You can do different things to clear in and visit the Galapagos. We cannot judge about the other ways of doing it, but we found our way of visiting the very interesting, the most comfortable and less expensive:
- Arrive in San Cristobal. Get Bolivar as agent (go and find him in his house, near restaurant Rosita) and forget about an expensive cruising permit, months or weeks in advance.
- So, don’t get an autographo, just pay your port taxes, immigration taxes, your stay for 20 days, your clearing out and your Zarpe for the Marquesas (We paid 280 dollars in total for 5 people on a 46 ft yacht, incl the agent). Leave the boat in San Cristobal (Isabela is a nice anchorage, but Santa Cruz is horrible – so it’s actually not worth the expensive autographo – see autograho info on Noonsite).
- Find a group of 10 other people on yachts who read this too, or didn’t get the autographo. Check Tina of the company SHARKSKY if she can arrange a 4 day tour of the Galapagos (you can find the program some pages ago on this blog). Have the patience to wait a few days to go on your tour and provision or visit San Cristobal. It’s a great tour! We paid 430 dollars per adult for 4 days, everything included and we loved it.
- Visit San Cristobal by a local taxi (no guide). Bolivar will help you out.
- Refuel and filter your diesel.
- Go on your 4 day tour by Sharksky and enjoy every second of it with the great company you selected. You’ll feel like going on a holiday.
- Go to the vegetable market on Wednesdays or Saturdays, after your tour, to provision fresh fruits and vegetables; fill your boat with water and leave the Galapagos early in the morning.
It felt like for the first time we left home, we had a real holiday !
Enjoy it!
Other things:
- Give your passports back and ask for your Zarpe one or two days before you plan to leave.
- Make sure you fill your water in time, at least a day before you leave.
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