Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read The Galapagos Islands on a Budget: A Senior Nomad’s Adventure.
And before I get much further Galapagos is a lot easier for me to type than getting that little accent over the a in Galápagos. It’s more commonly spelled accent-less by English speakers. Also get ready for a longer post than usual – with lots of photos!
For decades, the Galapagos Islands felt like one of those “dream trips” reserved for retirees with luxury cruise budgets. But somewhere between cheap ferries, budget guesthouses, and sea lions sleeping on park benches, my dream trip quietly turned into a budget trip. And I loved it even more because of that.
I may travel with my backpack, and I’m definitely on a low income budget, but after enough snoring strangers and bunk beds in Camino de Santiago albergues, I’ve officially aged out of hostel dorm life.
The Galapagos Islands are about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They’re famous for wildlife viewing and can only be reached by airplane. There are no commercial passenger boats (cruise ships) that come from the mainland to the islands.
Galapagos preparation
I always thought visiting the Galapagos Islands meant taking a cruise. Not that I’m overly opposed to cruising but it’s usually too expensive for me to consider. And the smaller the cruise ship – the higher the price. This is especially true in the Galapagos where only smaller cruise ships are allowed to cruise the islands. The kind with room for 10 passengers to a maximum of 100 passengers as allowed by the Ecuador government. This could be an expedition ship or a luxury yacht.
Either way I don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a week of cruising around the uninhabited islands of the Galapagos! As my regular readers know, I’m a low income senior.
One thing I knew for sure was that when I visited Peru to see Machu Picchu, I would also include the Galapagos Islands on this trip, seeing as how I’m already somewhat in the area.
Another thing I knew was that four of the islands are inhabited with hotels and guest house accommodations. The populated islands are Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela, and Floreana.
The lowest population is Floreana with only a couple of places to stay. But Floreana appealed to me due to its dark history and mystery surrounding the first settlers from Europe. Check out this YouTube video documentary if you have a couple of hours.
My research showed I could find hotels on the various islands for about $30 to $50 a night, usually including breakfast. There were tours I could do on the islands. Pricey tours. But what the hell. When am I going to return?
Well… hopefully one day. But if not, I managed to see many of the popular sights on these beautiful islands.
I also learned that if I waited until arriving in the Galapagos to book my day trips, they would be cheaper than reserving online. Even last minute cruise deals come up cheap on the islands.
And where do you find these deals? Well, geez, just about every second shop on the islands is a tour agency selling local tours. Pick one, any one. Walk in and out of a few. Ask questions. Go with who you like the best. In my case, it was also who accepts credit cards. The merchants would add on a service fee for doing that to cover their costs, but the peace of mind was worth it to me.
The journey begins
In planning my Great South American Adventure, the plan was always to spend up to three months in Peru and then head to Ecuador. Originally I thought I might spend two months in Ecuador split between the Galapagos Islands and Cuenca, a popular town for expats.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t go to Cuenca!
I flew from Lima to Guayaquil, Ecuador, the jumping off spot for the Galapagos on January 26, 2026, and spent two nights in Guayaquil, which was really one night longer than I should have stayed.
I had applied and paid for my TCT (Transit Control Card) online about three months earlier. It cost $20. Yup, just another government cash grab. They want to know where you’ll be staying in the Galapagos. This can also be purchased at the airport. Either way, I still had to check in at the TCT counter prior to checking in with my airline for the flight.
Next to the TCT counter is an area for all Galapagos passengers to declare they’re not bringing anything on the list of restricted items. Luggage is also scanned here.
I had a tough time with the website filling my details out while standing in line. It crapped out twice when I tried to take a photo of my passport. One of the staff then used her phone and had the same results. Lots of cursing and then she had me proceed through without filling it in. My bags were scanned and they put a zip tie through the zipper locks so it can not be opened until landing in the Galapagos.
I had no contraband but the staff were opening other people’s luggage and removing sunflower seeds, dried fruits, etc.
Then it was pretty standard airline check in, drop off luggage, go through security, and finally board the plane. Along the way staff asked to see my TCT card a couple of times.
Arrival
It’s about a two hour flight and then we landed in Baltra Airport, an island off Santa Cruz, the most populated island. On board the plane the flight attendants were handing out paper declarations. I took one and filled it in. Remember? The website hated my passport at the airport.
It’s a small airport. The staff bring rolling staircases over so we can disembark.
Once I went through passport control, there is a cashier where I paid my $200 fee for entry into the Galapagos Islands. I already knew ahead of time – cash only. Then I gave my declaration form to another fellow who was collecting the forms or checking people’s phones that they’d filled them out. There was a problem with a woman in front of me who had neither, but was eventually allowed to proceed.
Our luggage was sitting on the floor – but there was no sign of mine. I travel with a Gregory Kalmia 60 L backpack but for flights, it goes inside a collapsible duffel bag. Finally I spot it at another table where a man is standing guard over a few pieces of luggage. I came over and told him which bag was mine. He asked if he could look inside. I said yes and he cut the seal and I popped the backpack out of the bag. He unzipped one side and pulled out a couple of my vitamin bottles.
I said they’re my vitamins and he asked if it was just vitamins and I said yes. He put them back inside the backpack, zipped it up, and I was on my way. I guess the x-ray machine may have alerted. I suppose they look like seeds or nuts on a machine.
Outside the airport I had to pay $5 for a bus ticket that takes us to the “ferry”. Once on the ferry the staff put everyone’s luggage on top of the roof and we cross to Santa Cruz. Oh, yes. Pay another dollar for the boat ride.
On the other side taxis are waiting, plus a bus that takes us into the main town of Puerto Ayora on the other side of the island, about a 45 minute drive. I took the bus for $5. A taxi would have cost over $30. And yes, we’re talking US dollars here. That’s the currency in Ecuador.
The bus stop doesn’t get me all the way downtown. From there I had to take a taxi that was either $1 or $2, I don’t remember which. Oh, yeah. Taxis are white pick up trucks. Fun times! But at least I finally got to my hotel.
Santa Cruz
Puerto Ayora is the main town on Santa Cruz island. This is the port where boats take passengers to other islands, either on cruises, day trips, or by ferry. It’s a busy town.
And immediately I felt like this was the place I belonged!
I stayed at the Flightless Cormorant on the main drag, about 5 minutes walk to the pier and port area. My cost was $240 for 5 nights and included breakfast. I had a large room. I slept on the big bed and kept my backpack on the smaller bed. But I had a closet and dresser to unpack my stuff.
I was supposed to have a ocean view room. But the window overlooked a back alley. Hmmm. I immediately brought it to the receptionist’s attention who had brought me up to my room – on the third floor. The top floor. She pointed out my ocean view. It was through the dining room and out the balcony on the other side. So there’s my view.
Things are different in South America. If I booked a water view room, I would normally expect to see the water without leaving my room. You know what I mean? But less than $50/night Canadian dollars. Well you get what you get. And the breakfast was decent – eggs, juice, fruit, croissant – served between 7am and 8:30am. My rate included breakfast but other rooms adding breakfast is optional. It costs US $5 to have breakfast at the hotel. Not worth it. Find a nearby cafe where you can get a better breakfast for the same price.
Here’s the only blue footed booby I saw on Santa Cruz.
A seal lion snoozing in the doorway of a grocery store is perfectly normal here.
Sea lions hang out on the pier.
It is possible to find cheap meals for $6 in an area known as the kioskas. There are about 15 restaurants all serving up similar meals with similar prices, In addition to the $6 set menu (which includes a starter, entree, and a beverage like lemonade) these restaurants all have menus with more expensive items.
Unfortunately, the beaches around Puerto Ayora are not really good for swimming. There’s a lot of volcanic rocks.
Things to do on Santa Cruz
I did the regular touristy stuff on Santa Cruz. I took a tour of the Charles Darwin Research Station and that included seeing the tortoise breeding center. Cost $10.
Lonesome George was the most famous resident. The last land tortoise from Pinta Island, he was brought here in 1971. His estimated age at death was around 100 years old. He was preserved through taxidermy.
It’s also possible to walk inside the research station for free and see the interpretation centers. To go inside the tortoise breeding area and the building where the taxidermy tortoise is you must be accompanied by a guide. That’s what costs $10.
The most expensive thing I did on Santa Cruz was a tour to El Chato Tortoise Ranch. I believe it was $60 – and yes that’s US dollars, the currency on the islands.
Land tortoises don’t swim, but they will cool themselves off in water or mud.
And then we descended into the tunnels on the ranch.
I visited Las Grietas, a chasm in the cliffs with a nice cool spot to swim. It cost $1 for the water taxi to take us to the closest land spot. From there it was about a 15 minute walk through paths and along a stretch of beach where the tide was coming in. When I reached the ranger station, for lack of a better word, they asked if I had a reservation. I did not because I didn’t know one was needed. They didn’t seem to care too much that I didn’t have a reservation and had me sign in and pay the $10 entry fee. A guide was just preparing to leave and there were five of us on the tour.
It was about another 10 minute walk to the swimming spot and the guide explained the flora of the land which included salt flats.
And then the prize.
The chasm is about 20 feet wide and 300 feet long. I was in the only one in my group that swam to the other end and back. It’s very salty. We had about half an hour in the water before the guide called us out. The next group was arriving just as we were departing, so the limited time is all part of the crowd control. It was a very refreshing cool swim on a hot day.
Because, in case you didn’t realize, the Galapagos Islands are pretty much on the Equator with a hot sun blazing down on us.
Day trip to Floreana
Yay! I got to Floreana Island on a day trip. So actually that was the most expensive excursion I did on Santa Cruz. It cost $140. Good thing I was saving money by staying in a somewhat cheap guest house.
The price included the ferry ride, a tour of the island (a bus drove us to the highlands where we hiked through the woods), lunch, snorkel at one beach, a swim at another beach.
We saw the cave where a pirate lived and when he wasn’t plundering, he carved a face in a nearby rock.
Floreana Island is the only place where pink marine iguanas live.
Isabela Island
My next stop in the Galapagos was Isabela Island. It costs $30 to take a ferry between the islands. And I use the word “ferry” loosely. These are high speed fiberglass boats with 4 outboards on the back and they seat between 30 and 50 passengers, depending on which boat you’re on. You can take your luggage, it’s stowed up in the bow, but no cars can get on these boats!
And then it costs another $10 entry fee, paid before you can leave the wharf.
I stayed at the Hotel Paraiso Isabela from February 4 to 9. Five nights cost me $165 US dollars and included breakfast. It was a little weird. Breakfast was only served between 7am and 7:30. I didn’t want to count on waking up early enough so I bought yogurt (had a fridge in my room) and a pastry from the bakery just in case I slept in. Oddly enough I was up early enough every day to make breakfast. Lovely hotel, about a 6 or 7 minute walk to the beach. They claimed it was an ocean view, but to get that view you have to walk up to the top floor, where the dining area is. Family run hotel and very pleasant. They also owned the grocery store on the ground floor.
I pretty much had the place to myself. I didn’t see other guests and I was the only person eating breakfast. What a shame for the hard working family. Truly lovely people. On check out day my ferry was at 3pm and they told me just to keep the room until I was ready to leave.
Isabela has a smaller population than Santa Cruz, but there were still three or four restaurants serving up $6 menu of the day meals. It was cheaper to buy a restaurant meal than putting together a meal from purchases at the grocery store and bakery.
Here I spent money on a couple of tours. One was a snorkelling tour that cost about $40. I saw a penguin! And I had to be fast and keep snapping photos hoping to catch it because penguins swim fast.
I did the popular Los Tuneles tour that cost $140 and included lunch served up on the boat.
Los tuneles translates to the tunnels. There are underground tunnels here formed by lava and teeming with sea life. I saw my first seahorse! I also saw manta rays, sharks, a puffer fish, and many colorful fish that I don’t know the names of. There were 12 of us on the tour and only me and one man declined to wear wetsuits. Me being from Canada – I found the water warm in this part of the world. So it’s all relative to whether you come from a hot part of the world or a cold part of the world to how you’ll find the water conditions.
Then we went to Cabo Rosa where much of the volcanic rocks are seen above water and here is where I saw my first blue footed booby!
One day I rented a bike for 4 hours – cost $10 – and rode out to see the Wall of Tears. This is a site of a formal penal colony on this island. I came across 7 large tortoises at different spots on my ride.
Amazing!
Lovely beach on Isabela.
Lots of beach shacks to enjoy an oceanview meal.
A lagoon where the flamingos like to hang out.
San Cristobal
My final island was San Cristobal where I stayed for 8 nights and flew out of this island’s airport when my departure day came. 😢
I stayed at the Mar Azul, about a 5 minute walk from the water.
I believe it’s the island’s oldest hotel. It might not look like much from the outside, but inside is open air hallways and courtyards and the dining area – breakfast was included.
I paid in advance through Expedia and it cost me $220 and that included breakfast. So a pretty decent deal for 8 nights. And a place to recover financially after spending a few bucks on expensive (to me) day trips to Floreana and Los Tuneles.
Originally I had booked another hotel, but after a lively exchange with scammers who hacked into their reservation system and flooded me with messages that it was closed for renovations, I had enough of it and rebooked the Mar Azul. I had paid in full in advance through Expedia for the original hotel so I cancelled and was fully refunded.
It’s always important to choose a hotel with a refund policy anytime when paying in advance.
So, whew! I ended up staying in a nicer hotel anyway which was all on one level, with a few steps down to the first courtyard. Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing that other hotel’s saga soon.
I didn’t do any excursions on San Cristobal and used that money instead on eating out. Unfortunately this island didn’t have the $6 menu of the day dinners I found on other islands. But many restaurants had a lunch deal running anywhere between $5 and $8. That became my main meal and dinner was usually yogurt and something picked up from a bakery.
My days were spent walking and hiking the nearby Cerro Tijeretas. Check out the view of the town and marina from the trail.
Most mornings were spent at Playa Mann. Like it or not – usually NOT – I was swimming with sea lions here. Yikes! Do you know how many tourists get bit by sea lions while visiting the Galapagos? Fortunately, not this one!
The sea lions at this beach weren’t vicious, or at least not when I was there. They were more like black Labs who just show up and think it’s OK to be in your space. One time I’m so engrossed in reading my book and don’t notice what everyone else around me sees – a sea lion flops down right beside me!
Nothing like getting up close and personal with a sea lion!
I enjoyed the beach, and it was the only beach I found on any of the islands that offered shade trees. I’d bring my Kindle with me and read on the beach in the shade. This was my morning routine. It almost always started raining around noon so I preferred to get back to my hotel before then.
In case I didn’t already mention it – there are lots of sea lions everywhere in the Galapagos but especially on San Cristobal.
There’s a nice waterfront walk here and a spot where I was almost guaranteed to see a blue footed booby in the late afternoon.
Look at that face!
How about a beautiful San Cristobal sunset?
The Galapagos Islands on a Budget
I spent an amazing three weeks in the Galapagos Islands on a budget.
And let’s face it. There’s no cheap way to do the Galapagos. The airfare to and from the mainland, whether it’s Guayaquil or Quito, costs around $200 each way, not including whatever it cost you to get to Ecuador. And before you even get outside the airport, you’ve paid another $20 for that TCT card and $200 national park entry fee.
When I realized how much money it would cost me just to get to the Galapagos, I decided to spend as much time there as I could. It doesn’t make much sense to spend over $600 US dollars just to set foot in the place, and then only stay a week.
Fortunately I was able to find lower priced hotels to stay with breakfast included, making that one less meal to buy.
On Santa Cruz and Isabela island I could have an early dinner by taking advantage of a $6 menu of the day. On San Cristobal I would try to put off lunch as long as possible to take advantage of a menu of the day for $5 or $6.
The Galapagos had been a dream trip of mine for years, and despite the cost, I’m glad I finally went. By travelling independently, staying in simple accommodations, and watching my spending, I was able to spend three full weeks exploring these incredible islands instead of rushing through them in just a few days. For a budget traveller, that felt like the best possible trade-off.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on June 6, 2026.
