Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
Chalo Tours (%252 0953; chalotours@hotmail.com;
Espanola) Offers day and overnight scuba trips, daytrips
on San Cristóbal and more expensive daytrips to nearby
islands; also rents snorkel, kayaking and biking equipment.
Galakiwi (%252 0873; www.southernexposuretours.co
.nz; Av Charles Darwin) Run by a New Zealand-Galápagean
couple. Land tours and snorkeling around San Cristóbal per
person $30; full-day tours to Espanola Island ($85); five-day
boat tours [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
Most people get around the islands by organized boat tours, but it’s entirely possible to visit some of the islands independently.
Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Santa María (Floreana) and Isabela all have accommodations and are reachable by interisland boat rides or flights (which are pricey). Keep in mind however that you’ll only scratch the surface of the archipelago’s natural wonders traveling independently.
AIR
The [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
AIR
Flights from the mainland arrive at two airports:
Isla Baltra just north of Santa Cruz
and Isla San Cristóbal. There are almost
an equal number of flights to Baltra and
San Cristóbal. Every two or three years the
Baltra airport undergoes repairs and all
flights are diverted to San Cristóbal for up
to several months.
Two major airlines flying to the Galápagos
Islands are [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
These tours go from island to island, and
you sleep in hotels on three or four different
islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal,
Santa Maria, Isabela). Tours typically last
a week and cost $800 to over $1000 per
person, plus airfare and park fee. However,
there aren’t too many companies offering
this kind of tour. One company that does is
Surtrek (02-223 1534, 250 [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
Daytrips are based in either Puerto Ayora
or Baquerizo Moreno. Several hours are
spent sailing to and from the day’s visitor
site(s) so only a few central islands are feasible
destinations. Some trips may involve
visiting sites on other parts of Isla Santa
Cruz or Isla San Cristóbal.
One of the downsides of this kind of tour
is that there is no chance [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
Most visitors arrange tours before arriving
at the islands. You can do this in your home
country (expensive but efficient), or you
can arrange something in Quito or Guayaquil
(cheaper, but you sometimes have to
wait several days or weeks during the high
season). See p89 and p322 for more information
on agencies that book Galápagos
tours.
Dangers & Annoyances
Judging by a fair number [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea Lion
Most people arrive in the islands with a prearranged
tour, although it’s generally cheaper
to arrange a tour in Puerto Ayora or Baquerizo
Moreno. Generally, only the cheaper
boats are available in the Galápagos; the better
boats are almost always booked. Don’t
fly to the Galápagos hoping to get on a really
good boat for less money. Arranging a tour
from the Galápagos [...]
Tags: Galapagos 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 [...]
Tags: Galapagos Tours