Visiting The Galapagos
None of the different means of visiting the islands is particularly cheap, but there are ways that you can keep costs down. The first dent in the wallet comes from getting to the Galapagos , with the domestic airlines charging some inordinately high fares to foreigners. That out of the way, the more expensive ways to see the Galapagos involve joining boat tours , or specialist diving tours , lasting anything from three days up to several weeks and varying greatly in levels of quality. Many people prearrange such tours at home - the most expensive but hassle free way to organize one - but budget travellers prefer to do so in Quito and Guayaquil, or even wait until their arrival in the Galapagos before choosing an operator. The tours sail between visitor sites - usually two a day - most having tidy paths bordered by little black-and-white stakes, which you'll be led around by your accompanying guide. Most will combine a variety of sites, with different endemic animals and plants popping up at each. However, the success of the Galapagos does mean that even on longer tours to remoter islands, you'll probably be sharing the sites with several other groups. It's also possible to strike out on day-trips from the larger towns, namely Puerto Ayora and to a lesser extent Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, to sites around the central islands. Independent travel around the Galapagos is possible using inter-island flights and ferries , though these largely restrict you to the colonized areas, which rather misses the point of a trip here. There are, however, a few visitor sites close to the main settlements that you can get to under your own steam without a licensed guide. The most expensive way by far to see the islands is to sail in on your own boat for which you'll have to pay an extra $200 marine tax on top of the normal park entry fee. Then you'll need to contact the Parque Nacional Galapagos offices in Puerto Ayora to hire your own guide, and once you've agreed an itinerary with them, they'll charge you $200 per person per day for everyone on board, whether guest, guide, captain or crew. You'll be allowed to stay in the islands for a maximum of twenty days and you need to contact the Capitania in Puerto Ayora when you arrive.
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