Last year, I took a dream vacation to a place I had heard about my whole life, but never thought I would have the chance to visit: the Galápagos Islands.
I swam with sea turtles and sharks, hung out with sea lions, and walked with the legendary giant tortoises.
I traveled solo, skipped the touristy cruises, flew coach, and negotiated for some great deals, but my trip was nearly overshadowed by one major mistake: I didn’t bring nearly enough cold, hard cash in the form of US dollars.
Ecuador is a fully dollarized economy, which means American travelers don’t even need to exchange currency. However, getting dollars once I was on the islands proved to be more difficult — and expensive — than I expected.
Although I brought some cash, I spent most of it before my vacation even began
Before my trip, I thought a few hundred dollars would be all I needed for the week. Instead, my cash was gone before I even saw a blue-footed booby.
For one, there’s a long list of fees visitors have to pay just to enter the islands. There are also costs to get from the mostly uninhabited island where the main airport is located to other islands, where it’s actually possible to book a stay for the night.
First, I spent $20 on a Galápagos Transit Control Card at the mainland airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This is a mandatory document for all visitors, used to monitor tourism and manage immigration.
Then, I flew to the Seymour Airport, located on the mostly uninhabited island of Baltra in the Galápagos. I paid a $200 mandatory national-park entry fee so I could exit the airport.
From there, I spent about $15 to take a bus and ferry from Baltra to Santa Cruz, where my accommodations and tours were located.
Once I arrived in Santa Cruz, I paid $25 for a taxi from the ferry terminal to the main town. I would’ve just taken the bus for about $5, but none were available when I arrived.
Using credit cards and getting cash on the islands wasn’t as great or as easy as I’d anticipated
Although I didn’t have much cash by the time I arrived at my accommodations, I still had my credit cards and knew I’d be able to withdraw US dollars from any ATM in the country if needed.
Unfortunately, I found out too late that many locally owned accommodations won’t accept credit cards, and almost all of the local tour operators charge hefty fees for using them.
Operators tack on credit-card or “convenience” fees that can rise to as high as 10% or 20% of the total bill. When I started really running low on money, I learned that convenience comes at a steep price for cash, too.
Between the local ATM fees and my bank’s international and out-of-network charges, I got hit with more than $25 in fees on a single withdrawal.
Looking back, there are a few ways I wish I’d saved money on my trip
If you’re planning your first trip, don’t follow in my footsteps.
First of all, a shorter stay offers the least bang for your buck, and my trip was just three days.
Since the upfront fees to enter the islands are the same regardless of how long you’re staying, my cost-per-day breakdown felt astronomical.
If you’re going to pay the price of admission to the islands, I suggest you stay at least a week to make the initial investment worth it.
For a weeklong stay, I’d also advise packing at least $600 in a mix of bills ranging from $5 to $100 so you can tip easily without worrying about getting change.
Even if bringing more cash from home isn’t feasible, it’s at least worth withdrawing some before flying to the Galápagos. Major cities like Guayaquil and Quito, where most visitors catch their flights to the islands, tend to have lower ATM fees.
All in all, I had a great time seeing the Galápagos Islands, but my vacation could’ve gone smoother — and been a better value — if I’d been a bit more prepared.
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