Why choose a local Galapagos Tour Operator?

Why book your experience of a lifetime with a local Galapagos Tour Operator?

By Brett Peters, Owner Uniquely Galapagos CIA Ltda. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos

Introduction

In 2023 the Galapagos Islands hosted a record 330,000 visitors, 54% were foreign and 46% were Ecuadorian nationals. Over the last 15 years tourist numbers have doubled due to the mass tourism model chosen by the Galapagos in 2010, most of our foreign visitors are from the US.

Planning your Galapagos experience of a lifetime well takes time and research. Whether you decide to plan your trip independently or work with a tour operator, you need to be sure that your land based or cruise experience is perfect for you and those that you are traveling with.

As a visitor to the Galapagos, you have a choice to plan all or part of your experience independently, with an International, National Ecuadorian or a Local Galapagos Tour Operator. Each has its advantages, but essentially you are buying the same tours or cruises.   

Tourism on the Galapagos Islands is highly regulated and managed by the Ministry of Tourism, Galapagos. For example, only a registered local Galapagos tour operator can hire a Galapagos naturalist guide or book a tour to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centres on all three islands directly.

So, what are the advantages of using a registered local Galapagos Tour Operator?:

1. Local Expertise and Quality: Local tour operators have an in depth knowledge of the Galapagos Islands and continuously monitor quality, so only recommend the best activities to guests including community and transformational travel experiences.
2. Support the Circular Economy: Using a registered Galapagos tour operator supports the circular economy here better than booking with a national or international tour operator, with 70% of all jobs on the Galapagos in tourism. The revenue generated from tourism here is reinvested in sustainable tourism development creating ‘green jobs’ as locals transition from agriculture and fishing into tourism.
3. Tailor Made and Personal Service: Being based on the islands, local operators can provide tailor made options, handpicking activities and guides and suggest self- explore activities and dinner venues for a unique, personal guest experience.
4. Corporate Social Responsibility: Many local operators have a strong commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable tourism practices. They often partner with NGO’s based on the islands to support conservation and animal welfare.
5. Pricing: Local tour operators often offer more competitive pricing than national and international tour companies, as they have lower overhead costs and sometimes are able to pass on favourable rates from preferred local providers.
6. Responsiveness: Local tour operators are often more responsive as they can answer most queries directly and can help with any pre visit concerns i.e. on food allergies or mobility.
7. Cultural Immersion: Local operators can provide genuine opportunities for cultural immersion by enabling you to meet Galapagos residents by taking painting classes or an eco-farm to table cooking class, enriching your experience of the islands.
8. Emergencies: If something does go wrong like your luggage doesn’t arrive or you fall ill, local tour operators are on spot to help you directly instead of waiting for national or international tour operators for guidance and approval to act.
9. Ministry of Tourism, Galapagos Registration: All local tour operators have had to go through a rigorous annual registration process. Requirements include having a physical office address on the islands, an operating tax number, civil liability insurance (accident also for adventure tours), Companies House registration, a working website and annual local government operating permission.
10. Stress Free Trip: Local tour operators can curate your trip to your preference and work closely with local preferred suppliers on logistics to ensure that you have a stress free trip and are able to solely focus on enjoying your experience of a lifetime instead of worrying about logistics.

Things to consider

1. Planning a Galapagos experience is challenging and time consuming. Allow yourself at least three months to plan your experience.
2. Do some research and decide in advance which wildlife you want to see and when you want to visit, to maximise your time on the islands.
3. Decide if you want to visit the islands on a land based or a cruise experience.
4. Using a tour operator to plan your experience is more expensive than planning it yourself but it will save you a lot of time before your trip and stress during your trip.
5. If you decide to use a Tour Operator, do your due diligence first. Check previous customer reviews, their website operating policies and insurance. If you are going to work with a Local Galapagos Tour Operators ensure that they have an annual registration certificate from the Ministry of Tourism, Galapagos with a QR code on it.

Conclusion

Overall, choosing a registered local Galapagos Tour Operator enhances your experience through their expert knowledge and personalised service and also supports sustainable tourism practices and contributes positively to the local community and circular economy.

Uniquely Galapagos is a registered local Tour Operator based in Puerto Ayora and is committed to supporting conservation and animal welfare in our community as part of our Corporate Social Responsbility. 

We provide quality, sustainable, tailor-made eco tours and small group experiences for up to 8 pax in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and Peru. We also offer first class and luxury cruises on 16 pax yachts owned by locally based owners.

Our most popular experiences are our 8 day Galapagos Eco Island Hopping 2024 starting at *$4,200 per person, and a first class 8 day Western Islands Cruise starting at *$5,600 per person.

Both are based on two people sharing  *Prices at August 2024 and subject to change.

Please Contact Us if you are a nature lover and have been inspired by our blog to visit the islands and would like some help planning your land or cruise experience of a lifetime from a Galapagos Local Tour Operator.

Brett Peters

Uniquely Galapagos