Traveling to the Galapagos Islands: Planning your Trip

Airports & Flights to Galapagos

Flights to the Galapagos Islands depart daily from Quito and Guayaquil. Most of Galapagos flights from Quito stop briefly in Guayaquil to pick up passengers. Flight times are as follows:

• Quito to Guayaquil: approximately 35 minutes.
• Guayaquil to Galapagos: approximately 2.5 hours.

Currently two airlines operate these routes: LAN-Ecuador and Avianca.

The Galapagos Islands have two main airports: Baltra Airport and San Cristobal Airport. The choice of arrival and departure airport depends on your itinerary or cruise route.

• Baltra Airport (GPS): the main gateway to Galapagos, is located near Santa Cruz, the most populated island in the archipelago, making it the busiest airport in the region.
• San Cristóbal Airport (SCY): is smaller but convenient for those visiting San Cristobal Island and its surrounding areas with a lot of activities options.

Galapagos Travel Tips

Due to high demand, we strongly advise booking your local flights together with your cruise. Royal Galapagos reserves a number of spaces with local airlines for our operational cruise days, ensuring a worry-free travel experience for our guests.

Since most international flights arrive in Ecuador in the evening and flights to the Galapagos primarily operate in the morning, an overnight stay in Quito or Guayaquil is usually necessary. We recommend arriving in Ecuador at least two nights before your flight to the Galapagos to allow time for connections and adjustments. View our pre-cruise packages in mainland Ecuador.

To Keep in Mind:

• Time Zones: Mainland Ecuador operates on UTC-05:00, while the Galapagos Islands are 1 hour behind the mainland.
• One Way Ticket: Only residents can purchase one-way tickets, so all visitors must book round-trip flights for their Galapagos Islands trip.