Shortly after the start of commercial Galapagos tourism at the end of the 1960s, the debates began about the volume of tourists that this paradise could tolerate. At that time 15,000 visitors were already considered to be a serious threat. Today thousands of tourists flock to the Galapagos. Nevertheless, the National Park management was able to ensure that only a limited number of licensed cruise ships are allowed to sail through the archipelago, that there was no major construction of hotels and that no visitors can set foot on the islands without being accompanied by a certified National Park guide. The guides are classified in several categories and often specialise in specific topics. There should be at least one PNG guide for every 12 visitors in a group.

On the islands San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Santa Maria (Floreana) and Isabela there are a few boarding houses. The attractive “Finch Bay Lodge” on Santa Cruz merits a ranking in the upmarket hotel categories. The boarding house Wittmer on Santa Maria, better known as Floreana, is the place to most authentically experience the exciting history of the first German settlers on the Galapagos.

Most tourists visit the islands on board one of the numerous, licensed cruise ships which sail the archipelago and are allowed to drop anchor at specific times in some ports. The ships come in all sizes and categories: from the simplest tourist class down to the luxury yacht. The other distances are normally covered at night. Cruises mostly last about a week and can, therefore, only offer a brief glimpse of the diversity of the Galapagos Islands.

Individual travel is possible to a limited extent. On the island Santa Cruz, which now has the largest population with the Charles Darwin Station, you can join tours or charter smaller boats for private tours. The island has a number of small hotels and numerous travel agencies. Even when not travelling in a group, you still have to comply with the sensible obligation of having to be accompanied by an official guide. Wild camping is not allowed, but there are, for instance, farms on the island Santa Cruz which hire out tents.

Almost all tourists travel to the Galapagos Islands by plane. The two airlines Thame and AeroGal fly from Quito and Guayaquil to Baltra, a former American airbase with a medium sized runway and a small airport. Baltra is very close to the island Santa Cruz. Most visitors embark here or take a boat transfer to Santa Cruz. There is also the more expensive option of taking a propeller plane to the island San Cristobal or Isabela. However these connections depend very much on the weather and besides the limited number of passengers, the transportation of heavy luggage is not always possible in the same plane.

Hundreds of tour operators around the world offer trips to the Galapagos Islands. The local organisation is mostly done by Ecuadorian specialists like for instance Surtrek (see Internet Directory). It is much cheaper to make reservations in Ecuador. All the same, the organisational input of tour operators should not be underestimated. There are major bottlenecks in flights to Baltra and flights are often cancelled because of the weather conditions in Quito. Groups are given priority over individual travellers when allocating seats.

In the Directory we list several links to the main international tour operators for South America and the Galapagos Island along with, of course, the websites of a few certified local specialist travel agencies.