GALAPAGOS - Visiting the Islands

Hints and Tips

The entrance fee to the national park is $100 per person and is payable in cash on arrival at the airport.

No seat allocations are made on internal flights within Ecuador. Accordingly, it is a good idea to be in plenty of time to adopt an advantageous position for quick boarding.

Although the Galapagos Islands often suffer from cloudy weather, rain and drizzle, never forget that you are on the Equator and at the seashore. Wear a hat and use plenty of sun protection cream - it may appear unnecessary but the sun is always strong.

Most visits to the islands will require reasonable walking shoes as the terrain covered will usually include lava and rocks. However, wet landings can normally be done in bare feet – so carrying beach shoes or sandals may become a nuisance.

Take plenty of film. As the birds and animals rarely run away when approached, you will always be tempted to get a better shot than those you have already taken.  Hence, large volumes of photographs are taken.

There is a small shop and office representing the Charles Darwin Research Station located in the airport building on Baltra Island that will stamp your passport with a handsome Galapagos identity image.  It is free.

Recommended Reading
As with most destinations, it is a good idea to do some research before you depart as this knowledge will certainly enhance the quality of your visit. The following books are all highly recommended and you may check the details and purchase the books online by clicking the covers:

Galapagos Wildlife – A Visitor’s Guide (Bradt)
by David Horwell & Pete Oxford
This is an excellent and compact sized guide covering not just the wildlife but also providing useful details of the landings you are likely to make. There are plenty of photographs and small maps of each island landing and trail.   Much of the information on this site has been sourced from this book and I would like to thank the authors for an excellent piece of work.

Wildlife of the Galapagos (Collins)
This book is not actually available as yet (expected very soon) but you can place an order for when it is published. It is one of the popular Collins fieldbook guides and should be of a high standard. 

Galapagos - Islands Born of Fire
by Tui De Roy
Tui de Roy moved to the Galapagos Islands when she was only two years old and knows the islands intinately.  She is also a world famous and highly acclaimed wildlife and nature photographer. This book is a suberb collection of some of the finest photographs you will ever see of the islands. 

Flowering Plants of the Galapagos
by Conley K McMullen
For those interested in the botany on the islands, this is an excellent book that allows easy identification through clear pictures of over 400 flowering plants. It explains the botanical history of the islands and the various ecological zones.