Organizing a trip in itself is already stressful, even if it’s for yourself, now imagine traveling to the Galápagos Islands, which is a very expensive destination with a huge number of things to see. And then you end up having a bad experience that ruins all the time you dedicated to planning and the money you invested in flights, tours, accommodation, and other things.

That’s why you need to know about some things that can ruin your trip to the Islands. Some you can avoid if you’re prepared, for others you’ll need a good attitude and to be flexible to continue the journey with good vibes, and some situations are simply beyond your control.

 

 

 

1) FLIGHTS: I think it’s the main thing: of everything that can ruin your trip to the Galapagos, it’s the airline. Whether it’s the airline from the country you’re coming from or the local airline that takes you from Quito/Guayaquil to the San Cristobal/Santa Cruz airport.

Airlines don’t understand that a one-day delay can disrupt your travel itinerary, whether it’s for a cruise or a daily tour you booked well in advance. And this happens very often. My recommendation is to avoid scheduling tours or trips for the first few days after your arrival, and also to spend at least 7 days traveling in the Galapagos.
 
 

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2) WEATHER: The enemy that cannot be controlled but can be lived with. Some tourists think that the people of the Galapagos have a system to control the weather, but the reality is that in the Galapagos there are months with a lot of sun, heat, humidity, and rain, and other months where there is drizzle, cold at night, and the sun is only visible for minutes.

You just need to know one thing, they only cancel cruises, tours, and ferries when there is a Tsunami alert. The discomfort from bad weather is felt more on the ferries because they go very fast. And on the cruises that visit Genovesa Island, in bad weather at night, you might be moving from side to side in bed.

 
 

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3) TOURS / FERRIES / CRUISES: If I were to show you the number of WhatsApp messages I receive from tourists who are already in the Galapagos, looking for tours, ferries, or cruises, because they can’t find them on the island, sometimes I have been able to help because I work with almost all the tour operators and the good relationship I have allows me to get them. But there are times, especially in high season, when they end up having to stay on the island, repeating the visits they have already done on their own.

The same goes for the ferries. I’ve had many tourists who have pre-booked tours, and they need to change islands, but they only try to get the tickets the day before and sometimes end up missing their tour. The problem is that travelers read comments on travel forums from 2015 and don’t understand that everything has changed in the Galapagos.
 
 

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4) GETTING SICK: In Ecuador we have spectacular cuisine, breakfasts that keep you full until dinner, and lunches that include soup and rice, but anywhere you go, the food will be finger-licking good. The reality is also that many foreigners who are used to a certain type of food and want to try everything are at risk of getting sick, especially stomach issues. So, my recommendations are: you can go a few days without eating salads unless you prepare them yourself, and you can go without drinking fresh juices, as these are the two things that make people sick the most.

It is also very common during the sunny season for tourists to get sunstroke, especially very fair-skinned people; even if they have put on sunscreen, they end up red as a lobster. Another way they get sick is when they take the inter-island ferries. Those ferries go very fast, and if the sea is rough, people are very likely to vomit.

 
 

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5) ACCIDENTS: I don’t want to scare you, but there have been many accidents where tourists have lost their lives, whether walking on the rocks at beaches where you can go on your own, or diving because they didn’t listen to the dive master. Another very common case is that cruise yachts, daily tours, and ferries have sunk. In some cases with no loss of life. Sometimes, even not wearing proper hiking shoes causes accidents, or even while riding a bicycle.

Shark bites also happen, very rarely but they do happen, often tourists enter with wounds and there are already studies showing that the sharks that attack are just passing through the Islands, they are not the local sharks. That’s why tours and cruises sometimes temporarily change their destinations because certain sharks have been spotted in the areas until they leave.

But don’t let this make you miss the thrill of seeing whitetip reef sharks on the Cabo Rosa Tunnels tour, or also on Pinzón Island or Santa Fe where they are usually found. It’s very safe to swim because, as they say, there is so much food in the Galapagos that the sharks are vegetarian towards humans.

 
 

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6) SNORKELING: You should know that 70% of the wonders of the Galapagos are found in the sea. This is why cruises and day tours, with the exception of diving cruises and tours, combine the experience of hiking with snorkeling time. There are countless places that stand out above others for snorkeling, whether on day tours, cruises, or on your own.

Here are some places:

 

Now, how important is it that your snorkeling time isn’t ruined by the equipment you have, and that happens a lot. Usually, tours and cruises include snorkel gear and fins, but not the wetsuit. On many cruises, you rent it onboard, whereas on tours, you have to rent it elsewhere. But the mistake sometimes is that they give you snorkel gear that hasn’t been treated or is of poor quality, and it fogs up. A shorty wetsuit is also always recommended for the warm water season, which is from December to May, and from June to November, renting full-length wetsuits is recommended.

What I recommend if you have space in your travel luggage is to bring your own wetsuit, snorkel, and fins,but if you’re traveling light, you shouldn’t worry. ChokoTrip, together with a local agency, we have snorkel gear, fins, and shorty and full-length wetsuits in all sizes, with excellent quality. You can rent them for the entire time you are in the Galapagos or by the day, and the best part is that you do it online and, if you wish, we will deliver them to your hotel.

 
 

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7) PLANNING: What people do the least and can ruin your trip is not having planned for an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime destination. Before planning a trip to the Galapagos, you must understand that there are only 4 habitable islands, and of those 4, tourists mainly visit and use three as a base for exploration. What I recommend you consider first is the number of days you have for your trip. I am very emphatic about this: if it’s a whirlwind 4-day trip, you’re better off not spending your money and instead saving a bit more to stay for a minimum of 7 days.

Also, focus later on what you most want to see, but this part can be flexible because many people travel as a couple and what one person wants to see is sometimes not a priority for the other. That’s why I’m leaving you my Galapagos Islands travel guide so you can organize the days on each island, daily tours, and things you can do on your own.

Another point: plan in advance so that every minute on the Island is well spent. I have seen with my own eyes tourists wandering around because they had already seen the places they could visit on their own but wanted last-minute tours, and in the end, they didn’t get the tour they wanted. That’s why it’s better to organize everything ahead of time, whether it’s hotels, wetsuits and snorkeling gear, daily tours, cruises, or ferries.

 

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USAGE POLICIES

• By booking accommodation on each island, you will receive $10 per island. That is, if you book accommodations on all 3 islands, you will get a $30 discount per person when booking daily tours on all 3 islands.
• When using the discount on tours booked with ChokoTours, accommodation reservations cannot be canceled, and no cancellation or date change policies from the hotels will apply.
• To access the discount, the tours must be purchased by the same person who made the reservation through the following form on the ChokoTours website.
• Only for 2025 reservations

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