ARRIVING TO ECUADOR
Arriving at Galapagos is not as difficult as it sounds. The important part is arriving in Ecuador. There are no direct international flights to the Galapagos Islands. Daily flights to the Galapagos Islands depart from the cities of Quito and Guayaquil on mainland Ecuador.
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Guayaquil’s Jose Joaquin de Olmedo “International Airport” receives daily flights from:
The cities of Miami and New York in the United States.
The cities of Amsterdam and Madrid in Europe.
Some of the major cities of Central and South America.
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Quito’s “Mariscal Sucre” International Airport, receives flights from:
The cities of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami and New York in the United States.
The cities of Amsterdam and Madrid in Europe.
From major cities in Central and South America
ARRIVING TO BALTRA ISLAND
From Quito and Guayaquil you should take a flight to Baltra Island. There are three airlines that operate these routes: TAME, AVIANCA and LATAM. The Galapagos flight will take you around two and a half hours.
Once you land on Baltra, you willl need to head into Puerto Ayora. The connectivity to Puerto Ayora includes various steps: 1. Bus 2. Ferry 3. Bus or taxi
ARRIVING TO PUERTO AYORA
Then you will need to head to the “Canal de Itabaca” for riding to Puerto Ayora, where the NSSY adventure will take place.
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BUS: You need to catch a bus that will take you to the Itabaca channel. These busses are parked outside of the arrival terminal if by any chance there is no bus, one will arrive soon. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes and drops you off at the Itabaca Channel which flows between Santa Cruz and Baltra.
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FERRY: At Itabaca Channel, you take your bags to the ferry. The cost of the ferry is $0.80 US for the crossing and takes about 10 minutes.
After Itabaca Channel you have two options to arrive Puerto Ayora: taxi (white pickup truck) or bus.
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TAXI: Taxis in Santa Cruz are white pickup trucks. The cost of a taxi from the canal to Puerto Ayora is $15.00. There will be drivers waiting at the dock offering to take you into town. The driver will take you to any destination in town (where you can give the direction of the Hotel Palmeras).
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BUS: Several busses will be waiting here to collect passengers and take them into Puerto Ayora. The cost is $1.80, and the trip takes about 45 minutes. These busses are most often crowded, and there is no air conditioning. The bus will drop you off at the main junction in town: Charles Darwin Avenue and Baltra Avenue. This is the “downtown”, if you will, where you can find passenger peers, supermarket, post office, children's playground and an outdoor sports court with a stage. From here, you can take a $1.00 taxi to anywhere in town (you can give the direction of the Hotel Palmeras).
PALMERAS HOTEL
Palmeras Hotel, is a comfortable place in the center of Puerto Ayora. The hotel has ample outdoor spaces with restaurant buffet food service, pool, air conditioning, private bathroom with hot water, wifi and cable TV.
Address: Tomas de berlanga s/n e islas plazas, Santa Cruz 200350.
Phone: (05) 252-6139
VISAS
Most people do not require a visa prior to visit Ecuador for a stay of up to 90 days. The following countries must obtain a visa at the Ecuadorian consulate:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Senegal, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
For more information on visas to Ecuador you can visit: http://www.consuladovirtual.gob.ec/en/web/guest/visas.