Whether you're planning a cruise, a land-based tour or a diving expedition, it's important to make sure that you're booking your Galapagos holiday with a responsible operator.
Communications Manager
A trip to the Galapagos Islands is one of the most memorable travel experiences that our planet has to offer, giving lucky visitors an unparalleled connection with nature at its most abundant. However, it is also true that Galapagos is a fragile place. All visitors have a responsibility to minimise the negative impacts of their trip, and to maximise the positive contributions that tourism can make, both for the wildlife and for the local community.
There are many different travel operators competing for your business, along with online forums, discussion boards and media outlets issuing often contradictory claims when it comes to which mode of travel is the most sustainable. There is no simple and straightforward answer to the question ‘What is the most responsible way to visit Galapagos?’ However, we have drawn on the expertise of our team and our partners on the ground to compile this article, which we hope will equip you with the tools to make an informed decision.
The most important thing is to make sure you carefully vet any travel provider before booking – this is just as true for sustainability as it is for comfort, value for money or safety. You can also help to encourage a more responsible approach by asking questions of any potential provider that you are considering booking with. The more people that ask questions about sustainability, the more that responsible businesses will feel supported to go further and do more.
All visitors have a responsibility to minimise the negative impacts of their trip, and to maximise the positive contributions that tourism can make...
Galapagos is highly protected, with 97% of the Islands designated as a National Park. This means that tourists are only allowed to enter these areas if they are on an organised trip with a trained Galapagos National Park guide, and they are restricted to designated visitor sites, with the majority of the Park off-limits to everyone except for Park rangers or researchers with a valid permit.
The remaining 3% of the land area is home to a community of around 30,000 people, and you will still see plenty of wildlife within the populated areas, including sea lions snoozing on benches, giant tortoises wallowing in muddy ponds and marine iguanas scuttling along the beaches.
There are three main ways of visiting Galapagos, each with advantages and disadvantages.
Cruise tourism in Galapagos is generally considered to be well regulated, with a cap on the total number of cruise ship berths available, and strict rules regarding shore excursions. All cruises operate on a 15-day/14-night cycle, with no boat permitted to visit the same landing site twice during those 15 days (with the exception of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz). Cruise operators will usually split this up into itineraries of three to seven nights. If you have a specific island, landing site or species that you want to include in your trip, make sure you study the itineraries carefully. For example, if you want to see the waved albatross then you will need to visit Española island, and you will need to go between April and December.
Even the biggest cruise ships in Galapagos only carry a maximum of 100 guests, and most are much smaller than this. All cruises are accompanied by officially licensed naturalist guides. A larger ship has the advantage of greater stability in choppy seas, more onboard amenities and more naturalist guides, while a smaller ship offers a more intimate experience with smaller groups and quieter shore excursions. Research has shown that revenues from cruise tourism are less likely to remain in the local economy, but you can do your bit to give back by buying locally-made souvenirs and eating in local restaurants when you’re on the populated islands, or by adding on a few nights on land at the beginning or end of your cruise.
Land-based tourism in Galapagos is not subject to the same cap on numbers as cruising, and this type of tourism has grown dramatically in recent years, which is contributing to the increasing strain on local infrastructure, including waste management, water and energy. However, the money you spend is more likely to stay within the local community, and you will enjoy a level of cultural immersion that few cruise travellers experience in Galapagos. A land-based stay on one of the four populated islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela and Floreana) can offer you more flexibility and independence, with many of the other islands accessible on a day trip, though you won’t be able to visit some of the more remote locations that you can reach on a cruise, which means you may miss out on seeing species such as penguins and flightless cormorants.
The growing number of guesthouses and hotels, along with more informal accommodation offered through platforms such as Airbnb, means that a land-based stay can be more affordable for those on a limited budget. However, you should check that your accommodation is legally registered by visiting the official Galapagos Tourism Observatory website. Local hoteliers find themselves at a disadvantage when forced to compete with unlicensed accommodation that doesn’t adhere to the same standards of safety, sustainability and staff training.
Dive tourism in Galapagos is a much smaller and more specialised sector, with liveaboard boats that take you to some of the most incredible dive locations on the planet, including remote Darwin and Wolf islands, where hammerhead sharks school in their hundreds. Diving in Galapagos is not for beginners or casual divers, however, due to strong currents, swells, cold water and large animals such as whale sharks.
Of course, you can also combine a land-based tour with a cruise or dive voyage, allowing you to experience both the populated areas and the more remote islands.
Join one of our conservation-focused cruises for an exclusive opportunity to visit projects and meet experts on the frontline of conservation in Galapagos.
When you are researching travel providers for your trip to Galapagos, look for clear and credible commitments to operating responsibly and sustainably on their website. Key questions to ask include:
In recent years, travellers have come to expect that travel companies behave in an environmentally responsible way. This is clearly a positive development, but it does mean that some businesses overstate their green credentials – a practice known as ‘greenwashing’. For example, many carbon offsetting schemes have been found to be ineffective, or even actively damaging to the natural environment. Look for operators who are transparent and give more detailed information about the initiatives that they support, including how much money they actually donate. If their website or brochure isn’t clear, get in touch with them and ask questions. This helps to build a critical mass in support of responsible practices and rewards companies for doing the right thing.
As you would expect, tourism in the Galapagos Islands is subject to strict rules and regulations. All visitors are expected to behave responsibly and must adhere to the rules set out by the Galapagos National Park Directorate. Check to see if your travel operator clearly signposts these rules on their website and in their brochures. If you are visiting any of the protected areas, you must be accompanied by an authorised naturalist guide. Any business advertising cut-price trips to areas in the National Park or the Galapagos Marine Reserve without a guide, including taxi drivers and boat owners, is operating illegally and is putting the fragile natural environment of the Islands at risk.
You should also avoid any operators that encourage tourists to get too close to wildlife. You should always maintain a distance of at least two metres (six feet) from the animals, and you must not feed wildlife, as this can cause health problems. If you are planning a dive holiday, make sure you choose an operator that follows best practices, with no touching of animals and no feeding fish. Avoid companies that guarantee shark encounters, as this suggests that they may be using methods to deliberately lure sharks, which disrupts the animals’ natural behaviour and can have long-term negative consequences. Responsible operators will also enforce strict speed limits in sighting areas to minimise the risk of vessel strikes, which can seriously injure or kill marine life such as whale sharks.
If you’re lucky enough to be travelling to the Galapagos Islands, it’s important to know what to take – and what to leave at home – in order to travel responsibly and get the most out of your visit.
Last but not least, you can help to support the conservation of the Galapagos Islands by educating yourself about the issues that the Islands face. Our website is packed full of information about conservation threats such as invasive species and pollution, and we run regular events and webinars. We also have some great educational resources for schools, which you can use to get the kids excited about their trip if you’re travelling as a family. Most tour operators will include some educational activities or talks during your trip, and there is a growing number of ‘citizen science’ programmes where you can actively take part in research and conservation efforts. Many community projects are also in need of volunteers, or things like books or school supplies.
Understanding why the Islands are special, and how they are threatened, will help you to spot red flags when it comes to choosing your travel provider. It will also give you a deeper understanding of the incredible nature that you’re going to witness, and make you realise just how lucky you are to be visiting this magical place.
This fantastic book by Henry Nicholls gives a brilliant overview of the history of the Enchanted Isles. From their volcanic origin all the way through to the arrival and impact of humans, The Galapagos: A Natural History is a must-read, whether you are a first time visitor or an old Galapagos hand.
