Since the Galapagos Islands are an isolated archipelago off the coast of the mainland of Ecuador and 97% of those islands are protected land, there are some rules you need to follow before you go to the Galapagos. Before we get to the Galapagos entry requirements, I’d like to tell you our somewhat crazy experience of how we arrived!
If you aren’t interested in how we fumbled our way there, that’s okay, use the table of contents to skip ahead!
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Where It All Began
The Galápagos Islands was to be our first stop on a six month adventure through South America. It was our first time traveling full-time as a family and honestly we didn’t know what expect.
Of course we did our research and planned some things, but you never really know how a trip like this will go until you actually go.
Before we left, we were visiting with our moms in Michigan. Mike’s mom offered to drive us to the Chicago airport, which was very nice of her. So, we are packed into the Jeep as we speed aggressively through busy Chicago traffic.
There are not enough seat belts for all of us. The luggage is stacked high in the back. All of us are a bit anxious.
But this was just the beginning. The rest of our adventure down to the Galapagos was excellent preparation for our upcoming six months of travel. We had to learn to go with the flow and be flexible!
Chicago Take Off
We spent the night in a hotel near O’Hare aiport, as our flight departed at 9:00am. The airline’s email told us to arrive 3 hours early due to it being an international flight. We had the kids wrap up their daily homework, ordered some mediocre food to be delivered to the hotel, and dozed off in the dilapidated room for a restless night of sleep.
Excited to leave the hotel, we got on the 6:00am shuttle to the airport. We had checked in online, and with no luggage to check, we hustled through security. Then we had 2+ hours to wait for our flight.
When the flight attendants finally got around to preparing the gate for boarding the plane, we promptly heard our names called over the speaker system. Come to find out, we weren’t allowed to check in online for our international flight, even though it let us.
After being reprimanded by the agent, she took care of properly checking us in. Crisis averted. You will learn a lot from our many mistakes… just keep reading!
Shortly thereafter we boarded the flight, made it to Atlanta for a 4-hour layover and eventually landed in Quito around 8:00pm.
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Quito Layover
It had been a very long day of travel, but finally we arrived to Ecuador! Our flight to the Galapagos wasn’t until the next morning, so we headed to customs. After bumbling through the standard line of questioning, we left the airport for the day!
The hotel we were staying at was just a few miles down the road. We did not have the energy to negotiate and communicate with a traditional taxi, so we were happy to see that Uber is a thing in Quito. 10 minutes and $15 later, we arrived to our hotel.
We walked into the reception area and an empty desk greeted us. On top of that, there was no noise at all that would make you think another soul was staying there.
We waited as we didn’t really know what else to do. A few minutes later a host came down the hall and checked us in. By this point it was after 9:00pm, and we had to be back to the airport by about 7:00 am.
Another early wake up call and another Uber ride to the airport.
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Step-by-Step Guide To The Quito Airport – Galapagos Entry Requirements Start Here
The first step to arriving in the Galapagos is at the airport in Quito. Our Airbnb host in the Galapagos shared the steps we’d need to take at the Quito airport which was a big help.
Here are the Galapagos entry requirements:
Step 1: Transit Control Card
First, you must pay for a Transit Control Card (TCT), which allows the government to track how many people visit the islands. It is $20 a person. We needed to pay in cash. I recently read that you can pay for this with cash or card, but I would bring cash just in case.
Our Airbnb host filled out the TCT information for us through the website. After booking your flight and your hotel or cruise, check with the hotel or cruise to see if they will do this or if you need to do it.
If they don’t, you will need to click on the link above and fill in your travel information before arriving to the airport!
IMPORTANT: You will only pick up and pay for the transit control card at the airport. Keep this card with you throughout the whole entry process and keep it throughout your trip. You will need to turn it back in when you leave the islands.
Step 2: Baggage Scan
The next step is to get all of your baggage scanned. Because the Galapagos is a national park and protected, they don’t allow certain items, such as unprocessed foods, to be brought to the island.
Some items that you will need to make sure you don’t bring are meat, dairy products, fruit, seeds, flowers, plants, and any foreign soil. If you are bringing camping gear or hiking boots, make sure everything is clean and there is no dirt on anything.
Another thing to know is that tourists are not allowed to use drones to the Galapagos. You can bring them, as many tourists pass through the islands to go to other areas in South America, but don’t fly them.
Also, no pets are allowed in the Galapagos.
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Step 3: Check-In
After this, you are finally allowed to check into your flight. As we blissfully walked past large tour groups being herded by their guides, a woman in the check-in line guided us to the self check-in stations.
Because the process was pretty easy and the airport in Quito is small, we had plenty of time to enjoy a delicious sit-down breakfast.
While we waited for our flight, we once again heard our names called from our boarding gate.
Here we go again!
Turns out the airline tickets to the Galapagos come in different levels: extra small, small, medium and large.
IMPORTANT: Extra small and small tickets on Avianca are for Ecuadorians only and the medium and large sizes are for the tourists.
We had purchased the small size as it was all we thought we’d needed with our carry on luggage. I guess that’s not the case! We needed to pay an extra $150 per person before we could board.
Not great, but we didn’t have a choice. We were already at the airport. So, we paid the extra price, and we soon boarded the plane. We were ready for the 2-hour flight into the Pacific to get to the Galapagos.
Step 4: Biosafety Sworn Declaration
When we visited the Galapagos in 2022, we were given a document to fill out on the airplane that basically said we would keep the Galápagos Islands clean and keep invasive species out of it.
Now you can fill out a biosafety affidavit from online before your arrival. This can be submitted up to 48 hours before your Galapagos flight.
You will provide basic information, answer a few questions about not transporting animal or plant products and hit submit. You will get the confirmation code in an email which you will show when you get to the Galapagos.
Here is a link to the biosafety affidavit.
Arriving To The Galápagos Islands
Baltra island, where you will land, has one runway. We touched down, coasted down to the end where there is just enough space to turn around, and then taxied all the way back towards the terminal.
We exited the plane directly onto the tarmac. As the sun shined and the wind whipped through our hair, we walked down the clearly marked path that led us to the entrance of the national park.
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Galapagos Entry Requirements Upon Arrival
After landing, everyone is guided into the lines to pay the entry fee for the national park. As you wait in line, screens display information about pricing, transportation, and the whole process, but it is good to know a few things before you arrive.
Step 1: Pay The Fees For The Galapagos National Park
Like I previously mentioned, the Galapagos is 97% national park, so everyone that flies in needs to pay to enter the national park. These fees go towards the conservation of its lands and animals and benefits to the local community.
In 2022, we needed to pay $100 per adult and $50 per child.
After 2024, the price has increased. Foreign tourists 13 and older pay $200 each and children 12 and under pay $100.
NOTE: The most important thing you need to know is that these Galapagos entry fees need to be paid in cash and there are no ATMs in the airport. Bring enough cash with you.
Step 2: Baggage Scan Leaving The Airport
After you pay for the national park fees, you will need to send your luggage through one more X-ray machine. They are very thorough to make sure nothing was missed in Quito.
That’s it for the Galapagos entry requirements, but there are more steps to getting to the mainland that are important to know.
Keep reading for more Galapagos travel tips!
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Transportation To The Mainland
From the airport, you will need to pay $5 per person to get on a bus that takes you 10 minutes down the road to a channel. We were confused on where to buy bus tickets, but after asking airport employee, they guided us outside of the airport. Once you are outside, you will see the ticket kiosk where you buy the vouchers.
The airport is located on Baltra Island which doesn’t have much on it, but the airport. Separating Baltra from the main island of Santa Cruz is a small channel. The bus will take you to the next stop step in the process.
Channel Crossing
Once you get off the bus, you don’t have to grab your luggage. Just get in line to cross the channel. Your luggage will be unloaded from the bus and handed to someone who seems to know what they are doing.
Go ahead and jump on a small boat that will taxi you across the channel for $1 person. You will pay right on the boat.
Once there, you cross your fingers. You hope that your luggage was actually put on one of the other boats coming behind you. It will be. Don’t worry. They have this process down.
Transportation To Puerto Ayora
Once we were reunited with our possessions, we found the taxi driver that our Airbnb host had arranged for us. You can get a taxi here pretty easily and it will cost around $30 dollars.
There is also a bus that you can take. It is $5 dollars a person. You can buy your tickets for the bus at the kiosk immediately after you step off the ferry. Keep the ticket with you and give it to the bus driver. The bus takes about an hour to get to Puerto Ayora.
Our taxi driver drove us the final 45 minutes to our home for the next 30 days. Who doesn’t want to speak rusty Spanish for 45 minutes after 2 very long days of travel?!? 😂 Just kidding. We were very thankful to be there.
Summing Up The Galapagos Entry Requirements
There are so many steps to take to get to the Galapagos Islands, here’s a simplified list of the Galapagos entry requirements.
- Book your flight with the correct ticket size, medium or large.
- Don’t pack any food or organic materials, animals, drones (unless you don’t use), and dirty hiking boots or gear.
- Bring enough cash for the transit control card, national park fees and transportation from the airport.
- Fill out the biosafety affidavit online.
- Pay for the transit control card at the airport.
- Scan your baggage before checking in at the airport.
- Pay for the national park fees upon arrival
- Scan your baggage in the Galapagos airport before exiting
- Buy tickets for the bus and hop on
- Get on the ferry and pay 1 dollar per person to the driver or attendant
- Grab a taxi or bus to take you to town
- Keep your transit control card safe. You will hand this in at the airport when you leave the islands.
We arrived and you will too!!
Months and months of planning. Years of having a trip like this on our bucket list. It was here, and now all we have to do is make the most of it!
Now, let’s find some giant tortoises! You might see them on your taxi or bus ride to Puerto Ayora. They live in the highlands!
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