Island hopping the Galapagos Islands

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
1
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
10
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
82 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
31st/454
Top 10%
continent
South America
country
Ecuador
Length of time
Around a week
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$330 (typically $180 - $480)
Time of year visited
February
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Islands Wildlife - Sea Lions
All Tags
Adventure Cycling Ferry Hiking Snorkeling Sunsets Swimming UNESCO world heritage site Volcanoes Wildlife - Boobies Wildlife - Frigate Birds Wildlife - Marine Iguanas Wildlife - Pelicans Wildlife - Penguins Wildlife - Sharks Wildlife - Tortoises
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Lying on world-class beaches, island hopping and seeing wildlife that often feels straight from a David Attenborough documentary.  The Galapagos Islands are a world famous nature reserve and are a real mega wow travel experience.

Whilst they are around a thousand miles from the mainland of Ecuador and generate images of true isolation, this wonderful experience is far more accessible than you would think and I’ve listed tips below for how to get the best out of it.

One big one: if you combine this trip around the main Galapagos Islands with nearby Scuba diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands, this truly becomes the trip of a lifetime and arguably the #1 travel experience in the world.

 

Marine iguanas on the white sand beach of Tortuga Bay, Galapagos Islands

Table of Contents

Orientation

 

The islands really aren’t that far away – typically you’ll travel within a 50km / 30mile area.  Except for Wolf and Darwin Islands which are miles away and require a proper tour.

We focused on Isla Santa Cruz and Isla Isabela, with an organised scuba diving tour to Wolf and Darwin, and had a blast.

 

Highlights

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#1 Island hopping from one white-sand paradise to the next. Jumping on the ferries is easy to do and gives a real feeling of adventure when arriving in some of the super remote towns

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#2 Swim and play with sea lions - they are EVERYWHERE! Lazing around or playing in rock pools

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#3 World class beaches - must try Tortuga Bay where you can enjoy the beautiful white sand alongside a bunch of Marine Iguanas

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#4 Up close with Pelicans that seem to be ever present across the islands

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#5 Swim with baby sharks - in the shallow waters right off the beach shore

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#6 See the Giant Tortoises at the Reserve on Isla Santa Cruz. Some of these wonderful animals are 170 years old

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#7 Cycling and hiking in the national parks. The one next to Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela is worth checking out and has a lovely cycle along the beach

Travel Tips

Head off on your own – you’ll probably read that the easiest way to see the islands is on a cruise, and that may well be the case.  But my advice would be head off on your own for the island hoping adventure, which is far easier to do than you would think.  Getting around the islands is simple with the ferries, and each island has plenty of accommodation and restaurant options. You’ll get to see the sea lions, pelicans, blue footed boobies and marine iguanas – they are everywhere!  Plus you’ll can cycle around large parts.

MUST visit Tortuga Bay Beach – stunning white sand beach and be sure to bring your snorkelling gear.  Just off the shore in the shallows by the rock pools are typically baby sharks – not dangerous, just fun.  Its a bit of a walk from Puerto Ayora, but well worth it.

The Galapagos Islands are expensive – kind of feels like you’re constantly paying cash out for something or other.  Be prepared to pay a premium for accommodation and food.  Also be prepared for what feels like random entrance fees eg for getting to the airport, for entering a non-descript road, for landing on a new island, for just about everything . . .

Haggle over tour prices – as always, try to do some of the stuff on your own – hire a bike or hire a taxi.  Its a safe place to do so.  That being said, if you fancy going on a tour, you can haggle very easily over price. Especially if you are flexible on time and want to go on a cruise.

Kiosko de Renato – in Puerto Ayora be sure to check out the Kiosko de Renato area for a street of seafood restaurants and the groups of Pelicans who hang out by the mini docks waiting for a morsel of fish from the fisherman gutting the fish.

Ferries – the ferries between the islands can be a mixed bag and often cramped. Its a price worth paying for being in paradise, but be prepared.

The Isabella Beach House – the one place we would recommend for accommodation was The Isabella Beach House on Isla Isabella.  Decent bedrooms, nice sunset views and what seemed to be an ever present young sea lion playing in the shallows nearby.

Combine with a diving trip – island hopping around the main Galapagos Islands makes sense especially for those who will travel to the Galapagos for scuba diving.  You’ll already have spent around a week on a diving tour, so it makes for a good contrast to go and see the islands on your own.

When to visit – there isn’t really a “wrong time” to visit the Galapagos. January to June is wet season, so it’ll mainly be sunny, hot and with a short sharp torrential downpour some days. This is the best time for hammerheads and rays.  July to December is the dry season, so less rain and cooler temperatures, but reduced visibility.  July to November is the best chance to see Whale Sharks so is high season.  I visited in February and it was fantastic.

You’ll fly in from either Quito or Guayaquil (often flights from Quito fly via Guayaquil), but be prepared not to necessarily land first time.  Or, potentially, not be able to land and return to the mainland because of the weather.  This happened to us and is quite regular from what we were told.

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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