Ecuador Travel

Galapagos Air flights

Whether you plan to take a cruise or explore the islands on your own, an important part of planning any trip to the Galapagos Islands is arranging transportation. The Galapagos islands may be reached by flights leaving mainland Ecuador out of the Quito and Guayaquil. All flights depart Quito and make a stopover in Guayaquil before heading to one of two airports on the islands: Baltra or San Cristobal. There are currently three airlines with service to the islands, Tame, Aerogal and LAN. And all of their flights to the islands depart the mainland during the morning. The flight from Quito to Guayaquil takes approximately 40 minutes, while the flight from Guayaquil to the Galapagos is roughly two hours. It is important to note that there is a time difference of one hour between mainland Ecuador (GMT -5 hours) and the Galapagos (GMT -6 hours), meaning that the Galapagos are an hour ahead.

Prices for flights to the Galapagos are fixed and depend on the flight route and the season (high/low). It is important to remember that in addition to the cost of flights, all non-Ecuadorian visitors to the islands will need to pay $10 for an INGALA transit card in the airport and $100 National Park entrance fee upon arrival to the island. A flight discount – low season ticket prices during the high season – is available for travelers under age 25 with an international student ID card.

GALAPAGOS FLIGHT PRICES

(subject to change without notice)

Generally when you book on a Galapagos cruise, seats on the appropriate flights are booked automatically by the travel agency (which blocks seats for its passengers). This always happens if your flight is included in the price, meaning that you don’t need to worry about making separate flight reservations. However, since prices are fixed, flights dates and routes can be changed, availability depending, without incurring any penalties. This is especially useful should you decide you want to stay on the Galapagos islands a few days extra following a Galapagos cruise.

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