but we left earlier.
The walk to Cerro Tijeretas can be done in half a day, but as we had time, it was the only thing we did that day.
Day 3
We hired a taxi at the hotel (La Casa de Jeimy) to take us to the Highlands. It cost us 50 USD (in total) and lasted 4 1/2 hours. The taxi came to pick us up at 7am and we visited: (i) El Progreso, a town in San Cristobal, (ii) El Junco, which is a very nice freshwater lagoon, (iii) Galapaguera, where you can see giant tortoises, and finally (iv) to the beach of Puerto Chino, where we bathe for a while.
We met a Spanish guy who had cycled there, and - unless you are a marathon runner - we think it’s best to hire a taxi, because the road is 50 kms of hills under a heavy sun.
As this tour lasts half a day, it can be combined with a visit to La Lobería or Cerro Tijeretas.
Something we did not do, but that was highly recommended to us, was the snorkeling tour to Leon Dormido or Kicker Rock (100 USD). For budget reasons, we chose to do the Tuneles tour on Isla Isabela instead.
SANTA CRUZ
Day 4
We got up at 6 in the morning to take the ferry to Santa Cruz at 7 am. All ferries on the island cost 30 USD, leave very early in the morning and take approximately 2 hours to get from one island to another. Once in Santa Cruz we left our things at the hotel and started a walk along a cobbled road to Bahía Tortuga (Turtle Bay). We started walking at 2 in the afternoon, when the sun shines with fury and after 30 minutes we arrived at Playa Brava.
On that beach the current is very strong, but if you continue walking until you finish the sand trail there is another beach, called Playa Mansa, which looks like a lake and is ideal for swimming and snorkeling. We saw some marine iguanas swimming and some tintoreras (sharks).
This is how the road to Tortuga Bay looks like
ISABELA
Day 5
We left Santa Cruz at 7 in the morning to Isla Isabela. We left our backpacks in the hostel and walked 30 minutes to a giant turtose breeding center. Along the walk there are several flamengos resting in some reddish lagoons. In the afternoon, we walked to Concha Perla, which is a free and very good place to snorkel. It is next to the main wharf and about 20 minutes walking from Puerto Villamil. I was lucky and got to see a shark and a sea turtle.
Day 6
We got up at 6 am to be at 7 in Concha Perla, because we had been told that it was better to go early in the morning. We were the only ones on the water and saw many colorful fish, sea lions and even a stingray.
In the afternoon, in an act of madness (because you have to be crazy to ride a bicycle at 2 in the afternoon in Galapagos), we rented bikes and went to the Muro de las Lagrimas or Wall of Tears (12 kms).
The road to the Muro de las Lagrimas is very nice and there are several stops along the way (mainly beaches and lagoons). Given it was late; we chose to go straight to the wall. The path is rather flat up to the last part, where there is a long slope. Through the road you can find giant turtles and iguanas.
From the Wall of Tears we climbed 10 billion steps (perhaps less, but for me they felt like 10 billion) to a lookout that looks towards the coast (this viewpoint is different from the Orchard’s Hill one).
Day 7
At 11:30 am we set off by boat to do the Tunnel snorkellin tour. We did it with Tropical Adventures for 110 USD. We were very happy with the group number (8 passengers), the guide and the tour in general. We highly recommend it. The tour consists of two stops to snorkel and then one on land to see blue-footed boobies. In the snorkel bit we saw a seahorse, sharks, turtles, fish, a lobster, and some sea lions. While sailing we were also lucky enough to see an eagle ray, a hammerhead shark and even a penguin! Then we went to a rock formation where we walked a little and saw several blue-footed boobies.
From the rocks we also saw many turtles swimming. Finally we sailed to an island in which we could see Nazca Boobies from afar.
A blue-footed Boobie posing with Nata at Tuneles – Isla Isabela
SANTA CRUZ
Day 8
At 5:30 am we were in the square of Puerto Villamil looking for a taxi. We got one that took us to the pie for 4 USD. The ferry departed at 6 am to Santa Cruz and once we got there, we just ate and slept for the rest of the day.
Day 9
We took a water taxi to Playa Los Alemanes (80 cents). From there we walked about 10 minutes to Las Grietas. Las Grietas are a ravine with stones that was filled with water, allowing swimming and snorkeling. This is -for me- a must-see, the visibility on the water is spectacular and the scenery is beautiful.
On the way back stopped to rest and snorkel in Playa Los Alemanes, which was incredible as we saw 7 sting rays swimming around. Nata saw a tintorera (shark) and was harassed by a flirty sea lion.
Day 10
The DIVE day arrived! For 160 USD I did two dives with EagleBird in North Seymour and Mosquera. The price covers everything (transport from Puerto Ayora to the pier, equipment, food, photos and videos). The visibility of the two places was incredible and there was so much wildlfife, I saw white and black tip reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, among others. In Mosquera there was a strong current, but it was manageable. I can say this has been by far my best dive to date. Remember to book early if you go in high season.
Word of advice, do notice that Galapagos has very strong currents, so make sure to go with a responsible agency to a diving place suited for your experience. Many agencies were offering me to dive in a place with strong currents, and then I would go to another more reliable one where they would say they don’t take divers with less than 30 dives to that site.
GUAYAQUIL - Bonus Track
Day 11
We ate breakfast at Tortuga Golosa, and then took a taxi to the airport. The race costs 25 USD and it takes about 40 minutes to reach the pier. From the pier, we took a water taxi (1 USD per person) to Baltra. On the other side, minibuses hired by the airlines await to take you to the airport (10 min aprox.). It is advisable leave early from Puerto Ayora, because the water taxi does not cross until it is full.
At Baltra airport there is not much to do, there are some places that sell food and art crafts. There is no Wifi.
In Guayaquil we left out backpacks in custody (10 USD per locker, which was enough for the two backpacks) and took a taxi (5 USD) to the Malecón 2000. We wanted to go to Cerro Santa Ana and the Las Peñas neighborhood, but we didn´t make it there. It is my impression that Guayaquil is not worth more than a day’s visit.
More pictures and videos can be found at the instagram account @travesía_al_infinito
Comentários