Hotels and guesthouses

We spend seven nights in hotels and guesthouses. Hotels and guesthouses on the Galapagos Islands are generally small, family-run establishments. Below are the typical hotels we use.

Quito: Wyndham Quito Hotel (night 1)

San Cristóbal: Hotel Paraiso Insular (nights 2 and 3)



In Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, this unfussy hotel is ideally located for our adventures around the island. Two minutes’ stroll away is the Malecon, a seaside walkway with restaurants and shops, while the hotel has a sundeck and bar for post-exploration relaxing.

Isabela: San Vicente Hotel (nights 4 to 5)



This bright and breezy three-star stay in Puerto Villamil is just two blocks from a white-sand, palm-lined beach. Back at the hotel, there’s a chillout deck for mixing with the group plus a hot tub with a view. Energy is provided through solar panels.

Santa Cruz: Grand Hotel Lobo de Mar (nights 6 and 7)



In Puerto Ayora, this three-star hotel is the perfect spot to complete our adventure, with modern bedrooms and a small indoor pool. There’s also a cheery restaurant with a bright Galapagos-themed wall mural, a ready-made background for an end-of-tour group photo.

Quito: Vieja Cuba Hotel (night 9)

All breakfasts and three lunches are included on this trip.

Hotel breakfasts are normally buffets with toast, cereal, eggs, fruits and tea/coffee. For lunch and dinner, the tour leader will recommend various options in convenient locations, usually booking restaurants and eating with the group. For the included meals at restaurants, they are usually a set menu with two or three options. The choice of meals in some areas of the Galapagos can be limited but special dietary requirements can usually be catered for if we are advised at the time of booking. When flying to and from the Galapagos, snacks are usually included on the flights.

— Sunhat
— Sunglasses
— Sunscreen
— Insect repellent
— Large water bottle
— Swimwear
— Closed-toe sandals or water shoes for wading ashore and walking on the islands (strong footwear is needed because of the very rough lava: flip-flops or similarly flimsy shoes are not suitable)
— Waterproofs
— Seasickness tablets (the sea can be rough at times)

— Visit Isla Lobos to relax on white sands and, hopefully, swim with sharks
— See pirate lava caves and giant tortoises in the highlands of Floreana
— Snorkel the wildlife-rich islets of Las Tintoreras
— Enjoy a full day excursion to one of Bartolomé Island, South Plaza Island, Santa Fe Island or North Seymour

Key information
Start hotel: Hotel Wyndham Quito Airport, Parroquia Tababela SN Via A Yaruqui, Quito 170183, Ecuador
Phone: +593 2-395-8000
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today
Airport: Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport (UIO)
Getting to the start hotel
The start hotel is approximately less than five minutes’ drive from the airport. We provide free arrival transfers to the start hotel from the airport for all customers. If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Please note, unless specified otherwise, the arrival transfer will be to the start (or pre-tour) hotel and will be on the date on which the tour starts; transfers to other hotels in the same city and/or on different dates may attract an extra charge. Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.
Catching your return flight
There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for those booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join.?If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.

— Travel insurance
— Single accommodation (available on request)
— Visas or vaccinations
— Compulsory Galapagos taxes US$220 paid locally

— Sunhat
— Sunglasses
— Sunscreen
— Insect repellent
— Large water bottle
— Swimwear
— Closed-toe sandals or water shoes for wading ashore and walking on the islands (strong footwear is needed because of the very rough lava: flip-flops or similarly flimsy shoes are not suitable)
— Waterproofs
— Seasickness tablets (the sea can be rough at times)

— Accommodation: 8 Classic nights (hotels and guesthouses)
— Travel by air-conditioned bus, boat and two internal flights
— Group normally 6 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16

You should carry your money in US dollars, other currencies can be difficult to exchange and may incur a poor exchange rate. Obtaining change for larger denomination banknotes (US$100 and US$50) can be difficult, and in some cases they may not be accepted due to recent increases in the circulation of forged high-value banknotes. You should carry a number of small notes (US$1 or US$5) for small transactions, as many small businesses and taxis do not carry large amounts of change.

There is a compulsory Galapagos Tax of US$200 which can only be paid locally in cash (US dollars) and will be collected by the National Park Service on arrival at San Cristóbal. In addition, all visitors to the Galapagos are required to obtain an immigration control card (Ingala card) in mainland Ecuador – this costs US$20 per person and will be supplied and paid for locally in cash (US dollars). Galapagos taxes are subject to increase without notice, and any such increase will be collected in Quito or San Cristóbal.

For meals not included, budget roughly US$10-US$15 for lunch and US$15-US$20 for main evening meals (22% tax included). It is possible to eat more cheaply or expensively than this, and the cost estimates don’t include alcohol. Tipping is customary in restaurants and cafes throughout Ecuador, and we recommend leaving a tip between 10% and 15% of the total bill if the service charge is not already included. Drinks and incidentals are quite expensive in the Galapagos, as everything is imported from the mainland.

It is usual for groups to tip local staff and it would be reasonable for each group member to contribute about US$6-US$8 a day for the trip leader, and US$2-US$3 a day to cover tips for the local guides, drivers and boatmen on the trip (the exact amount for the tipping kitty usually depends on the group size and will be suggested by the local leader).

We use private buses, minibuses and cars for airport transfers and short drives within the Galapagos Islands, and small motorboats for the navigation between the islands.

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

It’s ideal if you are physically fit and don’t mind being in the sun. A sense of adventure will also enhance your experience; it is not always possible to follow a strict schedule due to weather and sea conditions – sometimes it is better to do the planned activities in a different order (but almost always on the same day as this activity is originally planned).

It is possible to visit the Galapagos at any time of year, but seasonal variations do affect what you see and there are climatic changes to note. The weather is controlled by the two main ocean currents of the region, the Humboldt, bringing cold water from the Antarctic, and El Nino, which brings tropical water from the Gulf of Panama. How close to the Galapagos they converge (which varies from year to year) is the key to the weather.

Dry season

Generally speaking, late May to early December is the cooler ‘dry’ season. In this period, it is not necessarily dry, as there is a persistent light mist (garua) and often light drizzle, and the higher mountain slopes are covered in cloud and fog or rain. At this time, the winds are in the southeast and are higher than at other times, so seas can sometimes be choppy (anyone worried about seasickness might prefer to avoid this time). Daytime maximum temperatures are 27C-31C (81F-88F), the cooler months being July to November. In July and August, the fairly strong winds introduce a chill factor, and it can feel quite cold at nights, though throughout the year the official night temperatures are 19C-24C (66F-75F).

Wet season

Depending on how close the convergence of the two currents comes to Galapagos, there may or may not be a wet season from January to April or May. Approximately every seven years, the El Nino current actually hits the islands and there are heavy rains in these months. In other years, rain usually falls sporadically from otherwise clear skies. The ocean temperatures are higher, with generally calm seas and strong sunshine: pleasant, but potentially very hot. Apart from an El Nino year, the weather is usually better from December/January to April/May than at other times even if there is some rain, and most people would regard these months as the best time to go.