Galápagos Budgeting and Costs

Once you've paid for your Galapagos tour and flights, you don't need any more money, right? Wrong. There are still some costs you'll need to consider.

Official Fees and Taxes

• All adult foreigners must pay a $100 entry fee to Galapagos. The majority of this income (over 95%)  goes to the maintenance and conservation of the Galápagos National Park.
  
• The Insituto Nacional Galápagos is now charging visitors an additional $10 fee for the issue of "Transit Control Cards," The new cards will keep better track of tourist numbers on the islands and monitor both arrival and departure dates.

Expenses on Cruise Ships

If you're on a cruise ship, most of your expenses will be paid for. Most likely you'll only be paying for drinks such as alcohol or soda. There may in some cases be a small fee to rent gear such as fins or wetsuits.

Tipping your Galapagos Guide and Crews

Tipping guides and ship crews is customary in the Galapagos. 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.

Shopping in Galapagos towns

When you are in Puerto Ayora or Puerto Baquerizo Moreno the potential for spending money is high. A tourist’s necessity items—camera supplies 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.

Souvenir shops abound in both major cities. Visitors can select from Galapagos t-shirts, coffee mugs, hats, playing cards, posters and much more. Prices for these tend to run relatively high: figure on $12-15 for a t-shirt, three postcards for a dollar, etc. Selection is pretty good, so getting little gifts for friends back home is easy. Savvy Galapagos souvenir shoppers may want to check out the little stuffed boobys, sea lions and other animals: these are actually made in Galapgos out of recycled material and make great gifts.

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!

Staying in Galapagos

If you're staying in the cities as opposed to on a cruise ship, your budget can vary greatly. Hotels run from as little as $10/night on up into the thousands of dollars. Restaurants are similar: it's possible to eat dinner for anywhere from $4 to $30. In general, its tough to economize in Galapagos. As a bare minumum, plan on spending $50/day in Galapagos, including the most basic hotels and food and a day-trip to a snorkeling spot, beach or nature trail with guide.