Galapagos Cruise or Land-Based trip? How to visit the Galapagos Islands Without Breaking the Bank

Suppose you wonder what the best way to visit the Galapagos Islands is, and you are undecided between choosing a Galapagos Islands Cruise or staying on the islands and taking day tours from there. In that case, I feel your pain, and I want to help you make the right decision.

My friend and I were undecided, too, and as we started to look online at the cruise options and after seeing the outrageous prices, we were about to give up on our dream to visit the Galapagos Islands. We would eventually find out that you can find cheap Galapagos cruises. You need to know how to search.

They looked extremely unaffordable, especially for me, as I am traveling full-time and living on my savings. So, even the tourist category option (about 1200 USD for 5 days) would have been too much for me, besides the fact that I believe that to get the best out of a cruise, you need to choose at least a middle-range category, or up, and I will tell you why in a bit.

Also, what I couldn’t make up my mind about was the thought of spending $ 1400 to $ 2000 for just 5 days or 7. That would have meant $ 250 to $ 400 per day, and this if we had found a last-minute discounted cruise. I really couldn’t accept, though in the end we had actually spent more because we stayed longer.

Then, we found information on traveling from one island to the other, and it looked much cheaper, while you could still cover a lot, so we opted for the budget option to stay on different islands and do day tours from there.

However, we stayed for 3 weeks and spent almost the same amount of money, but with an average daily spend of 100 USD. I loved the idea of being on the islands and familiarizing myself with the local life as well, really getting the feeling of it after 20 days; it almost felt like home. That feeling that I love so much when I travel.

However, it is not my intention here to discredit cruises, by all means. On the contrary, I promised myself and my friend that we would go back to the Galapagos. Next, time it will be on a cruise, to try a different experience, to live entirely in the water, and to visit remote islands that you can only see if you are on a cruise.

Below, I summarize the pros and cons of both worlds, so if you are planning a Galapagos Islands Vacation and you’re unsure where to start.

The pros of choosing a Galapagos Cruise

1. You see many isolated and enchanted spots and wildlife species that are only reachable by cruises.
2. You don’t have andon’ttact with other human beings besides your cruise companions and the guide (chose small boats)
3. You don’t have to worry about food, transportation, and hotel hopping, as everything is taken care of

The cons of traveling on a Galapagos Cruise

1. It has a higher cost if you consider a daily average spend
2. You don’t get to see most of the island’s life; the island’s experience is limited to the cruise program and the guide
3. You will be in a group for the entire time and will be told what to do and where on a fixed schedule. (I think I could freak out by day two, but I still want to try)

The pros of a DO-IT-YOURSELF trip

1. You are free to make your own schedule at your own pace
2. It’s cheaper. You can find excellent hotels in the Galapagos for any budget.
3. You can eat in different places.
4. You can experience the local lifestyle
5. If one day you decide you want to bask in the sun doing nothing, you can do that.

The cons of a do-it-yourself trip

1. There are many islands where day trips cannot go, either because they don’t have a port or because they are too far. Unfortunately, some of those islands are where you can see endemic species that you cannot see anywhere else, such as the red-footed boobies that you can see only in Genovesa Island, a remote island only reachable by cruise, and, if you are lucky, in Punta Pitt, San Cristobal. We were not.
2. You have to hustle and organize the entire trip, transfers, meals, and tours, which can be tiring, although I enjoyed it.

Final thoughts

There is no better or worse way to visit the Galapagos. Both ways are amazing experiences, just different. It all depends on what you like and what kind of trip you want to have, and choose accordingly.

That’s all. That’s what made my stay on the Galapagos Islands, but I can’t wait to tackle and enjoy a cruise experience.

I will book through Liveaboard.com as it’s the specialized tour operator that I found with the best cruise options and with lots of great deals. I will talk about it in the next section.

If you opted for a DIY option, I have crafted 3 sample itineraries that might help you organize your own.

Check out my Galapagos Travel Itineraries if you decide to craft your own itinerary in the Galapagos.

How to choose a Galapagos Cruise

Ok, so you have decided that you are up for a cruise vacation. So what’s next? What’ssuthe cky! I have just put together a fantastic post on how to find the best Galapagos Cruise for you.

A step-by-step guide on how to look for the perfect cruise to the Galapagos Islands. No matter what kind of budget you have, the following information that we have found during our research will help you find the perfect boat for you.

However, below you can find a summary. Or, you can go straight to my selection of the best cruises in the Galapagos Islands for different budgets and lengths of itineraries, which I have personally curated.

Suppose you love luxury and want to make sure you will be cruising in total comfort and with the top-rated personalized service. In that case, you will love my post on the top 5 Galapagos luxury cruises, where I have selected the best of the best for your ultimate luxury Galapagos Islands vacation.

Here is what you should know about  the Galapagos cruises

There are many different cruise categories and prices, similar to those of hotels, which I will summarize below. From what I have understood

Economy – This is the cheapest option, but for a reason. The cruise in the Galapagos is smaller and will have small common spaces, usually not very comfortable, and with shared bathrooms. Goodod is not going to be the best quality, but you will have a professional nature guide, despite having a lower level of experience.

The low-end cruise would also be on a smaller boat that moves a lot when the ocean is choppier, normally from June through November. You should consider it if you are prone to seasickness.

However, if you are not interested in the perks of the luxury experience and are traveling on a budget, this would be the best option. Budget cruises range in price from $900 to $1,200 per person for 5 days; $1,500 to $1,800 per person for 8 days.

Tourist – Tourist or superior class are the best options if you are not keen on splurging, and all the luxuries are not your main priority.

You still have a good comfort level, even if the cabins are smaller or sometimes have bunk beds, but with your own private bathroom. If you are traveling alone, you might be required to share the cabin with another solo traveler.

The food will still be good, and you will get the full Galapagos cruises to experience anyway, especially if your primary goal and interest are about Galapagos wildlife and nature. You will be just fine.

Also, you will still have your Level 2 certified Nature guide. Id-rangecruise price range: $2,000 to $3,000 per person for 5 days; $3,500 to $4,500 per person for 8 days

First-class – First Class cruises in Galapagos are on top-class boats with very similar service as luxury cruises. However, the cabins are smaller, and the guides are still very much qualified (2 or 3 bilingual guides).

Food is also delicious, although not gourmet. First Class cruise prices in the Galapagos range between $3,500 and $5,000 per person for 5 days and $5,000 and $6,000 per person for 8 days.

Luxury – as you can imagine, luxury cruises in the Galapagos have it all, the best of everything: a top-experienced guide (Level 3 of Nature Guide Certification), spacious and well-designed cabins with all the comforts and premier amenities, gourmet cuisine.

Some luxury cruises in the Galapagos also include transfers to the airport and VIP lounges. The price ranges from $4,000 to $6,000 per person for 5 days and $6,000 to $8,000 per person for 8 days.

• Whatever class of cruise you choose, you will experience the same incredible landscape of the stunning volcanic islands and local wildlife, snorkeling adventures, and more.

• If you look at last-minute cruises either online or directly on the islands, you can find many great deals, even up to 50% discounts.

• Sometimes there are early bird deals, so if you book in advance, you get great deals.

• Many of the  Galapagos wildlife species can only be seen in specific islands that are only reachable by cruise.

• The best diving spots in the Galapagos are Darwin Island and Wolf Island, and they are only reachable by Diving Cruises. They are so remote that it’s impossible to reach them by daily excursions. Cruises are the most expensive.

• THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP for me: consider that being a marine park and protected ( I would say SUPER protected) areas, few people at a time are allowed to disembark and visit, be it for snorkeling or walking/hiking). herefore if you are on a big cruise with more than 16 passengers, you will have to deal with a lot of waiting, which to me is unbearabl Wouldld choose a small First Class or Tourist (or higher) cruise to get the best experience.

• There are tons of cruises available with many different itineraries. You should check first what you can see in all the included stops before deciding on your itinerary. For example, suppose your main goal is to see the funny Red-footed boobies. In that case, you should consider including Genovesa Island in your itinerary, where you can find the largest colony, besides many other feathered friends, and hammerhead sharks. You can go to different islands with less chance

• It’s essential to know what you want to see and where you can see it, and then look for a cruise that includes it or most of it.

Galapagos National Park Rules

There are common-sense rules that we should follow all the time, not only in the Galapagos National Park. I was happy to see that these rules are strictly implemented with a lot of controls, with the help of the local nature guides and people involved in conservation.

Among others:

• Don’t touch the Don’ts
• Don’t litter
• StDon’tout 6 feet from the animals
• Don’t feed the Don’tls.
• Don’t usflashn’t’photographng.

To know about all the rules, you can check out this official website on Galapagos conservation.

It would be great if we get the habit and continue to follow these instructions on how to respect the environment and live in peace with nature.

Islands and spots that are reachable only by cruise

While we were already on the islands and were touring around travel agents to see how to reach our favorite places, we realized that there were many spots that you can reach only by cruise. Each boat has its own itinerary on specific dates.

In fact, as I mentioned before, there are many different itineraries covered by both boats. This is why, before deciding which cruise you book, you need to know which spots you really want to visit and which you are okay to give up. It’s tough to find a cruise that covers everything you really want.

For example, we wanted to see Rabida Island, Genovesa Island, and Canal Bolivar, but no cruise itinerary includes all three spots.

Here I will tell you which islands and spots you can reach by cruise only, so that you know what Galapagos cruise you should look for.

Rabida Island

Located just 5 km off Santiago Island, this little rocky island is famous for its reddish beach where Sea lions have their home and pelicans nest. The lucky ones on a cruise that includes this island can enjoy a 750-meter trail that leads to a viewpoint and a great snorkeling spot at the end of it.

Chinese Hat

This is a tiny island located close to the Santiago Islands. Visitors can enjoy fantastic snorkeling around a cave where a colony of sea lions lives, and there are great opportunities to see penguins. Of course, the omnipresent marine iguana won’t be missing out.

Fernandina Island

Located right opposite the northwest coast of Isabela, Fernandina is a one-of-a-kind island, the only one where you could have the chance to see an eruption, as the last one was in 2017.

It’s the youngest and also the third largest.

It’s one of the Galapagos’s places where no external species have been introduced.

Fernandina Island is home to endemic species such as flightless cormorants, lazy iguanas, Galapagos penguins, and, of course, sea lions. From the only visitor point, Punta Espinoza, right opposite to Isla Isabela, you can easily admire them all hanging out together in an unexpected, impressive tolerance. Hks can be spotted hovering over the breathtaking scenery.

Santiago Island

The fourth-largest island, Santiago Island, has many different visitor sites. Mayruises anand daily tours stop to admire its incredible lava formations and an abundance of wildlife that can be easily spotted.

Here we find Puerto Egas, on the west side, where black lava pools formed by the shoreline are home to a great variety of fauna, including marine iguana basking in the sun, hundreds of Sally Lightfoot Red crabs, herons, fur seals that will swim with you and an abundance of marine life including tropical fishes, moray eels, sharks and octopuses.

At Puerto Egas, you can also have a 2 km walk to the Sugarloaf volcano, and your walk to the spectacular view will be delighted by the sights of lava lizards, Galapagos doves, and Darwin finches, besides the majestic Galapagos hawk. Ot er bays are Sullivan Bay on the east coast, a spectacular sight, especially for a geologist, with its variety of lava formations to admire.

Espumilla beach is another beautiful spot south of Puerto Egas for snorkeling, and where you can occasionally see flamingoes.

Buccaneer Cove on the northwestern side of the island is where many species of seabirds come for nesting.

Genovesa Island

This is where we really wanted to go, but it was too far for a day tour. In fact, it makes sense. You can easily spot red-footed boobies that go there to nest, and if you are lucky, you might be able to spot the Galapagos Owl.

On this side of the archipelago, it’s easy to swim with hammer sharks and fur seals or see whales passing by. Ot er bird sights can include Nasca Boobies, Frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, and swallow-tailed gulls. This is, to me, an unmissable spot when I go on a cruise.

The sources for this information include the Lonely Planet and my investigations while on the islands. 

Where to book a Galapagos Cruise

I suggest booking a cruise with a reputable company that can guarantee professional and outstanding service. You don’t get to go to Galapagos so often, and maybe it’s your once-in-a-lifetime trip, so you want to make sure to put yourself in good hands when it comes to booking an expensive cruise.

That’s why I partnered’s Liveaboard.com, which I know is reputable and trustworthy. I know it because I used to work for them. 🙂

Liveaboard.com

A company I have proudly worked for. They partner with the greatest boats all over the world, specializing in Diving cruises but also offering exclusive naturalistic/adventure cruises on the best luxury and budget boats all over the world, including the Galapagos.

Explore the Galapagos cruises on the Liveaboard.com site

Planning a Do-it-yourself trip to the Galapagos Islands

If you realized that a cruise is not for you and you prefer to enjoy the mainland and do tours from there, I have got you covered as well. If this is what I did, I also created guides for each island so that you can decide what you want to do and see, and how much time you want to stay.

So, to plan your Galapagos Island Vacation, I would first check out what’s to do on Isawhat’ssland, San Cristobal, and Santa Cruz.

Once you know all the incredible things to do in the Galapagos Islands, you are ready to create your Galapagos Itinerary based on the number of days you have. But if you have doubts, I have got you covered as well.

Also, learn about the Galapagos animals and where to see them, which can help you plan your trip.

Galapagos Islands Ma