Travel Galapagos Islands & Ecuador

Galapagos Boat Tours

Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion

Most visitors tour the Galápagos on boat

tours, sleeping aboard the boat. Tours can

last from three days to three weeks, although

tours lasting from four to eight days are the

most common. It’s difficult to do the Galápagos

justice on a tour lasting less than a week,

but five days is just acceptable. If you want

to visit the outlying islands of Isabela and

Fernandina, a cruise of eight days or more

is recommended. On the first day of a tour,

you arrive from the mainland by air before

lunchtime, so this is really only half a day in

the Galápagos, and on the last day, you have

to be at the airport in the morning. Thus, a

five-day tour gives only three full days in

the islands. Shorter tours are advertised, but

with the travel time at either end, they are

not recommended.

You can find boats to go to almost any

island, although it takes more time to reach

the outlying ones and cramming as many

ports of call as possible into your cruise

means you probably won’t have time to do

justice to any. Boats have fixed itineraries, so

you need to think ahead if you want a tour

that visits a specific island. Make sure the

tour doesn’t include more than one night in

Puerto Ayora since you can always tack on

a few days (or weeks for that matter) at the

beginning or end on your own.

Boats used for tours range from small

yachts to large cruise ships. By far the most

common type of boat is the motorsailer (a

medium-sized motor boat), which carries

eight to 20 passengers.

Conditions on the cheapest boats can be

cramped and primitive. Ask about washing

facilities – they can vary from deck hoses on

the cheapest boats to communal showers

on the better boats and private showers in

more expensive boats. Also inquire about

water – on the cheaper boats, you may need

to bring your own large containers of water.

Bottled drinks are carried but cost extra –

agree on the price before you leave, and

make sure that enough beer and soda is

loaded aboard. There’s nothing to stop you

from bringing your own supply.

If you’re going to spend such a large

chunk of change to get to the islands, then

seeing the Galápagos is probably important

to you, so it might be worthwhile to consider

spending an extra few hundred dollars

to go on a more comfortable, reliable boat

and getting a decent guide (although more

expensive boats have their problems too).

For about $800 to $1600 for eight days, you

can take a more comfortable tourist-class

tour – the usual extra costs (airfare, fees and

tips) apply. Many companies in Quito offer

tours at about this price.

It is customary to tip the crew at the end

of a trip. A tip may be anywhere between $20

and $200 per passenger per week, depending

on the quality and cost of the tour. On

exceptionally good and higher-end boats,

a tip amount is usually suggested and you

aren’t responsible for dividing the amount

up among the crew members as you might

on the cheaper boats where the guide generally

gets the most, then the cook and captain,

and then the other crew members.

Tags: Galapagos Tours