At ChokoTrip, we are celebrating an anniversary. We are marking 10 years of helping Ecuadorian and international travelers make their trip to the Galápagos a reality. We invite you to discover our journey over these past years, and why so many choose to book through us, as well as how we have expanded our services to assist with booking accommodations in the Galápagos and renting snorkeling gear, wetsuits, and GoPro cameras.

Since I started my first trip to Galápagos in 2013, I have realized that for many people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Luckily for Ecuadorians, it is much more affordable, although prices can still be very high.

 

My first Galápagos travel guide

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In January 2014, I published the first Galápagos Islands travel guide. Then, by visiting the other islands on day tours over the following years, I saw the frustration that many foreign and local tourists feel when they don’t get the tours or cruises that are offered to them, or that they bought online or on the islands themselves. That’s why you’ll read many reviews on Tripadvisor about those situations.

In 2016, I set out to help tourists book daily tours and cruises with local operators. It was a learning period, as I found out which operators provided very bad service or hired mediocre guides. Over the years, I improved and strengthened my relationships with the owners of operators who were truly committed to offering good service.

I’m not saying we haven’t made mistakes — there have always been some — but together with the tour operators, we’ve tried to solve them. There have also been cases of tourists who have certain habits when traveling, who look for any excuse to get money after finishing the tour. We always offer alternatives and compensations when things get out of hand, such as: a boat engine breaks down, or rough seas prevent access to part of the tour. That’s why the national park and the Ecuadorian navy require that each operator includes in their booking policies that the captain will make decisions thinking about the well-being of both passengers and crew.

 
 

 
 

ChokoTrip in 2026

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Now with 10 years of experience, the travel guides have become well-established, offering daily tours, diving tours, and ferries on the three islands: Isabela, Santa Cruz, and San Cristóbal. They operate with respect and trust so that people who book through ChokoTrip or ChokoTours can get their tour and feel safe about their trip to Galápagos.

We also have an automated system that helps us: save you time, offer you tours based on your budget, and make sure what you book is safe. That’s why we follow a booking process, we cannot give you tours that haven’t been checked by each tour and ferry company, because we want to make sure everything is available before you pay. My advice is: don’t trust websites that let you book tours by paying through Wetravel without first sending you a price quote in your email. Most likely, they will end up canceling your tour.
 

 
Another thing we’ve put in place over the years is offering the tour based on the yacht’s service level. That’s why you’ll find different prices for the same tour. And, like we say, whether you want a hostel, a 2-star hotel, or a 5-star hotel, it’s the same idea you’ll get with any of the tours.

Something you need to understand is that cancellation policies for some operators are strict, and that’s where we apply the extra mile philosophy. This means that when a tourist has to cancel a tour a few days before the trip and there’s no refund option, we try to sell it as a last-minute deal to recover some of the money and give it back to them.
 

 
 

 
 

It is reliable to book tours online

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Why you shouldn’t trust VIATOR, CIVITAVIS, or GET YOUR GUIDE when it comes to Galápagos, aside from their extremely high prices. Don’t think that paying so much means better quality; it’s because they are third-party agencies promoting on these OTAs (Online Travel Agencies). They also offer you the option to cancel the tour 24 hours before your trip, but that’s a double-edged sword. The tour is never really confirmed because the yacht operator will still charge the agency that posted the ad on the OTAs for that spot. That’s why many of these agencies don’t confirm your spot with the operator until the day before the tour. And that’s when it happens: VIATOR, CIVITAVIS, or GET YOUR GUIDE end up canceling your tour because they ran out of space — since it wasn’t paid for. And this trip, which took you years to save for, using up your hard-earned vacation days — some of you even dealing with jet lag — ends with you missing the tour to the island you wanted.

Many tourists, out of fear, choose not to book online; they wait until they arrive at the islands to book daily tours, ferries, and even accommodation. They do this, first, to gain security, and second, to get a better price. And it is one of the biggest mistakes travelers make. After the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise lines have significantly reduced their trips because people have realized they can visit the same islands they would visit on a cruise but at a lower cost, while also supporting the local economy (hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.).

 

 

This is why it has surprised me that during months that are not high season, the tours on the three islands are already full. And it’s even worse in June, July, August, December, and January. If you haven’t booked your tour before arriving at the islands, you will most likely end up with the tours that are not popular. You have no idea how many people write to me almost in tears—because they contacted me months in advance but never completed the booking process. Then, when they arrived, they realized everything was full. And this also happens in low season, because most yachts go to the shipyard, so tours and ferries become even more limited. Those who booked early have their spot confirmed.

My recommendation for everyone who read this post is to plan your trip well: first, buy your flight ticket to Galápagos directly from the airlines. Second, look for which daily tour you want and book it, because sometimes booking your accommodation first can cause problems later if you need to change dates because the tour you want is not available. Third, only then book your accommodation and the ferries.

If you want me to help you with all the daily tours, click here: www.choko.tours/book-tours/. And for help with hotels or hostels, click here: www.choko.host.

 
 

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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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