Galápagos Islands

Currency

Ecuador uses the US dollar, so there is nothing to exchange. Bring small notes — change for anything above a twenty is hard to find on the islands, and coins are used constantly.

ATMs & cards

Banco Pichincha and Banco del Pacífico have machines in Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, and they do run out. Bring more cash than you expect to need: the $200 park fee and the $20 transit card are cash on arrival.

Bring more cash than you think you need. The $200 park fee and the $20 transit card are payable in cash on arrival, and there are no machines on the outer islands.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Crime is essentially absent and the islands are among the safest places in Latin America. The rules are about the wildlife rather than you: stay two metres from every animal, never touch anything, do not use flash, and stay on marked trails. A licensed guide is mandatory at most sites, and the restrictions are strictly enforced.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Yellow fever if you are going to the Amazon — not needed for the Galápagos or the highlands
• Rabies for rural or long stays

Getting treated

Quito and Guayaquil have good private hospitals. The Galápagos have small clinics on the main islands and a hyperbaric chamber on Santa Cruz, but anything serious means a flight to the mainland, which takes hours and depends on daylight. Evacuation cover is the part of the policy that matters.

Altitude sickness in Quito (2,850m) is common on the first day. Do not drink the tap water. Seasickness on inter-island crossings catches almost everyone — bring something for it.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Fish is excellent and the set almuerzo in Puerto Ayora costs a few dollars. Encebollado is the local cure-all. Bring anything specialised with you — the islands import almost everything and prices reflect it.

Getting around

• Live-aboard cruise — the only way to reach the outer islands, four to eight nights
• Island-hopping ferries — public speedboats between Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal, 2h and rough
• Day tours by boat — how land-based visitors see the nearby sites
• Bicycle and taxi — on Santa Cruz, for the highlands and Tortuga Bay
• Airport: Baltra (GPS) for Santa Cruz, or San Cristóbal (SCY); both connect through Quito or Guayaquil

Must-see

Things to do

• Snorkel with sea lions and turtles at Los Túneles or Kicker Rock
• See giant tortoises in the wild in the Santa Cruz highlands
• Walk to Tortuga Bay at first light
• Take a boat to Isabela for penguins and flamingos
• Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Spanish (Latin American)

• HelloHolaOH-la
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youGraciasGRA-syas
• Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
• Excuse meDisculpedees-KOOL-peh
• How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
• The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
• Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

The c and z are said as an s here, not the Spanish "th" — gracias is GRA-syas.

Religion

Catholic

Catholic majority blended with indigenous Andean tradition, most visible in highland festivals.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet with a single kiss on the right cheek between women, or a woman and a man; men shake hands
• Say buenos días on entering any small shop or waiting room
• On the Galápagos, stay two metres from every animal and on the marked trails, always
• Dress warmly for the highlands — Quito is at 2,850m and the evenings are cold

Don't

• Do not touch, feed or block the path of any Galápagos animal, however unbothered it appears
• Do not take any organic material between islands; the biosecurity checks are serious and so are the fines
• Do not display phones or jewellery in Quito or Guayaquil streets
• Do not refuse food offered in a home; it is a genuine slight