To Guayaquil and Beyond

Aeropuerto de San Cristóbal, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. 10.55.

When I was just a kid, there were a few things I already knew wanted to achieve in life. I wanted to fall in love and have a family, write stories and, one day, go to some of the places I used to see on wildlife documentaries like Blue Planet, Land of the Tiger and Natural World. All of those dreams are still with me, but today, one of them comes true.

One destination in particular was a prize beyond all others, especially considering I was much more into reptiles back then than any other creature. A destination so remote and so wild that the animals that live there have little to no fear of man, despite centuries of visitors and worldwide fame. A volcanic archipelago that inspired a certain British naturalist to design one of the most revolutionary scientific theories of all time. A chain of islands named for their iconic, lumbering residents, some of which patrol the same corner of their highland world since they hatched in the early 1900s.

I’m talking, of course, about the Galápagos Islands. Here I am at last, about to embark on an adventure twenty-four years in the making. Here I am – and here we go!

Now that the secret is out of the bag, I can stop speaking in riddles!

I slept for at least part of the flight from Santiago to Guayaquil. I must have done, at least, because I don’t remember it feeling like a five hour flight at all. I woke up here and there, usually at opportune times such as when the flight crew came down the aisle with water and an in-flight snack of diced fruit and chocolate, but after sleeping little the night before, I think my fatigue got the better of me – and just as well! I don’t think I’ll want to miss even a second of my time on the islands for something as trivial as sleep.

Ecuador is one of the birdwatching capitals of the world, but I’m no lister, so I don’t begrudge my brief pit stop being limited to the interior of Guayaquil Airport. All the same, there’s a lot to be seen from the ceiling-high windows on the south side, near the KFC. I’d seen tanagers, hummingbirds and kingbirds before, but the cuckoo-like anis that live in the palm grove beside the departures lounge are a lot of fun to observe, as are the long-tailed grackles with which they share the scrub.

Now – logistics. Traveling to the Galapagos with a tour company may mean a lot of the admin is done for you, but if you, like me, prefer to strike out alone and do it yourself – which really does keep the costs down – you’re going to want to do a couple of things before leaving Guayaquil.

Make sure you have US dollars in hand – $200 at the very least for the island entry fee for foreign tourists, which must be paid in cash immediately upon arrival at the airport on the islands. If you have large denominations, now is the time to use them, as you’ll need smaller bills for day-to-day expenses around the Galapagos. There are ATMs in the major ports, but they have a reputation for running out, so having a float of ready cash is vital. There’s an ATM in the south corner of the terminal, between the KFC and the Salidas Nacionales door.
Before going through security (via the Salidas Nacionales door on the south side of the airport), make sure you go to the check-in desk that says “Tourists traveling to Galápagos Islands”. You can’t miss it – it’s the one in the middle with the big queues of gringos. You’ll need to queue twice for two different mandatory pre-flight checks.
Make sure you fill out the TCT (Tarjeta de control de tránsito), also known as the Tourist Transit Card, before you go through security. It costs $20, but there is a small surcharge for doing it online. Select “pay at airport”, use some of the dollars you’ve picked up and dodge the online fee.
Once you have your TCT, you also need to fill out a separate form declaring you’re not bringing any illegal goods onto the island. Processed food and plants come under that bracket, so polish off any snacks before you leave. It’s the islands and their wildlife that are at stake if you don’t. When you have the form in hand (or on your phone), join the queue to run your bags through the scanner. Once you’re clear to go, that’s it for the checks.

August is the tail end of high season in the Galapagos, or so I’ve been lead to believe. However, the 9.17am flight to San Cristobal was one of the emptier flights I’ve taken on my travels in South America, so despite skimping on seat reservation and being assigned an aisle seat, there was nobody else on my row at all – or the two in front, come to that – so I landed a window spot after all. Result!

Given the magnitude of what’s coming, I’ll leave it there for today’s post and fall into line one day behind, which should give me the breathing room I need to write each day without racing against the clock. So come back tomorrow to find out about my first day on the island of San Cristóbal, easternmost of the Galápagos Islands! BB x