bucket list Galapagos, worth it? on own boat or best on tour?

[ryantrollip]

Sailors

As a bucket list 70th birthday thing for my mother, I'd like to take her and others to the Galapagos. I can sail there reasonably easily (50 ft tri) from Costa Rica or Ecuador.

But after reading about the many, many restrictions, procedures and fees for vessels, is it even worth it? (I'm not sailing through to the Pacific, just a loop)
Do you get better access going on a guided tour?
Costs seem to be about the same given all the hoops they make you jump through with the boat, wondering more about the experience. Like to snorkel/ dive, go for hikes, and explore the various islands for a week or three.

Thanks
Ryan

[Nicholson58]

Take an excursion tour from Ecuador and leave the yacht out.

I also have heard many tales of trouble. We’ve not been there but it seems they don’t really want your private vessel there.

[AiniA]

We enjoyed our time in the Galapagos but it is expensive and there are lots of hoops to go through. When we were there you could choose three levels of access. The cheapest, but still costly, allowed access only to San Cristobal and Santa Cruz for 20 days. The one that allows the most access is very expensive and you take one of their naturalists on board for the duration. We stayed on San Cristobal but did a tour with a small company that catered to cruisers and backpacks. It included transfers between islands, hotels, meals and activities and was excellent value. Of course, it meant leaving the boat for four nights. The harbour is well-protected and seemed quite safe but the day after our return the tsunami from Japan arrived and everyone had to go to sea for several hours. Waves went a few blocks into the town. You never know. BTW, it is a fabulous place to visit.

[Bycrick]

I did it in 2006. Left from mainland Ecuador with all the paperwork. By the time you get finished with all of the fees and paperwork, the stringent limitations on where you can go or stay with the boat, the costs aren’t much different than taking a local ship out, staying in a hotel and taking the desired tours. I did it because I sailed from Ecuador, via the Galapagos then on to Mexico. If I hadn’t stopped, I’d have had to sail around them.

[nofacey]

Went thru Galapagos in 2019 enroute to Marquesas - having our boat there was expensive & extremely limiting; all of the expense & bureaucratic pain, with ZERO benefits.
- can only anchor within very limited and in at least one case very uncomfortable anchorages
- can’t do day trips using your own boat, can’t dive off your own boat

Yet we throughly enjoyed the islands (via guided tours) and understand that is how they make a living (= thru tourism)

Next time, we’d leave the boat in Ecuador, fly to Galapagos & tour aboard a dive charter tour…it’d be the same cost, wayyy less work/worry & more enjoyable.

[kiwin]

You are much better to fly in and see the islands as a tourist. Leave your boat somewhere safe like shelter bay marina in Panama. Even if I am actually sailing past I prefer not to stop.

[Scott Berg]

We opted to join a small (100') motor sailor with 16 guests in 8 cabins and 7 crew including a naturalist. We got to sail, visit a dozen islands, dine with locals, dive and hike every day, and the crew cooked, cleaned, and kept the anchor watch! I think that was the right way to go and it cost less per person than many friends who sailed their own boat there.

[Stewie12]

We flew out to the Galapagos and joined a catamaran motor yacht there with about 16 or so passengers. Very well organised and good guides. We saw a lot of the Galapagos islands, but I understand, that there are now restriction on how many islands you can go to on one tour.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Scott Berg

We opted to join a small (100') motor sailor with 16 guests in 8 cabins and 7 crew including a naturalist. We got to sail, visit a dozen islands, dine with locals, dive and hike every day, and the crew cooked, cleaned, and kept the anchor watch! I think that was the right way to go and it cost less per person than many friends who sailed their own boat there.

Like Scott I've done the trip on a large sailing excursion from Ecuador. It's fun for sure. We did 10 days but most people on the trip did 7 days. Ashore it's very hot and the water is very cold. The wildlife is great.
My understanding is you need a guide to go ashore many places. It would have been hard for me at 70. They motored hard at night while guests slept so were at a new spot in the am.

[basenay]

I have gone to the Galapagos Islands 3 times. In 1995 & 2016 flew in an traveled aboard small cruise ships (approx. 20 passenger) to outer islands with 2 hikes & 2 snorkels each of the 7- 10 days. First time was on a trawler as the sailboat was booked. Didn't matter since no wind is the usual condition and sails only put up to impress the non-sailors aboard. Last trip went on trawler again and glad did not sail there as had done in 1999 as the 3 harbors you can visit are jammed packed with steel tour boats & everyone swings differently in the currents with no winds.
The 1999 trip on s/v DreamCatcher was the best since it was the first time since then 60's they reopen to cruising boats and there was less than 1/10 the numbers on boats & smaller in the harbors than 2016 trip. In addition Ecuador was switching from the sucre to USD and exchange rate went from 6000 to $1 USD to 24000 to $1 USD before ATM stopped. The port captain allowed us to stay 7+ weeks while "waiting for a part" rather than the official 28 days. In addition to more time in gorgeous natural surroundings the trade winds move northward from 10 South to 01.20 South so almost no motoring to get to the Trades.

As wonderful as our time was there for 7 weeks, we would NOT have seen the outer islands ( basically unchanged since Darwin's visit) which cruisers are not allowed to visit.
Theoretically could leave your boat in main harbor with someone to watch over it but logistics of arranging an getting there on time and expense not worth IMHO.

[Chris Cringle]

We went there on our own boat. It was interesting but a real pain-in-the ass. Lots of fire hoops to jump through, an official "guide" on board. No control on which anchorages you use. And that was back in 1999! This is one of the few places I would suggest going the tourist-route. Fly in, join a cattle boat, fly out.

[HopCar]

A friend and I flew there and visited the islands on a very small cruise ship. There were only twenty passengers total. It was a wonderful way to see the islands. We traveled at night and visited a different island every day. We went ashore in groups of ten with a trained guide. It was a bit physical at times. Most of the landings took place on beaches. These were called wet foot. A dry foot landing was more dangerous. The boat would approach a rock and run in with a wave. A few people would jump on the rock and the boat would go back out with the wave. Once a member of the group was attacked by a blue footed booby. We were walking single file past the booby’s nest. It got tired of us and stabbed a woman in the leg with it’s beak. Drew blood but it wasn’t bad. However you decide to get there, just get there. I think the experience is greatly enhanced with professional guides.

[HBrew]

We sailed to Galapagos en route to Marquesas in 2019. It was a great experience however I would only recommend it if you check all these boxes

1. You are doing it as part of a Pacific crossing. I would not bother if I were just going to Galapagos and then looping back unless you have plenty of cash and want the sailing experience.
2. You have time to wait while the agent gets all the paperwork ready for you.
3. You don’t mind handing over a few grand in fees - our total fees were $2266 for a 60 day Autografo. Plus remember that when you get there you have to pay for all the tours to go and see places on tourist boats.


Tip: if you do go, make sure you fill up with diesel in San Cristobal- they won’t sell you diesel legally elsewhere.


My wife and I still talk fondly about our trip there, as the ad says, priceless

[jipcho]

I contacted an agent named Ronny Sanchez on the island of Santa Cruz. We got a 20 day permit for a stay at the anchorage at Santa Cruz. There, I signed up for a full day of scuba diving with hammerhead sharks at Gordon's Rock. I also walked to some really nice beaches and snorkeling spots (marine iguanas, sea lions). One day I left my crew to stay with my vessel, and caught a fast ferry to Isabella Island, and found a cheap hotel there on arrival. I stayed 3 nights. I bicycled around seeing Galapagos tortoises along the dirt road. I booked a boat trip to "Tunnelles", which was fantastic for snorkeling with sea turtles, sea horses, and observing blue footed boobies doing a mating dance. Definitely worthwhile, and easy enough to do it on your yacht. Many years before (1983) I flew to Galapagos and boarded a small expedition vessel for an 8 day tour of 3 or 4 islands. That was also great, but we were a group of only 8 people. I doubt you could find anything like that today. Development in Galapagos has exploded.

[ryantrollip]

Thanks for all the responses, much appreciate it.
I will go with the overwhelming advice and just take a tour rather than sail there.