It costs $100 just to leave the airport on the island (park fee). Then everything on the island is incredibly expensive. However, most everything to be seen is on islands, so you have to hire boats or cruises. Very expensive.
There are great photos to be taken and it is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. BUT… the Ecuadorian mainland is way cheaper and beautiful. for the same money you’d spend going to Galapagos, you could spend a week in the Amazon, see Quito, Guayaquil (coast), mountains, and go to Cuenca – the country’s 3rd biggest city that is largely unmodernized (cars weren’t common downtown until around the 60s).
Galapagos is a tourist attraction for people with a lot of money. Ecuador is a small and poor country, but they have just about all the geography you could ask for. Better recommendation – I flew into Quito, stayed there a bit, then ($50 flight) went to Coca, and took a boat up the Amazon to a place called Sani Lodge and stayed there for a few days. You could see all of Ecuador for twice as much time and probably spend half as much as you would on the islands. Also, the government is trying to save Galapagos, but Ecuador is really poor, so it is a tough balance to care about “lonely George” and the sparrows when people are hungry. I’d say your time is best spent on the mainland. However, if you’re looking for ocean in Latin America, the Caribbean islands (nutila is cheap!) of Honduras (2nd largest reef in the world) are supposed to be great. Also, Bocas del Toro in Panama are also impressive. However, having traveled from Guatemala to Peru… Colombia is amazing, Guatemala is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been (lago de Atitlan), and Ecuador has everything, including great people. Safe travels!
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