Although I wanted to write everything in the order we traveled to- I feel like the Galapagos islands are something I want to tell about while I still remember everything and if anybody we met on this trip are still close and choosing whether to do it or not- here is everything you need to know. Also, if you are choosing honeymoon destination - this might be your sign.
There are 3 main islands you can stay on while in the archipelago - Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela, but there are airports only on first two.
To get to Galapagos you will have to fly through Ecuador, although I did see some flights from California, but I dont know if they are actually happening.
Tickets to get here will be from 350- 500$ return per person, if you see a cheaper ones- be careful, those are usually prices for residents and in case of buying them you will be charged extra at the airport (150$ for Avianca and 100% of the ticket price for Latam). My ticket was 425$ for return flight with luggage, as for route- we flew from Quito to Santa Cruz and back from San Cristobal to Guayaquil.
Altogether - 11 nights between those 3 islands, 3 nights on Santa Cruz, 4 on Isabela and San Cristobal.
Santa Cruz is the best island for those who want to dive, because the visibility under water is the great.
As we were being careful with the budget, we found out which tours are the best to see and opted not to do any tour here. As of best recommendations we heard from other people were Pinzon and Floreana tours, but all the animals that people saw here- we also saw on the 2 that we did. If you do floreana- know that getting there might be rough and if you get as sea sick as I do - probably not the best idea.
My favorite things to do on the island was a walk to Tortuga Bay- a place where you can snorkel, but not one of the bests. But the walk there with all the animals was spectacular.
Las Grietas- beautiful pool between two huge rock walls where you have a little guided walk and then a nice snorkel (price - 10$)
My absolute favorite activity was just being at the fish market and looking at sea lions, pelicans and iguanas trying to steal fish heads and skins.
If you are looking for a very good coffee - 1835 is a great place.
In general the island is very nice, but from all 3 it was my least favorite.
To get to other islands you can either fly to with a very small plane or go on the ferry. I am not a fan of flying and also I get sea sick easily- so this would have been a hard dilemma, but, flights are very expensive. Ferry ticket prices are 25 to 30$ depending on the departure time.
We took a ferry at 6:30 to get to Isabela island- it is furthest away from mainland and most of it consists of National parks. This island has the most untouched wildlife and also it is the most expensive one, because of the extra days it takes to get everything deliver to it. A loaf of bread costs between 3.5 - 5$, avocado 1,5$, 10 eggs- 2$, paprika - 1$, pack of pasta 2,5-4$. A liter of water is 2$ and you need a lot of water in that kind of heat. Menu of the day in restaurant was 6-8$ in most places.
As for nice things to do on the island- Pearl shell is an excelent, and free, snorkeling spot - on the walk there you will find many iguanas laying in pathway and, if lucky enough, sea lions as well. When snorkeling there you might be unlucky and just sea colourful fish or you can see turtles, sea lions, iguanas swimming, small sharks, rays.
For a nice, long walk - you can go see wall of tears, big chance is that on the way there you will see turtoises. The wall was built over 14 years back in the 1940s and 1950s by prisoners who were sent to Isabela Island. Galapagos islands have a weird, mysterious, dark history that you can find out about in recreation center on Santa cruz (for free).
The first tour we did was Los Tuneles. It costs 90$ and it is a great snorkeling tour- we saw a lot of sharks, different kind of rays, many turtles, seahorses, blue footed boobies. Really worth it if you are there.
Another thing we did was hiking Sierra Negra(35$). It is more of a long walk with 430m elevation. Altogether it is 16km, we spent 10 of those walking in rain, very heavy rain. As we have hiked many volcanoes by now- I would not say it is something you have to do when you are there, but the price is a good for 5 hour adventure.
After spending 4 nights on Isabela we took ferries to San Cristobal. 2 horrible 2 hour ferries, first one being at 5.30am. Second one was so bad that I had my head between my legs trying not to puke.
But, San Cristobal is so worth it. In my opinion it is the most beautiful island with amazing wildlife. And, as my favorite animals here are sea lions- this is the most perfect island.
We did 360° tour here. It can cost from 130 to 180$. It sounds like a lot, but the tour is so worth it. You are taken around all the island, not only will you swim with turtles and sea lions, but there is a place with many dolphins that follow the boat and play, you can also see many hammerhead sharks and lot of different kinds of fishes. During the tour the team also caught tuna and made sashimi.
As things for free to do here - Mirador Cerro Tijeretas is a beautiful viewpoint to see the island from above, it is also a very beautiful walk getting there and on the way there is a beautiful snorkeling spot for free - swimming with sea lions again. Sea lions are very territorial on ground (specially the males) but they are very nice in water. When you make a lot of bubbles- they just come and swim around you.
Also recreational center is a place to check out to learn about history and animals around the island.
11 days in absolute paradise. The Galapagos islands are one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life ❤
For the cost breakdown - flights - 425$, accommodation-15$ per person/per night (this is a cheap version), food - 17$ per day, tours -275$, ferries- 85$, entrance fees for islands- 130$, water - 40$. So it comes down to around 1300$ for 11 day trip (if you fly from Ecuador). Plus expenses for a lot of sunscreen and ice creams.
Also, I would really recommend you to buy a snorkel before you go there, as the rent is 5$ per day.
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