Galápagos Budgeting and Costs

Money & Costs

By Karey Fuhs

Even if you have already paid for your tour or set aside a reasonable budget for independent travel, the Galápagos, its National Park Service, and its souvenir designers are going to hit you up for more cash. As soon as you land in Baltra, you will wait in line to pay the national-park fee. The cost for foreigners is $100 (payable only in cash), and if you happen to have an Ecuadorian visa and censo, the cost is discounted to $25. Despite the Ecuadorian government’s history of corruption, the majority of this income (over 95%) actually goes to the maintenance and conservation of the Galápagos National Park (although none of it goes to the Charles Darwin Research Station). You can also get a Galápagos National Park stamp in your passport, but park authorities ask that you wait until your return flight.

The Insituto Nacional Galápagos is now charging visitors an additional $10 fee for the issue of "Transit Control Cards," As part of President Rafael Correa's plan to make conservation of the Galápagos and its ecosystems a national priority. The new cards will keep better track of tourist numbers on the islands and monitor both arrival and departure dates.

If you are going on a Galápagos Islands cruise tour, most of your expenses have been included in the packaged price. You will, however, have to pay for soda, beer, cocktails, and any extra activity not included in the tour itinerary, like scuba immersions. It is also customary to tip the crew and your naturalist guide at the end of your trip. This is always a delicate subject, since tips are generally meant to be a reflection of services rendered and not an obligation. Some people recommend giving the crew between $20 and $50 per passenger per week, and giving the guide as much as half of that amount. Others suggest tipping as much as $10 per passenger per day, which amounts to a pretty serious percentage of the total cost of the tour. Each boat has its own system for accepting tips--two envelopes, a communal tip-box, the honor system--but the crew, not the tourist, is responsible for dividing the tip money among the individual members. If any of the crew members was exceptional, feel free to give them an individual display of gratitude, monetary or verbal.

When you are in Puerto Ayora, the potential for spending money is high. The price of food and souvenirs is comparable to U.S. prices, and transportation costs can get very high if you have to take taxis everywhere, especially if you are alone. A tourist’s necessity items—camera batteries, film, and sunscreen, to mention a few—are two to three times more expensive in the Galápagos than in the United States, or even on the mainland, so stock up before you come.

Major credit cards are accepted in many of the nicer hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and tour centers, but they often charge up to 20% for use of this particular service. There is one bank in Puerto Ayora, the Banco del Pacífico, which gives cash advances on Master Cards, changes traveler’s checks (with a minimal surcharge), and has a MasterCard- and Cirrus-compatible ATM machine. The bank is open from Monday to Friday (8-15:30) and Saturday (9:30-12:30). There are also some stores on Avenida Charles Darwin that will change your traveler’s checks for you. Make sure before you come that you will have the ability to withdraw money; otherwise, bring more cash than you think you will need - small bills are preferred. You are more likely to spend all of your cash than have it stolen!