Hello all!! I recently came back from Ecuador, including the Galapagos, and thought I would do a few posts on it! There are a few things that I learned from being in the Galapagos that I didn't know beforehand and I wanted to share with you all in case you plan on visiting!
BRING SO MANY $1 BILLS AND COINS
This is so important, I wish I could stress enough just how important this is. I'll do my best. First of all, so many places just don't have change for big bills and depending on your purchase, even a $5 bill can be a larger bill. I tried to buy a $2 souvenir with a $5 and was asked for a smaller bill, so I returned when I had some coins. But the main reason to have a plethora of these $1 bills and coins is that you will need them for ferries and entry to every island. Each time you board a ferry, you will actually first take a small water taxi to embark on the ferry, which costs a dollar per person. Then, when you arrive at your destination, you'll disembark via another water taxi that takes you to the pier and, you guessed it, that's also a dollar per person. Then, when you get to the island, you'll pay $1 fee for entering the island...and on Santa Cruz you'll also pay a dollar whenever you leave as well. It's A LOT and so many people I ran into were unprepared for this, scrambling to see what coins or bills they had. I, luckily, happened to find a post in a Facebook Group I belong to about the Galapagos that mentioned this and I am so very thankful that I read it. Gatorade, soda, and big bottles of water here are also only $0.60-$1 so it makes sense to have these small bills/coins to snag some water or Gatorade when you need it. Heads up! If you like green apple flavor, Gatorade has a(n apparently rare) flavor in Ecuador called Apple Ice. I drank that shit at least a few times a week as soon as I found out I couldn't get it back home. It was so good.
2. Bring Chapstick or Other Moisturizer for your Lips
The Galapagos is surrounded by salt water so whenever you snorkel, and I snorkeled A LOT, your lips are constantly berated with salt water and sun. After about 5 days in those conditions, my lips were in pain and raw. I had finally found a pharmacy that sold moisturizer for my lips, but it cost twice as much as I would have paid at home. It's the one pictured here and healed my lips incredibly quickly and felt super soothing. It's a small item that can easily been thrown in a purse, fanny pack, suitcase, med kit, or anything else and will be super useful for you (and much cheaper).
3. SUNSCREEN
I'm someone who doesn't typically use sunscreen (I know, I KNOW, I. KNOW. Save the lecture) and in Guayaquil I was told constantly I needed to use it, which I eventually did after getting lobster burnt. But in the Galapagos, the sun is just...different. No matter where I go in the world, I can leave my legs out in all their glaringly white beauty and, frustratingly, nothing happens to them. No burn, no tan, nothing. No matter how much sun, no matter how hot, it doesn't matter. My legs stay blinding. Not in the Galapagos! Both of my legs, in their entirety, every inch, were burned. Bring sunscreen, slather it on often, and try to get a 50+ SPF because my 40 didn't quite do the job it was tasked to do. Though, my burns would have been worse without it at all. I also made sure mine was reef safe so it would also be marine-life safe. I don't know if that affected its effectiveness or not though.
4. Bring Your Own Snorkel Gear
You can easily rent snorkel gear for the day on any island in the Galapagos while you're there and also from many of the hostels. But, there are so many beaches that allow you to snorkel on your own (even with sea lions and turtles- just be respectful of nature) that it makes more sense for you to just pack it (or buy it while you're there) if you think you'll also want to snorkel a ton. Plus, you won't have to worry about using equipment that others have used an unknown number of times and that you're hoping had been kept in good condition. I went on one snorkel tour where one of the participants had a snorkel mask that was leaking. Such a small annoyance can really become a big issue and derail your experience, so it's better to have equipment that you know and trust. If I could have fit it in my suitcase, I would have absolutely purchased a set from one of the shops in town.
5. Pack Some Water Shoes
I brought these cool shoes from Tropicfeel that are all-terrain shoes. Their Canyon line is quick drying, super comfortable and breathable, and I can wear them without socks which I love! They were perfect for the Galapagos because I could go from swimming to walking the streets with ease and they took up very little room in my packs. They're really just great everyday shoes. I'll link them here in case you want to check them out for yourselves. But you could just bring a separate pair of water specific shoes instead. I liked having these because you never know what's hiding in the sand under your feet and also because the land surrounding so many of the beaches are mainly comprised of lava rock which is jagged and painful beneath your feet.
6. The WIFI is a Lie
I don't think I ever had reliable WIFI anywhere in the Galapagos. Even accommodations that said "fast WIFI" had WIFI that moved about as quickly as a Galapagos Tortoise. Uploading anything, even just photos from my phone to Google Drive, was a joke and was basically only good for sending emails and other very basic internet surfing. Sometimes my email wouldn't even load so I just went without. If you're looking to be able to do some work from home type business while you're here, I'd say to not to bother and just enjoy being disconnected if you can. Half the time my WIFI would disconnect randomly and on two different islands, large portions of the community lost power multiple times, with one being multiple times in one day. At night. After realizing I bought an incorrect ticket for the next morning and desperately needed even a sliver of internet access. Of course! But yeah, just be aware that if you need to do something that heavily relies on the internet, you likely won't be able to do it while in the Galapagos.
7. The Food is Pricey
So pricey! But the good news is that many of the restaurants will take credit card, but there might be a spending requirement to meet before you can use it. Be safe and always ask before you order if they accept cards and if they do, how much you need to spend. More on credit cards later. A little help here, and in all of Ecuador, is that you can save a lot of money during lunch time. Look for restaurants that have signs outside that read "Almuerzo" its basically a set menu that typically includes a glass of fresh fruit juice, a big bowl of soup, and a choice of 2-4 main dishes...all for between $2-$5!!! A couple of places even included dessert with it. I discovered this about half way through my time in Galapagos and it was a real money saver. They don't skimp on the portions so typically I would eat a bigger breakfast, then lunch, and just get some cheaper snacks for dinner. Before that I was doing a bigger breakfast (you can easily find cheap to reasonable breakfast options that are huge), tiny/snackie lunch, and a big dinner.
8.Credit Cards and ATMs
Credit cards can be used in the Galapagos, but often come with a fee or a spending minimum. Usually restaurants and shops will have the logos plastered at their entrances or even on the menus, but if you're not sure, definitely ask- "Puedo pagar con tarjeta de credito?" Can I pay with credit card? I was also told that ATMs are practically non-existent in the Galapagos and most of Ecuador. I found this to be very untrue, with the exception on more remote areas. I was able to easily get money out of the ATMs in town, just know that "savings" is listed first on the selection page. In the US "checking" is listed first and I kept hitting that option out of habit and then having to start over.
9. Do Not Drink the Water
Both in the Galapagos as well as in Ecuador as a whole, the water is not safe to drink. It's not even safe for locals to drink. Bottles of water are cheap, so just buy them. If your accommodations have purified drinking water coolers, then reuse your bottles by filling them with this water and keep extras in a fridge if you have one. I was also told not to eat fresh fruit, drink fresh fruit juice, or use ice cubes, and not to brush your teeth with the water as well. I, personally, didn't have any issues with drinking the fresh fruit juices, and they're hard to resist when they're served with every breakfast and lunch! So refreshing and delicious. I also like iced coffee and may times it escaped my brain to not use ice cubes, again, personally I was fine. The places with iced coffee were typically local chains, so the ice very well could have been made with purified water, but I don't know that for sure. I also had some vaccines done before I went to Ecuador, which I think probably helped. I did avoid brushing my teeth and drinking the water though. If you are someone with a sensitive or weaker stomach/immune system, then I'd talk to your doctor before you leave about it and judge for yourself what you're willing to try.
10. Shop Around for Tours
I purchased my tours ahead of time, but wish I had waited until I was in the Galapagos to book them. There is so much competition that if you shop around to a few places, you're likely to find cheaper prices (though, not always better, go with your gut if you feel like a deal is too good to be true) or tours that are similar to one another, but offer slightly different options that might be more interesting to you.
And that's pretty much it. Other than these Galapagos-specific things, always make sure you're respecting the locals, the animals, the culture, and customs. Also be sure to learn even a few phrases or words in Spanish, showing an effort really does go a long way!
As always, take care and be good to each other!
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