Passport/Visa
A valid passport, with at least six months and one day remaining before expiration, is required to enter Ecuador. In addition, the passenger must check with local immigration offices or the Ecuadorian Consulate before travelling to determine if a visa is necessary.
Immunisations
At the time of publication, no inoculations were required for visitors to Ecuador and Galapagos (excluding jungle areas). Please check with your local health office at least two months before your departure. Effective October 20, 2022, visitors to Ecuador and the Galapagos are no longer required to present a vaccination certification for COVID-19 or a negative Antigen or RT-PCR test result.
Time Zone
Ecuador is in the Eastern Time zone (GMT-5 on the mainland). Daylight savings time is not observed in Ecuador. Galapagos is one hour behind mainland Ecuador. On board, we observe mainland Ecuador time.
Local Currency
The country of Ecuador uses the US Dollar. Starting June 1, 2021, large denominations of USD currency, including $50 and $100 bills, are not accepted for payment at shops and restaurants in the Galapagos, including the airports. For incidental purchases, we recommend guests bring $1, $5 and $10 bills, as change is not always readily available. There is usually a surcharge if credit cards are accepted in shops and restaurants. Large bills are accepted on board Galapagos Sky.
Language Spoken
English and Spanish are spoken aboard Galapagos Sky by Dive Guides and Captains. All guests must speak English or Spanish for safety reasons.
Shipping and Storage of Luggage
We have been unable to find a reliable service for shipping items in or out of Galapagos or mainland Ecuador. For that reason, we are unable to make a recommendation for shipping services. Best to keep your luggage with you during your travels.
Getting to Ecuador
All guests must make their own international air travel arrangements into either:
Quito, Ecuador: Mariscal Sucre International – Airport Code UIO,
Guayaquil, Ecuador: Jose Joaquin De Olmedo – Airport Code GYE.
Arrive in either UIO or GYE by Friday or Saturday morning before Sunday’s scheduled departure date. Please be in mainland Ecuador for at least full 24 hours before the flight to Galapagos. Allow for contingency plans if flights are delayed, cancelled or if baggage is delayed.
Do not arrive at UIO or GYE Saturday evening, night or on Sunday morning flights. Please allow for contingency plans if flights are cancelled/delayed. Do not plan to take the last flight of the day on Saturday into Ecuador, which will not give you options if that flight is cancelled.
Divers should be rested, alert and adjusted to time-zone changes when boarding Galapagos Sky.
Hotels in Quito (UIO)
Wyndham Airport Quito
Hotel Location: Closest to Airport
Transfer: Provided by Hotel Shuttle every 30 minutes
Rates*: SGL: $130 DBL: $135 TRP: $175
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
Patio Andaluz
Hotel Location: In the Historic Center
Transfer: Taxi
Rates*: SGL: $145-$195 DBL: $162-$210
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
Illa Hotel
Hotel Location: San Marcos neighbourhood
Transfer: Taxi
Rates*: $445-$545
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
Casa Gangotena
Hotel Location: Historic area
Transfer: Taxi
Rates*: $550-$696
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
* Rates are subject to change
Arrangements can be made by the Galapagos Sky Reservations Office or by the Guest/Travel Agent directly
Hotels in Guayaquil (GYE)
Oro Verde
Hotel Location: Near Airport
Transfer: Provided by Hotel
Rates*: SGL: $125-$165 DBL: $145-$226
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
Hotel del Parque
Hotel Location: Near Airport
Transfer: Taxi or Private Transfer
Rates*: SGL: $340 DBL: $355 TRP: $423
Reservations Office or Guest/Travel Agent
* Rates are subject to change
Arrangements can be made by the Galapagos Sky Reservations Office or by the Guest/Travel Agent directly
We require that hotel accommodation information for the night before departure is noted on each guest’s Application.
Getting to Galapagos
There are two airports in the Galapagos Islands:
San CristĂłbal: San CristĂłbal Airport – Airport Code SCY
Baltra: Seymour Airport – Airport Code GPS
Galapagos Sky departs from Tiburon Martillo Muelle Ecoturistico (Ecotouristic Dock Hammerhead Shark) in San CristĂłbal making SCY the airport to fly into.
All guests must be on board Galapagos Sky and checked in by 11:00 am Galapagos Time on departure day.
Prearranged, Group Booked Flight With Airport Assistance
As a very convenient service, through our Reservation Office, guests may prearrange flights to/from Galapagos through our pre-booked seats with Avianca Airlines Flight 1630 and Flight 1631 from/to Quito UIO or Guayaquil GYE to San Cristobal SCY. Passengers who purchase their tickets through Galapagos Sky for the Avianca Flight 1630 on their cruise departure day will receive assistance with the check-in procedure and the option to prepay the TCT transit card and Park entrance fee. A representative from our sister company, Ecoventura, has your Boarding Pass and TCT card ready. In addition, they will tag your luggage with your name and cabin number and accompany our passengers on this flight.
On the day of departure, please be at the airport in Quito or Guayaquil one and a half hours (90 minutes) before departure for check-in. Specific Travel Day Instructions, guests’ vouchers, and pre-departure information will be sent.
Upon arrival in Galapagos, passengers form a line to process passenger Passports and Park entrance fees. Please inform the Park representative that you are travelling with Ecoventura/ Galapagos Sky if you have prepaid the Park fee. They will have a list of prepaid passengers and hand you your receipt. You will then claim your luggage. With your luggage, exit the airport. Our Guides will be waiting for you outside the doors with a Galapagos Sky sign. They will take you and your luggage a short 5-7 minute drive to the dock area where all will be loaded into pangas for transport to Galapagos Sky.
Baggage Allowance with Avianca
One checked bag 23 kg (50 lb) max, and one carry-on bag 10 kg (22 lb) max + personal article (laptop case, backpack, purse). An additional checked 23 kg (50 lb) bag costs USD 25. Additional bag rates at the check-in counter fluctuate. Please see Avianca’s website for details.
Travel Delays
If a travel delay should arise before your departure to Ecuador, please contact our USA office at +1 (305) 262-3483 o info@galapagossky.com.
For our passengers travelling on Saturday to Quito or Guayaquil who are experiencing travel delays, cancelled flights or difficulties that will impact their Saturday arrivals and Sunday departures, please get in touch with us via cell phone or via WhatsApp at these numbers or via e-mail at
Travel Emergency E-mail help@ecoventura.com
Ecoventura Travel Emergency Contacts
Elena Cordova –Â Phone/WhatsApp: +593-98-502-5615
Maria Fernanda Benites – Phone/WhatsApp: +593 96-977-2721
Email: help@ecoventura.com
Ecoventura Airport Representative Contact Information
Sundays Only
Quito (UIO): Sebastian Bravo – Phone/WhatsApp:Â +593-98-502-5818
Guayaquil (GYE): Jorge Lombeida – Phone/Whatsapp +593-99-102-7100
Independent & Earlier Arrival to Galapagos
If you arrive in Galapagos (SCY or GPS) before the cruise departure date (Sunday), please make your way to the dock area Tiburon Martillo Muelle Ecoturistico (Ecotouristic Dock Hammerhead Shark) on San CristĂłbal Island on departure day (Sunday).
You will pay the migration control transit card TCT USD 20 (cash only USD) in Quito UIO or Guayaquil GYE airports and the Galapagos National Park entrance fee USD 100 (cash only USD in $10 or $20 bills) upon arrival in San CristĂłbal (SCY).
All guests must be on board Galapagos Sky and checked in by 11:00 am Galapagos Time on departure day.
Please call our Captain to arrange a meeting at the Tiburon Martillo Muelle Ecoturistico /Ecotouristic Dock Hammerhead Shark.
The cellular phone number to reach our Captain via Whatsapp or call is: +593-99-016-7139
Taxi Service in San CristĂłbal
Taxi service in San CristĂłbal is inexpensive. The charge will be just a few dollars (USD cash, $1 and $5 bills only) from the airport or hotels to the dock. Unfortunately, taxis do not take credit cards.
Ferry Service in Galapagos
Ask your hotel to arrange a Ferry service between islands upon arriving in Galapagos. Please note there are two docks in the area. Galapagos Sky meets at the Tiburon Martillo Muelle Ecoturistico (Ecotouristic Dock Hammerhead Shark).
No Fly Time
For time out of the water before flying, Divers Alert Network (DAN) and the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) offer the following guidelines:
⢠A single dive within the no-decompression limits: 12 hours
⢠Repetitive dives of multiple days of diving: 18 hours
Our last dive on the itinerary is Saturday morning, allowing 24 hours out of the water before flights back to Ecuador on Sunday.
Early Disembarkation Option (Saturday) in Baltra/Santa Cruz
Guests who have continuing travel plans on Santa Cruz or departing from Baltra (GPS) airport may wish to disembark on Saturday before (approximately noon Local time) or after the Galapagos Tortoises land tour visit (approximately 2:00 pm (14:00) Local time). Please note that Galapagos Sky typically arrives at about noon Galapagos Time / 1 pm (13:00) Mainland Time at Santa Cruz on Saturdays, which does not allow for flights out of Baltra GPS on Saturdays. Please let the Sales & Reservations Office know if you wish to disembark on Saturday so we can advise the Captain in advance. In addition, guests may want to arrange for their luggage to be sent to their hotel in Santa Cruz, then continue on the Land Tour with their Galapagos Sky yacht-mates before saying goodbye on Saturday from Puerto Ayora. Guests will make these specific arrangements with our Captain once on board.
Disembarkation (Sunday) in San Cristobal
On the day of disembarkation in San Cristobal, Galapagos Sky is in the harbour at Shipwreck Bay before the sun rises. After breakfast on board, we typically disembark around 9:00 am to visit the Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Center in Cerro Tijeretas. While guests discover more about the Galapagos Islands’ human history, the crew will take their luggage to the airport. After visiting the Interpretation Center, the staff will transfer guests to the SCY San Cristobal Airport for flights back to mainland Ecuador. If guests stay in San Cristobal, our crew can assist them with getting a taxi to their hotel, although most hotels are within walking distance of the dock area. If a guest needs to be on shore earlier that morning, our crew can arrange that too.
Galapagos National Park Fee and TCT Tax
Galapagos National Park entrance fee (national park tax) is USD 100 (cash only USD in $10 or $20 bills only) per person. The fee is divided among various entities including the GNPS, Marine Reserve, agriculture, municipalities, INEFAN and INGALA. The fee for nationals of one of the Andean Community of Nations or Mercosur is USD 50 (cash only USD in $10 or $20 bills) per person. Rates are subject to change at any time until the day of departure.
All visitors must procure the TCT card (Tarjeta de Control de Transito) to Galapagos for USD 20 (cash only). This card allows INGALA, the institution that controls migration to the islands, to better regulate the flow of all arrivals and departures to and from the Galapagos islands.
Rates are subject to change at any time until the day of departure.
Galapagos Sky Application
All guests of Galapagos Sky must complete our Application and sign/date and have a witness sign/date our Waiver form before boarding. You will receive this form from the Trip Leader, and you must return the form with all information 75 days before departure.
Dietary restrictions, rental gear needs, emergency contact information, passport information, how you arrive in San CristĂłbal and hotel information for the night before departure are some of our application questions.