Galapagos Islands Two Ways Part II: Decision Time

This is the second in a series of posts about my adventures in the Galapagos Islands. I wrote about the cost and logistics of touring the islands independently here: Galapagos Islands Two Way Part I: By Land

Playa Brava at Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz island

After a wonderful 13 days exploring San Cristobal and Santa Cruz islands on my own, I was planning to take a lancha (ferry) to Isabela island for a final week of rest and relaxation. However, while I was researching day trips, availability, and pricing with the numerous travel agencies in Puerto Ayora, I started to seriously consider another option: a last-minute cruise.

A water taxi in the harbor at Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

One of the travel agents in particular, Larry at Galapagos Mockingbird Travel Agency, encouraged me to go on a cruise. When I sat down in his office and listed the places I still wanted to go on day trips, I quickly realized that I would have to spend an average of $200 for each of the three or four excursions that were at the top of my list. I also would have to stay in Puerto Ayora (the most touristy place in the Galapagos) and transit back and forth across Santa Cruz island multiple times as there is no lodging on the northern part of the island where the boat trips to North Seymour, Bartolome or Santiago depart.

Getting ready for dinner on Charles Binford Street in Puerto Ayora

I already knew that the only way to visit the more remote, uninhabited islands like Genovesa, Marchena or Fernandina was on a cruise. That's because they are too far away for day trips and daily visitor numbers are strictly limited by the national park service. The main reason I wanted to go to any of these islands was the diverse wildlife, landscapes, and lack of people. But I had already told myself that I would be happy just visiting the inhabited islands and doing as much as possible for free on my own, plus splurging on a few day trips to the other most accessible uninhabited islands.

There are plenty of free activities you can do on your own
including a hike to Las Grietas on Santa Cruz island.

I told Larry that the only way I would consider a cruise was if it was at least one week long and the itinerary had to include places that I could not go on my own. Plus it had to include the islands I had planned to visit on day trips from Puerto Ayora. I also said my budget was around $1,500 which I had calculated to be a reasonable price based on the cost of accommodation, food, day trips, etc. for seven nights (eight days) if I was trying to do everything possible in my remaining time on the islands.

Marine iguanas at Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz

After a thorough search, we discovered there was only one boat that had a suitable itinerary during the dates I still had left. And it had availability. The only issue: it was a first class catamaran with a price tag to match. Over the next 48 hours I was at the travel agency multiple times a day trying to negotiate i.e. lower the last-minute price plus find a way to avoid paying for extras like a wetsuit, better quality snorkel equipment, etc.

Plantains for sale in Puerto Ayora

Here's something you should know: The seemingly hundreds of travel agencies in the Galapagos are all selling the exact same day trips, cruises, etc. because there are only a limited number of boats and permits to visit certain places. Thus you have to shop around if you want to get the best price because one agency may have a better relationship with the boat owner/operator and thus will give you better odds of snagging a last minute spot or cancellation at the absolute lowest price.

Colorful accommodations on Santa Cruz island

Also, access to cash is a necessity. Many agencies on the islands charge an additional 10-15% (or higher!) fee to pay for excursions with a credit card. If you book a last minute cruise, you have to pay for it IN CASH. There are ATMs on San Cristobal and Santa Cruz; Isabela just got its first ATM in September 2019. Those ATMs have daily withdrawal limits according to their local bank affiliation. Plus you pay a fee to use the ATM for each withdrawal (the average was around $4.00 on the islands). In addition, even though the currency is U.S. dollars, you will still be charged a foreign transaction fee by your bank unless you specifically have a card/account that does not charge these fees. For example, in Puerto Ayora, there are three main banks with ATM machines. One lets you withdraw $500 in one transaction; one only $300; and one only $200, but then allows multiple withdrawals up to a maximum of $600 in one day.

Those 48 hours were really quite stressful between haggling over the price of the cruise, figuring out how to get access to that much cash in a very short period of time, and deciding if it was worth it to spend so much money to see and experience more of the islands than I could do on my own. But, in the end, I basically said "You only live once" and "I'm here now; who knows if I'll ever have a chance to come here again; I might as well see as much as possible while I have this opportunity."

Laguna de las Ninfas on Santa Cruz island

That is how I ended up on the Millennium, a 16-passenger first class catamaran on an eight day, seven night cruise of the northern and western Galapagos Islands from July 17 - 24, 2019. I paid $2,000 for this cruise; the regular price is $4,360.

Be sure to read my next post about my experience touring the Galapagos by sea!