Arrival and Departure Instructions TO GALAPAGOS You should aim to arrive at Guayaquil or Quito airport 2 hours before your flight. There are several steps to go through once you arrive at the airport: 1) Quarantine: You will need to pass your checked luggage through quarantine inspection. This is a counter marked AGROCALIDAD-SICGAL. The AGROCALIDAD staff will be x-raying your luggage and are looking out particularly for seeds and insects. Please make sure that you are carrying no seeds or insects, which are capable of damaging the islands fragile ecosystem. 2) Galapagos Immigration: After Quarantine control, you need to pay the TRANSIT CONTROL CARD FEE ($10 each) at the Consejo de Gobierno de Galapagos (CGREG) counter where you will receive a card (TCT card) that should be kept with your passport. You will need to show this TCT card upon arrival in Baltra and hand it in upon leaving Baltra on your return to the mainland. Note one guest missed their flight due to the line here being too long. If this is the case, leave the line and get your flight. The authorities will then work out the $10 fee somewhere along the way. 3) Check-in: Go to the Aerogal, TAME or LAN counter near the quarantine area. You are limited to 20kg per person for checked-in luggage although any excess can be paid for there and is relatively inexpensive. You will be handed your boarding passes and luggage receipts. Proceed through security and boarding gate as instructed by your airline staff. Your flight takes 1 hour 40mins from Guayaquil or 2 hours if direct from Quito. Some flights stop in Guayaquil on the way from Quito resulting in a total of 3 hrs from take off in Quito to landing in Baltra. IN GALAPAGOS Upon reaching Baltra you ll pass through the National Park Tax queue. Here, you must pay $100 in cash per person ($50 for under 12 s). You must also hand in a form that you ll be given to fill in during the flight. To get from Baltra airport to Santa Cruz Island, take the bus that says Canal (Spanish for channel ) on it. This is a complimentary bus service. At the Canal between the two islands, you ll board a foot ferry ($1/person) and travel across for 5-10 minutes. Upon arriving on Santa Cruz's northern shore, you ll need to take a bus or a taxi to Puerto Ayora, for a 40mins ride.
1 Taxi Local taxis (all white pick-up trucks) usually wait for potential clients by the dock. A transfer 'Canal'-Puerto Ayora costs $18 - $20 for the whole taxi, not per person. For this fee the driver will take you directly to the tourist dock in Puerto Ayora. Taxis here can also be shared with other travellers for a lower price ($5-6/person). We can organize a taxi for you that will be able to meet you. The driver would coordinate your arrival directly with us. You d pay the driver $20 directly. Let us know if you d like us to organize this for you. IF YOU DON T TURN UP, FOR ANY REASON, YOU WOULD BE LIABLE FOR THIS PAYMENT. The prices quoted here are for one taxi which can hold up to 4 people. If another taxi is required, you should add $20. 2 Public bus The bus costs $2/person and takes around 40 minutes to arrive at Puerto Ayora. In order to get to the house from wherever in Puerto Ayora the bus terminates, take a taxi ($1) and they will take you to tourist dock: Muelle de Turistas. 3 Full transfer airport to Mimosa For $50, a taxi driver will come to the airport and meet you, assist you with luggage and take you through the above procedure, dropping you off at the tourist dock in Puerto Ayora. Here, you will be taken by the taxi driver to a water taxi where he will assist you and your luggage in getting to Mimosa. You would pay him $55 directly. Let us know if you d like us to organize this for you. IF YOU DON T TURN UP, FOR ANY REASON, YOU WOULD BE LIABLE FOR $40 OF THIS PAYMENT. The prices quoted here are for one taxi which can hold up to 4-5 people. If another taxi is required, you should add $20. If you ve booked the full transfer with us, please reconfirm this service a couple of days before arrival. There are vehicles that take up to 7 people but these cost more per person. Please let us know if you d like one of these. Address & references for Mimosa: Mimosa, Por el camino atrás entre el muelle del Finch y ETICA**, Punta Estrada Reached via: Muelle de Pasajeros* and Muelle Finch Bay** Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz Galápagos *You should quote these words in bold to any taxi driver. **You should quote these words in bold to any water-taxi driver. WARNING if making your own way to Mimosa!!! When opting to make your own way and not taking our organized transport, it leads to uncertainty in your travel means and you could arrive at any time. Our staff will most probably not be present to meet you and let you in. You may also wish to eat in town or tour a little before going to Mimosa.
We recommend that you contact our staff (RUTH or e-mail) when you arrive at the dock, or before if possible, and coordinate a time to meet them either at one of the docks or at Mimosa. You can use your own phone, ask the taxi driver if you can use his or call from a phone-cabin in Puerto Ayora. Although we will do our best to meet you at the time specified, we may be in a different part of town, resulting in a short wait, but we will let you know this so that you don t have to wait around. Please understand that the taxi service we offer is the going rate, and is offered in order to avoid these arrival difficulties which subsequently fall back on us. Only make your own way if you: 1) are street-wise with provincial travel in Ecuador, 2) Have decent Spanish, 3) Are able to walk a bit with your luggage 4) Have a valid mobile phone, communication means or are familiar with the payphone system in Ecuador. 5) Understand that there may be no-one to meet you at the accommodation should you not arrive around the pre-arranged time and would need to contact us. Reaching Mimosa from the tourist dock It s advisable to print the arrival at Mimosa map. This will become your regular route to and from the town. You will need to make your way over to the tourist dock by walking across the promenade where the taxi leaves you. At the tourist dock, take the first or second mini-dock on the right. You will see yellow-hulled water taxis hovering around. They take people back and forth between the tourist dock and the Finch Bay dock on the other side. They charge 60c per person ($1 per person after 7pm). If arriving from 2-2:30pm, it may be chaotic as launches leave for Isabela Island at that time and the water taxis get the passengers to the launches. Be patient and enjoy the show. Once you get to the Finch Bay dock, walk up for 100m and take the first right for about 50m. Mimosa is the third and last door on the right. We will endeavor to meet you at either of the docks. We can only do this if you call us or in the case of a transfer organized by us as the driver will advise us of your arrival time at the dock. Important: 1) Please let us know your flight details in anticipation so we know roughly when to expect you. In the event of any serious flight delays please advise us if you can! 2) PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS CLEAR AS TO WHETHER WE MEET YOU AT MIMOSA OR AT THE TOURIST DOCK. IF YOU TAKE THE AQUA TAXI AND GET LOST OR FIND NO-ONE AT MIMOSA, THERE ARE NO MEANS OF COMMUNICATING FROM THERE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE AQUA TAXI BACK AGAIN TO CONTACT US. DEPARTING GALAPAGOS Return back to Baltra the way you came. You can get a taxi (4 people) from the passenger dock in the street for an $20 Puerto Ayora-Canal ride. You should aim to leave Mimosa 3hrs20mins before your flight. You can also have the transfer option again but would need to let us know or coordinate with the driver who brought you in advance.
When leaving Baltra airport, you ll need to surrender your white INGALA card, given to you in Quito airport. For emergencies, you can use our contact details: Paul McFarling Phone: (+44)7677915565 (UK mobile phone)/ (+44)1403563915 (UK home line) E-mail: paul@galapex.com; Our concierge is operated by Ingrid Garcia. She can be reached at: Phone (and WhatsApp): +593 (0)997866463; e-mail: info@galapagosforyou.com If you speak Spanish, you can contact our housekeeper, Martha, on her mobile phone: 0994462010 MAPS