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General Questions
Boats in Galapagos
Budget in Galapagos
Galapagos Terrestrial
General Questions
Pre-booking
Packing
Pre-booking
There are 4:
Speedboats:
Characteristics:
- 3 to 4 outboard motors
- Capacity from 25 to 42 passengers
- speed 22-25 knots
Motor Cruise Ships
Characteristics:
- 2 to 4 motors stationary machine
- capacity from 16 to 100 passengers
- speed 13-15 knots by regulation of the environmental authority
Sailing and motor yachts
Characteristics:
- 1 to 2 motors stationary machine
- capacity of 16
- speed 13-15 knots by regulation of the environmental authority
The Galapagos Islands are considered a dream destination all year round and always surprise us between its seasons. between December and May. During these months you can enjoy sunny weather and ocean currents that will allow you to sail in calm seas.
If you are looking for more marine wildlife activities such as diving or snorkelling from July to November, the sea can be a little rough, but it is simply enchanting. In a few minutes, a calm sea “Cup of milk” is found, we find the cold Humboldt current, for this a wetsuit solves it and the adventure continues.
If you are particularly interested in a specific cruise or would like to have as many options as possible, it is recommended to book well in advance (6-12 months).
Talking about a cruise, they are mostly available from 3 weeks to 1 month before the departure of a specific date.
It is always good to consider the closer to the departure date you make your reservation, the better the rate will be, although it will also increase the risk of not having places available.
Packing
Yes, starting in August 2024, foreigners will pay 220USD with the TCT and nationals will pay 50USD including TCT (Transit Control Card).
The only requirement is to have a passport with at least 6 months of validity remaining, with the corresponding tourist visa stamp issued upon arrival in Ecuador.
No plants, animals or their products can be brought into the Galapagos to protect their delicate ecosystem.
Also, items such as fishing equipment, invasive species, raw fruit and plastics are restricted. Possession of illegal substances and souvenirs made from native species is illegal.
The peak months of the year, when island tours are in high demand, are July and August for summer, and December and January for Christmas and New Year.
Boats in Galapagos
Lodging
Services and facilities
Operation
Lodging
Varies from ship to ship.
From Superior and lower class cruises onwards, accommodation is usually in bunk beds.
Starting in first class, single, double and triple berths are available.
All yachts are based on a minimum of 2 guests per cabin, for solo travelers the norm is cabin sharing, same gender in most cases is guaranteed.
If you wish to secure the cabin for yourself, an individual supplement of 60-100% surcharge will be applied.
Very few ships in higher categories carry single passengers.
Policies vary from ship to ship.
Some ships require children to be of a certain age and have parental consent to board.
There are some yachts and boats available that offer family outings that would be more suitable for children.
Policies vary from ship to ship, but in most cases, unless it is an infant, children will be required to travel in their own cabin, regardless of age: a child would count as a full passenger, if a yacht holds 16 passengers and the child shares the cabin with his or her parents, only 15 other passengers are allowed on board.
Most boats have portholes that allow sunlight to enter the cabin, windows that open are not common but are available on some yachts from first class upwards.
In most cases no, what most cruisers or ships do in slightly larger staterooms found on first class cruises onwards is to place a sleeper sofa to accommodate a third passenger, very few cruisers offer a full size triple stateroom.
All cabins aboard yachts will have engine noise to some extent, depending on the layout of the cabins, some may be quieter than others, modern boats such as catamarans have their engine rooms designed to keep engine noise to a minimum.
Standard amenities found on all yachts offered by JOUTREK are: Private bathroom, hot water shower, air conditioning, life jacket, room cleaning, toiletries and towels.
Services and facilities
A very ordinary day on a cruise ship would have the following very similar operational activities adopted by almost all ships.
Early morning call for breakfast
Morning activity on the island scheduled for 2 to 3 hours.
Board the cruise ship at noon for lunch and a short nap or rest in the common areas, in some cases the cruise may sail during this time to reach the scheduled island in the afternoon.
Afternoon activity on the island scheduled for 2 to 3 hours.
Boarding the cruise in the late afternoon, there will be some free time available to take a shower or use the common areas before dinner is served.
Briefing on the activities scheduled for the following day.
The cruise will depart in the evening, usually sometime after dinner so that you can start the next day’s activities early the next morning.
This varies from island to island, each island and visiting point offers different activities such as snorkeling, sightseeing, panga rides, free time on the beaches, bird watching, hiking, etc., you will be briefed the night before on what you can expect to see the next day and what type of clothing to wear.
If you are going on a hike, they will call it a dry landing and you should wear walking shoes instead of bringing sandals and a bathing suit if you are going to swim and get off at the shore of a beach = wet landing.
All guides in Galapagos are authorized and licensed by the park and local authorities, specialized in biology, geology and nature of the islands, with the ability to interpret the tours in English.
As Joutrek Galapagos, we have carefully selected a team of knowledgeable, experienced, professional naturalist guides with a great attitude to make your visit to the Galapagos a dream come true.
The services included in all categories are:
Transfer (Airport-Yacht-Airport) in Galapagos
Use of onboard facilities
All visits according to programmed itinerary
Guided tour with an authorized naturalist guide
Accommodation on board
3 Meals per day
Water Coffee & Tea.
Excluded services in all categories are:
Transfer (Hotel-Airport-Hotel) in Quito or Guayaquil .
Park entrance
Input control card
Gratuities for guide and crew
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Souvenirs on board
Snorkeling and wetsuits vary from yacht to yacht, some yachts may have any of the above services included in their rates.
The cuisine is varied, fresh and certainly complements a memorable Galapagos tour.
On Basic and Superior class cruises and some 1st class cruises, you can expect a variety of set menus, fresh fruits, juices, snacks and seafood, both local and international dishes.
On cruise and luxury ships, buffets are usually the standard option, and will be served throughout your stay.
Of course they can, at the time of booking you will be asked to provide details of your dietary requirements, this will be communicated to the ship operator to ensure your meals are prepared accordingly.
The variety of meals will also depend on the category you are traveling in, a list of what you can eat is always a great way to help the chefs on board.
This varies greatly, from the size of the boat to the category.
Typical additional amenities include: library, bar and lounge areas.
Amenities typically found on high-end cruise ships are: kayaks, Jacuzzi, large living and dining areas, and Internet access.
A wet landing will have passengers disembark from a (panga = small motorboat) on the shore of a beach, while a dry landing will disembark passengers on a pier or a dry, rocky surface.
If they are not included in your fare (description on each individual cruise page), then it would be wise to rent them to make the most of your tour.
Snorkeling is a big part of your tour activities (once a day or more) and the cost of renting equipment is minimal.
As for the wetsuit, it serves multiple purposes, from helping with water temperature and buoyancy to protecting you from sharp rocks.
Operation
Ship operators abandon their operations every year, for a month or more, to have their ships refitted and in optimal condition while offering their services, so mechanical failures are very isolated incidents, but they do occur.
Circumstances are not always the same, so the ship operator will try to find the best way to complete the services it has committed to provide to passengers.
Joutrek always keeps a close eye on these cases to ensure that our clients get their money’s worth, but sometimes there are discrepancies with the solution provided.
We will always represent the best interests of our clients in the best way possible with the ship operator, recovering money has proven to be a delicate matter and, in extreme circumstances, we may try to obtain some form of refund from the ship operator or reduce our profits to provide some form of compensation.
Cruise changes are rare, but can occur for any of the following reasons:
1. The yacht does not meet the minimum number of passengers, and the few confirmed passengers are relocated to another yacht of the same category with a similar itinerary: this is a very rare case, most, if not all, yachts have confirmed departures and will operate their tours regardless of the number of passengers.
2.
Falla mecánica before or during a tour: if the boat operator determines that your yacht cannot continue to operate, you will be provided with another yacht of similar or higher category (never in a lower category) and similar in itinerary.
In case of unforeseen illness of any passenger on board your cruise, it will be treated in the best possible way to avoid interruption of your tour.
Larger ships or yachts are better equipped to provide medical care if needed, while smaller yachts, which make up the vast majority of island cruisers, have limited medical care.
In case of serious illness, it may be necessary to return to the nearest port so that the passenger can receive proper medical attention.
The vessel operator will attempt to reduce lost time as much as possible, these circumstances are unpredictable and neither the vessel operator nor Joutrek can be held liable, and no refund or compensation can be offered for time lost in these circumstances.
Therefore, it is highly recommended to take out travel insurance to be protected.
Acts of God such as storms, floods, etc., force majeure or prohibitions imposed by the Galapagos National Park or other local authorities for the welfare of the islands.
There have been very isolated incidents of this nature and no more than 1% of cruises have been affected for this reason.
This is a fairly common practice in the Galapagos industry, even the most luxurious ships follow this trend.
The Galapagos Park obliges all ships to visit the authorized islands in their circuits only once every 15 days.
The combination of short routes allows them to reach a larger demographic of customers, those looking for short routes or to combine them to offer longer routes as well.
There is a common misunderstanding that time will be lost in the transition from one short tour to another for those taking the longer tours, this is not the case as the ship operators will have activities scheduled in the vicinity for those continuing on the tour, while other ship personnel will handle the exchange of passengers, dropping them off at the airport and picking up new passengers.
Most cruises will have at least a full 8-day itinerary, with no combinations or stops along the way.
Budget in Galapagos
Reserve stage
On board
Optional
Reserve stage
We offer bank transfer, Paypal and credit or debit card payments.
If you book well in advance, you will be required to pay the initial 30% to make the reservation and the remaining 70% between 61 and 91 days prior to the tour start date.
For last minute bookings, full payment is required to make the reservation.
Rates vary by cruise, departure date and season, please consult your travel consultant for the exact rate for your cruise.
As of August 2024:
$200 Foreign tourists, non-residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age and under 12 years of age $100
$100 Foreign tourists, non-residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age, originating from a Mercosur country, and Mercosur and under 12 years old $50
$50 Tourists, students not residing in Ecuador who are enrolled in a national educational institution.
$30 Tourists and foreign residents in Ecuador, over 12 years old (ID required).
$15 Tourists and foreign residents in Ecuador, under 12 years of age (ID required).
0 Domestic and foreign tourists under 2 years of age are exempt from this tax.
* The above rates are payable upon arrival at the Galapagos airport in cash only.Or as most of our tourists do, in order not to carry so much cash and fill up with coins, they deposit the amounts to us and we will take care of the paperwork without additional charge).
Regulatory mechanism similar to a visa, which controls the entry and exit of passengers to the islands.
A one-time fee of $20 per person on the mainland (Quito or Guayaquil), applicable to both foreigners and Ecuadorians, is required to enter the islands.
Payment is accepted in cash only.
Galapagos National Park: 40%.
Municipalities of Galapagos: 25%.
Galapagos Governing Council: 20%.
Galapagos Marine Reserve: 5%.
ABG Galapagos Biosafety and Quarantine Agency: 5%.
Navy of Ecuador: 5%.
All of the above are active entities involved in the conservation and preservation of the islands, you can be sure that your money will be well spent.
On board
Tipping on board yachts is not an obligation but is expected, the following rates are a general guide, typically the same amount applies for the *crew (all crew on board) and guide, however, guests should always tip with the amount they are comfortable with, after all tipping is additional compensation for the good service and attention provided to you during your stay.
Rates vary from boat to boat and length of charter. A general guide would be $15 to $40 for the 4-8 day tour. For exact rates, please see each individual yacht’s page.
As with snorkeling equipment rentals, rates vary from boat to boat and rental duration. A general guide would be $20 to $60 for the 4-8 day tour. For exact rates, please check each individual yacht’s page.
It is not a standard, but with mostly first class ships, you will find souvenirs available.
Optional
Rates vary slightly from yacht to yacht, the average rate would be between $2 and $3 for soft drinks and beer, alcoholic beverages from $5 and up.
Yes, today all the cruise ships that Joutrek operates have this essential satellite internet resource and most of them also have a Starlink antenna at no cost.
In most cases yes.
They will, as long as you don’t go overboard, and they will charge you an additional fee of $3 to $5 per kilo.
Galapagos Terrestrial
Land excursions
Dive
General
Land excursions
There are limits to where you can see and visit. Some islands can only be visited by cruise ship (e.g. Española) and other places are not logistically possible due to their remote location (e.g. Fernandina, Genovesa, etc.).
It is a tourist package that allows you to move between the main islands: Santa Cruz, Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela, having experiences in different hotels; thus covering the most relevant points of each island. It is highly recommended to live an experience in this way, taking advantage of the time and places to visit.
We recommend that you do the island hopping tours we currently offer with JOUTREK as we are the expert DMC operator in this type of tours.
Of course you can ask us what tours you would like, we check itineraries, availability where we will combine land and sea trips or just land, meals and all these tours will be customized according to the date of request.
Of course, check out our daily tours on the website or click on the WhatsApp button for assistance in the shortest time possible.
Dive
There are 3 different methods of diving on the islands:
LIVEABOARD DIVE BOAT: The best way to dive the islands to reach the best and most remote dive spots in the archipelago such as Darwin and Wolf, but also quite expensive. These liveaboard boats will cruise around the islands to dive sites with only 2 dives per day, in most if not all cases they will only operate 8 day tours, shorter trips such as 4-5 and 6 day are not offered. Dive boats of this nature are very few.
DAY DIVES FROM SHORE: This is the most common approach, for those wanting to dive on a budget, day dives can be arranged from Santa Cruz or San Cristobal, the former being the best option in terms of variety and frequency.
SHORE DIVE PACKAGES: Based in Santa Cruz hotels, dive packages will combine accommodation, meals and multi-day dives, the perfect combination for those looking to dive for just several days on a budget.
Most of the dive sites in Galapagos are friendly to inexperienced divers as long as you have a diving license, however there are certain places such as Gordon Rocks that require divers to have a minimum of 30 dives to be able to dive there, mainly due to the strong currents and the experience required to safely dive in these waters.
All diving equipment, Transportation to and from the diving center, Snack and lunch, Towels, 2 dives, 1 Dive master for every 8 passengers.
The required information and documentation are: Padi license, number of dives, height, weight, shoe size, etc.
A lease agreement must be signed before participating in your diving activities, signed the day before or on the day of your dive on the islands.
With Joutrek you have the chance to live this experience in a program called “Discovery Diving” designed for you, putting on the diving equipment, then feeling how to breathe underwater, and touching a different world. Just click on the Whatsapp button and we will tell you the rest inside.
General
San Cristobal is known for being a surf-friendly place, with the right type of waves, variety in accommodation, ease of renting boards and surf lessons at numerous agencies, San Cristobal is the best approach to surfing.
Either by taking the public ferry or using the internal airline that takes you to the 3 main islands
| Origin | Destination | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Puerto Ayora | San Cristóbal-Puerto Baquerizo Moreno or Isabella-Puerto Villamil | Monday to Sunday at 2:00 p.m. | $30 to $40 per person |
| San Cristobal-Puerto Baquerizo Moreno or Isabella-Puerto Villamil | Santa Cruz-Puerto Ayora | Monday to Sunday at 06:00h | $30 to $40 per person |
Companies that
Work with us
Contact us at
-
Orquídeas Neighborhood
Streets: Ignacio Hernández y Marchena - info@joutrekgalapagos.com
- +593 (096)-957-0208
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