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Galapagos
Islands Tourist Visit Statistics
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The Galapagos Islands have become an increasing popular tourist
destination. For this reason, cruises in the archipelago book out
months (even up to a year) in advance (particularly onboard
reasonably-priced cruise yachts). We recommend booking your
cruise as early as possible, particularly for high season (May through
to September; December and January) cruises. Leaving it until the
last minute will result in limit or no cruise options.
Here are recent visitor statistics for the Galapagos
Islands:
Visitors per year (1979 to 2008):
source: www.galapagospark.org
Visitors per month (2008):
source: www.galapagospark.org |
*IMPORTANT*
FACTORS TO CONSIDER
WHEN SELECTING A
GALAPAGOS CRUISE
One of the
most important
aspects of any given cruise in the Galapagos Islands is the onboard NATURALIST GUIDE for the specific
yacht. He/she can be the deciding factor on the successful
experience on a Galapagos Islands cruise. Not all naturalist
guides are the same, in terms of quality. The LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE and the LEVEL OF ENGLISH (for those that do
not understand Spanish) is a very important aspect to consider in your
selection.
Another important issue to consider is the TYPE OF GALAPAGOS BOAT. For
those sensitive to motion or sea-sickness, you want to try and avoid
sailing or motor sailer boats. These tend to rock in open waters
(even when the water is calm). The most stable are the large
(Deluxe) cruise ships, followed by the catamarans and wider motor boats.
A third consideration is the LENGTH
OF CRUISE. The fist and last day of any given cruise are
short days (as they are based on the flight arrival and departure
schedules into/out of Galapagos). Cruises really start between
09h30 and 11h30 the morning of the first day of the cruise in
Galapagos, and end between 08h30 and 10h30 in the morning of the last
day of the cruise. What some classify as a 5-DAY/4-NIGHT or 8-DAY/7-NIGHT cruises translates
into 4 full nights and 3 full days or 7 full nights and 6 full days,
respectively, in the Galapagos Islands, with two partial days at the
begining and end of the cruise.
Finally, the respective CRUISE PRICES
DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE QUALITY OF THE CRUISE. Some
reasonably-priced cruises are just as good as many more expensive
options (but this greatly depends on the yachts in question).
During high demand periods such as mid-December through to mid-January
(Christmas/New Year's), April (Easter) and July through to August
(summer holidays/vacation), cruise rates can often increase in price
(especially for last minute reservations) - this especially applies to
Economic, Tourist and Tourist Superior options.
All cruise rates do not
include the following:
- Roundtrip Galapagos
airline ticket (but this is booked in conjunction with any given cruise)
HIGH
SEASON: January 1st to April 30th / June 15th to September 14th /
November 1st to December 31st
GALAPAGOS
FLIGHT RATES - HIGH SEASON
| ROUTING |
ADULT |
CHILD |
| QUITO - GALAPAGOS - QUITO |
USD $422 |
USD $217 |
| QUITO - GALAPAGOS - GUAYAQUIL |
USD $403 |
USD $208 |
| GUAYAQUIL - GALAPAGOS - QUITO |
USD $400 |
USD $205 |
| GUAYAQUIL - GALAPAGOS - GUAYAQUIL |
USD $372 |
USD $191 |
LOW SEASON: May 1st to June 14th / September 15th to
October 31st
GALAPAGOS
FLIGHT RATES - LOW SEASON
| ROUTING |
ADULT |
CHILD |
| QUITO - GALAPAGOS - QUITO |
USD $367 |
USD $190 |
| QUITO - GALAPAGOS - GUAYAQUIL |
USD $349 |
USD $181 |
| GUAYAQUIL - GALAPAGOS - QUITO |
USD $346 |
USD $178 |
| GUAYAQUIL - GALAPAGOS - GUAYAQUIL |
USD $328 |
USD $169 |
Note: ‘Child’ is
anyone under 12 years of age / ‘Adult’ is anyone over 12 years of age.
Note:
updated
January
15th,
2010
Note:Flight
rates are subject to change without prior notice
Note(s): Rates include
aiport taxes; 'Child' is considered anyone under the age of 12 at the
time of the flight (copy of passport required).
- Galapagos National
Park entrance fee (US $100.00 per person)
- Tourist Control Card
[TCT] ($10.00 per person)
- Tips & personal
spending
- Alcoholic beverages
& soft drinks
- Snorkelling equipment
(on some yachts)
- Scuba diving (where
applicable)
- Services not
previously specified
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