Galapagos catamaran JOURNEY II

Galapagos deals – ANAHI

Galapagos sailing – CACHALOTE

Responsible Galapagos cruise – ERIC / LETTY / FLAMINGO

Galapagos offers – ANGELITO

Galapagos – Guantanamera

LAST MINUTE GALAPAGOS – VALKIRIA

Galapagos cruise bargains – AMIGO

Galapagos cruise spaces – FRAGATA

Galapagos cruises – how to book

I recently stumbled across a Lonely Planet Thorntree comment about booking a Galapagos cruise ….

How to book: If you book from abroad or through the internet you will pay 2 to 3 times more than what you would pay on the islands.

This greatly depends on who you are booking through on the internet. If it is a company or travel agency abroad, you might pay up to 100 or 150% more. If it is a source in Ecuador, you generally pay the standard rate provided by the boat in question (sometime slightly higher, sometimes slightly less).

If you book from Quito you will still pay about 20% to 50% more than you would on the islands. So, if you can spare one to five days, depending on the season, and don’t want a particular boat, I suggest that you fly independently to the islands and shop around in Puerto Ayora for a much cheaper price; note that this advice does not apply to groups larger than two people who want to travel together on the same boat on the same dates. Around two hundred people here on the Thorn Tree have saved a significant amount of money by listening to my advice and booking directly in Puerto Ayora, although there is a risk that the boat you want won’t be back to harbor until a couple of days later. There are up to 10 boats of different price levels leaving daily in high season, and fewer boats but also fewer passengers in low season.

Not always true. A limited number of travel agencies and/or Galapagos operators located in Quito can sell at the exact same rate as directly in Galapagos – some times even less. Keep in mind that many of the boats operating in Galapagos only have offices in Quito or Guayaquil (and hence the rate is the same as booking their boat(s) directly in Galapagos). Although it is true that when there are numerous available cruise spaces (low demand periods), to save money flight out independently to Galapagos. This option is not advisable if you are on a tight travel schedule (as finding a good option may require a number of days) or for those of you wanting a quality cruise at a reasonable rate (these options sell out the fastest ahead of time and rarely have spaces available). There are actually over 60 tourist boats operating in Galapagos, but all have different departure days.

My experience: We (a couple) arrived in Quito late in the afternoon, bought our flight to Baltra for the next morning and found a few “last minute” deals to choose from for an 8-day cruise. The following were the rock bottom prices (cash) that we could get per person, after bargaining (in English) directly with the boat owners:
- Tourist-superior class = US$600 = US$75 per day; hot water and private toilets, air con., accommodates 8-16 people.
- Tourist-class = US$525 = US$65 per day
- Economy-class = US$450 = US$56 per day; shared toilets/showers, cold water (19°C in September), no air con., diesel fumes/engine noise may disturb you at night, some cabins may have a few little cockroaches at night, bring some seasick pills, accommodates 8-12 people.

These rates are out of date. Rock bottom prices (baring any truly incredible last minute promotions) would be more accurately stated as follows:
Tourist class: $1000 ($125 per day)
Tourist Superior class: $1100 ($137 per day)

* I didn’t check first-class and luxury boats. Regardless of boat class, any cruise through the Galapagos will be an awesome experience. All boats go to the same islands, although more expensive and faster boats may add Genovesa Island to their itinerary. Drinks other than water/tea/coffee are never included in the price. Diving is never included in the price either.

The statement … “Regardless of the class, any cruise through the Galapagos will be an awesome experience” … is not entirely true. If this was true, everyone would book the least expensive options. Why pay more if all are the same? Why do several boats consistently receive negative comments, complaints and/or warnings from passengers? However, if simply moving about the islands is your only objective, pick any boat. The concept of “awesome experience” is a relative term. What is good for one person may not be for another.

If you want a well rounded, good experience, it boils down to two principal issues: (1) the quality of the naturalist guide; and (2) the itinerary (i.e., what islands are covered during the cruise). One of the most important aspects of any given cruise in the Galapagos Islands is the on-board 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.

Not all boats go to same islands. Yes, many of the islands (generally the central island) are common to many cruise itineraries. Cruise itineraries vary from boat to boat. It is true that most economic and tourist class boats have very similar (not identical) itineraries.

Naturalist guides are listed as level-I (with average fluency in English), level-II (fluent in English & Spanish) and level-III (fluent in more languages). I had the opportunity to tour the islands with all 3 levels of guides. The levels are ONLY for the number of languages they speak, not for knowledge; if you insist on a Level III you will end up on a larger and more expensive boat.

Clarification on guide classing …

Naturalist Guide I
A native of the islands or resident of the archipelago for many years, with a high school diploma, who has a sound knowledge of the region and speaks English. He must pass the course of Naturalist Guide I, and can lead a group of 10 visitors maximum.

Naturalist Guide II
Ecuadorian by birth or by naturalization, who has achieved a high school education or has a university background in biology or related fields, or in tourism. He has to be fluent in English, French or German, and pass the course of Naturalist Guide II. He can lead groups of up to 16 visitors.

Naturalist Guide III
Ecuadorian by birth or by naturalization, and, in the case of a foreigner, must have legal working papers. He has to show proof of a degree in biology or related fields, or in tourism. He must be fluent in Spanish, English, then French or German. He must pass the course of Naturalist Guide III, and may lead a group of 20 visitors.

Steps that you should follow on arrival to the islands:
You will have to pay US$100 park entrance fee when you disembark in Baltra airport. Watch for tour guides that will be there to pick up passengers who booked from Quito or from abroad, and will take them directly to their boats; ask the guides if they have space available for you. They will check with their colleagues too.

What is omitted here is the flight out to Galapagos. Although most flights land in Baltra airport, there are some flights that arrive into San Cristobal (where a very limited number of cruises start and/or end their cruise). In addition, prior to taking your flight from Quito (or Guayaquil) all tourists are required to be pre-registered with INGALA and pay the USD $10 Tourist Control Card. If you are not pre-registered, you will not be allowed to enter the Galapagos National park. NOTE: (1) all individuals must be pre-registered with INGALA – all yacht operators register their guests upon reserving and confirming your cruise (prior to leaving Quito or Guayaquil); (2) some yacht operators require that this fee of USD $10 per person is pre-paid; and (3) if you are traveling independently (i.e., not with an arranged tour, you will need to register yourself with INGALA – this can be done on their web site]

Go to town: everyone takes the free bus and then the boat to Santa Cruz (5 minutes US$0.70), then another bus to Puerto Ayora (45 minutes, US$1.80).
The captain or the tour guide will be either around the pier in Puerto Ayora or on their boat.

Many cruises actually start from the Baltra harbor (not down in the main Puerto Ayora harbor) – this greatly depends on the day of week in question. In addition, captains don’t wait on the pier – they are almost always aboard the boat itself.

If you have difficulty in finding anyone at the pier, take a water taxi (US$0.50) and visit each boat that’s docked (5 to 10 boats at any time); the cook or someone else will call the right guys through the radio if they
are not there. Boats usually leave after 7 p.m.

There can be up to 20 boats anchored in Puerto Ayora harbour on any given day.

The captain or the guide will take you to the boat owner’s office/house upon your request if you are interested in going with them.

Most boats do not have an office or “house” in Galapagos; their offices are generally in Quito or Guayaquil.

After you bargain for a few minutes for a lower price and finally pay to the boat owner in cash, you will get a detailed receipt of your itinerary mentioning what’s included in your cruise (3 meals per day, snacks at 5 p.m., tour guide, drinking water, etc) and which islands the boat visits each day.

Under the table negotiations directly with a guide in Galapagos may not guarantee that you are given a receipt, let alone a detailed document clearly stating what services you will receive.

Why travel agencies in the mainland (Quito and Guayaquil) should be avoided:

They will try to trick you into not booking a cruise directly from the islands, often by creating fear that you may not be able to find a boat.

The truth of the matter always comes to the surface, sooner or later. Again, if finding anything at the cheapest price possible is your only objective you might want to try these “suggestions”. If your objectives are to get yourself on a reliable, well run cruise that has a quality guide and a diverse and interesting itinerary, following these “tips” will likely run you into disappointment.

“The boat returns to port during the trip” is an excuse used by travel agents to downgrade all competitor’s boats and sell their own expensive packages to naive tourists. Boats don’t actually return to port, they stop in Baltra for a few hours on the 3rd or 4th day to pick-up passengers from the airport and to stock on food/water.

Almost every boat in Galapagos makes a stop in port to refuel and restock provisions. In most cases, it is also the same time that they drop off and pick up passengers. Over 80% of cruise boats have this change over situation. A limited number of boats only offer 7-night cruises. The cost of the cruises is strictly relative to the boat in question and the travel agency’s price quote. Tourists can (and should) shop around to get an idea of the prices (as prices do tend to vary from one source to another).

“Economy class boats don’t offer qualified guides”; again not true, we had an excellent English-speaking Naturalist guide on our economy boat; actually even level-I guides make an effort to speak English all the time. And as I said before, all guides have about the same level of knowledge about the islands.

Not all guides have the same level of knowledge, experience, customer service skills or language abilities. It is true that not all class I’s or II’s are bad … some are actually very good. The same can be said of class III’s … not all of them are excellent.

When is a good time of year to go: From January to June, the seas are at their calmest, warmest (26ºC) and the skies are usually clear, although those are also the rainiest months. From June to December, the air is cooler, the skies are often lightly overcast but there is virtually no precipitation in the lowlands. You will see more big animals underwater, including whale sharks, sea lion pups, and it’s also mating season for birds.
September is the coldest month with the water temperature reaching 19ºC. Every guide has his own “best month” to visit the islands. Although I hate the cold, I visited in August/September: I could snorkel for up to 40 minutes without a wetsuit and had the time of my life! So, any time of the year will be fine really.

The Galapagos is visited all year round, but most people select the holiday / vacation periods (i.e., Christmas/New Year’s, Easter, summer holidays/vacations). These periods sell out up to one year in advance (or more!).

The warmest period (air & water temperatures) generally run from November through to April. The coldest (and generally has more turbulent seas) are generally September and October. June through September is normally characterized by the presence of whales in Galapagos (mainly off the coasts of the western islands of Isabela & Fernandina. February through to April are the most desirable months. During this period, the islands not only adopt an emerald-green color, and turn humid and balmy warm, but many species start reproducing now.

* calmest waters;
* the hottest period in Galapagos;
* the islands are generally a lush green due to high humidity & scattered showers;
* most animals are in the height of reproduction, courting and/or nesting;
* Reproduction of land reptiles, as well as land birds.

WHAT IF I AM SENSITIVE TO MOTION / SEA SICKNESS?

TIME OF YEAR – First, it would be advisable to consider traveling the Galapagos in any month except for September & October (when the seas are generally rougher). Most of the wildlife is present all year round (although in different activities depending on the month in question). The Waved Albatross (usually present on Espanola only from March to December), and whales (usually only present between June and September) have very distinct calendars

Further reading:

http://sangay.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/choosing-the-right-galapagos-islands-cruise/

http://sangay.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/what-a-typical-galapagos-cruise-travel-schedule-is-like/

Be informed, make an educated decision.