To keep it short: Travelling to the Galapagos on a budget is not really possible because there are too many unavoidable costs. Return flights and the national park fee alone add up to about 500 USD as a baseline. In addition, many sites can only be reached by boat with a guide, and guided tours are a major cost factor. That said, you can save on daily expenses such as accommodation and food, so there are still ways to keep overall costs relatively budget-friendly.
This blog post lists the most important costs and tips with budget-friendly or free options on the main three islands, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Santa Isabela.
Average costs for travelling to the Galapagos
| Item | Cost |
| Return flight from Quito or Guayaquil to San Cristóbal or Santa Cruz | 300+ USD |
| Entrance fee to the Galapagos National Park | 200 USD |
| Transit Control Card (TCT) for immigration control | 20 USD |
| Entrance fee to Santa Isabela | 10 USD |
| Ferry between islands | 25-45 USD |
| Water taxi between ferry and port | 1 USD |
Average costs on San Cristóbal
| Item | Cost |
| Tour: 360 (8-9 hours) | 140-180 USD |
| 2 dives around Kicker Rock | 240 USD |
| Taxi from the airport to the port/town | 2.5 USD |
| Taxi in town | 2 USD |
Average costs on Santa Cruz
| Item | Cost |
| Guided Tour of Las Grietas | 10 USD |
| Giant Tortoises | 10 USD |
| Taxi in town | 2-4 USD |
| Water taxi between port and ferry | 1 USD |
| Taxi 30 USD + boat 1 USD + bus 5 USD from the town to the airport | 36 USD |
Average costs on Santa Isabela
| Item | Cost |
| Tour: Los Túneles (5 hours) | 100-120 USD |
| Tour: Sierra Negra sulfur mines & Sucre Cave (5 hours) | 70 USD |
| Tour: Volcano Chico (5 hours) | 40 USD |
| Taxi from the port to the town | 5 USD |
How to save money in the Galapagos
General tips to save money in the Galapagos
Once you budgeted the above basic costs, there are ways to still partly spend your days on a budget.
- Eat like a local: Eating out can cost only 5-8 USD if you eat at the central markets or local restaurants. Just like in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and other South American countries, we found a budget-friendly, delicious eatery or even a whole street full of local restaurants on every island. Most of the time, you just turn around the corner behind all the expensive restaurants. They usually offer soup as a starter. You will get rice with fish or another source of protein as the main dish, along with unlimited juice.
- Choose budget accommodation with kitchen: If you choose accommodation with a kitchen, you can prepare many meals yourself and save more on food by going to the central markets and shops around it. We found our hostels on Google Maps and contacted them via WhatsApp, which allowed us to stay in beautiful rooms with shared kitchens for comparably low prices.
- Buy snorkel gear in advance: Bring your own snorkel gear, so you can walk to snorkel spots and explore as much as possible without a guided tour.
- Bring USD in cash: Last but not least, bring as many USD in cash as possible. For example, Banco National offers cash withdrawals without a fee. In the Galapagos, you can basically only withdraw cash at Banco Pacifico. The maximum withdrawal amount is 600 USD in total per day, and 200 USD per transaction, plus a withdrawal fee of 4.60 USD.
- Prioritize free things to do everywhere: I will list below the most obvious destinations, which you should travel to before booking expensive tours.
Free things to do on San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal is one of the two main islands (next to Santa Cruz) with an airport connecting the islands to mainland Ecuador. We started our Galapagos trip here, and the prices of tours and dives directly hit us like a ton of bricks. However, with our usual backpacker spirit, we found some free spots I would happily return to:
- Playa Mann where you relax next to playful sea lions
- Interpretation Center with astonishing insights in the Galapagos’ history, research and tourism
- Playa Carola which is more remote and can be reached after a short and easy hike
Free things to do in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is probably the most touristic island, with a very active city center. It’s the perfect start or end of a trip to the Galapagos because of its airport. The most obvious free things to do include:
- Charles Darwin Research Center where you experience the local breeding programs for endangered giant tortoises and land iguanas, and (with a guide for 10 USD) you can get close to the preserved remains of Lonesome George, last known Pinta Island giant tortoise
- Tortuga Bay, a beautiful long white-sand beach and nesting site for marine iguanas, which you can reach after a beautiful hike through Opuntia cacti
- Playa Mansa with its turquoise and calmer waters, perfect for a relaxed afternoon and swim
- Playa de los Alemanes (adding 1 USD for the water taxi one way from the city’s Puerto Ayora) as a secluded iguana paradise full of mangroves
Free things to do on Santa Isabela
Santa Isabela is probably the wildest big island. Food shopping is limited there, so we carried most things from Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal. Beyond the many beautiful tours, there are also free things to do, including:
- Snorkeling in Concha de Perla where a young sea lion playfully swam around us, next to marine iguanas and turtles
- Cycling to Muro de las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears) where you will find a historic site built by prisoners from a penal colony (1946-1959) but also beautiful natural trails with island viewpoints and nesting sites of marine iguanas, flamingos and giant tortoises
The Galapagos: One of the most expensive travel destinations
The Galapagos are a very expensive destination. For us, they quickly became one of the most expensive places we travelled to between 2024 and 2025. Of course, you need a solid budget to get there. However, if you plan for the unavoidable fees and choose tours selectively, you can still make the Galapagos relatively budget-friendly. And before the islands become a luxury-only destination, an outcome that is not unlikely given tourism’s impact on this fragile ecosystem, you can experience truly exceptional nature and wildlife.
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