Flights
There are worldwide connecting flights to Quito and Guayaquil , the two
principal cities on mainland Ecuador . From these cities, cruise operators
can arrange air transportation to either of the Galápagos archipelago's main
airports on Baltra or San Cristóbal . The airport to which you fly will
depend on your pre-booked cruise ship's specific itinerary, but all cruise
tours begin at airport island locations.
Flights to the Baltra and San Cristóbal airports depart from Quito and stop
en-route in Guayaquil . The Quito-Guayaquil flight lasts about 40 minutes,
and the Guayaquil-Galápagos flight takes about two more hours. Since the
archipelago is one hour behind mainland Ecuador , passengers leaving Quito
in the morning will land before noon.
Two airlines, TAME and Aerogal, service the Galápagos Islands . TAME
operates daily flights to the Baltra island airport and flies from Quito to
San Cristóbal via Guayaquil on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Aerogal
flies from Quito to Baltra every day except Saturday and from Quito to San
Cristóbal on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
Passengers fly from the mainland on the morning of the departure date of the
cruise. After they de-plane, the naturalist guide leading their pre-booked
cruise tour will whisk them in groups to the dock, where each of their
boat-homes is anchored. Cruises sail from here.
The flights to and from the Galápagos are automatically confirmed when the
cruise arrangements are confirmed. All passengers must arrive on the
mainland at least one day prior to the departure date of the cruise.
The wildlife you will see on your Galapagos tour are completely unaffected
by Galapagos travel visitors . For this reason, there is a restricted number
of visitors permitted into the Galapagos each year, as part of a joint
effort to protect the delicate environmental and ecological equilibrium. The
most sensible method of Galapagos travel is via our cruise ships. The M/V
Galapagos Legend provides 3 night, 4 night and 7 night cruises to select
from, which can also be easily merged with Galapagos travel visits to
neighboring South American locations