FAQs

On a lot of yachts, you have access to the internet during the cruise. Some yachts have internet included during the cruise. There are also yachts that offer internet for an additional fee. On the islands Baltra, Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristóbal you do have internet options.

During the Galapagos cruise, three meals per day are included, from lunch on the first day to breakfast on the last day. Also included are coffee, tea, and water. Not included are sodas and alcoholic beverages. You can pay for these drinks at the end of the cruise onboard. 
If you do have some food restrictions during the cruise, you can let us know that. By making the reservations, we will send this information to the boat company, so that they will serve a nice meal that fits with your food restrictions.

The most important thing to remember is to never feel pressured to give any particular amount – tips are after all not an obligation but a reward to staff for good service.
Tips are usually split between the guide and the crew. Galapagos Lastminutes considers $ 10 per person (per passenger) per day as well for the guide and for the whole crew.

In addition to the cost of the Galapagos cruise, there are costs for the flight tickets to and from the Galapagos, the costs for the Transit Control Card $ 20 pp and the costs for the entrance fee to the Galapagos National Park á $ 200 pp.
Not all Galapagos boats offer the snorkel equipment and the wet suites included. If these costs are not included in the price, you must pay these costs to the crew at the end of the cruise onboard.
You should also take into account the tips for the crew and the guide(s).

The Galapagos Islands are one of the best places in the world to do SCUBA diving and provide diving encounters for live-aboard divers. The archipelago consists of a highly protected marine reserve. Live aboard dive cruises are the ideal way to discover the Galapagos Islands in a different way.
During an 8-day live aboard cruise you will get to know the underwater world at the islands of Wolf and Darwin. 

There are also opportunities to take diving day tours from Santa Cruz Island or from San Cristóbal Island to various dive sites on the islands. During the dive day tours, two dives per day are included.

Galapagos Lastminutes advises you the following packing list for your visit to the Galapagos islands:

• One or two towels extra; the boat company will provide one towel for one week.
• Flip flops.
• Hiking shoes.
• Socks: for each day you can take a pair of light socks with you
• Shorts.
• Light trousers or pants.
• Two swim suites; one wearing while the other one is drying.
• A waterproof jacket.
• Fleece jacket or light jumper (for at night).
• A cap or hat.
• Sunscreen.
• Sunglasses.
• Insect repellant.
• Binoculars.
• Camera and or an underwater camera, memory cards, batteries, and battery charger.
• Small. lightweight daypack to visit the islands.
• Seasickness medication or alternatives.
• Passport (valid for at least 6 months after departure from Ecuador).
• Cash Money
• A Credit Card
• Personal toiletries.

Most airlines limit checked luggage to one piece, with a maximum weight of 23 kilograms, and one hand luggage with a maximum weight of 10 kilograms.
We recommend not to bring any food. After arrival on the Galapagos Islands, your hand luggage will be checked for anything edible by customer service.

You can contact Galapagos Lastminutes by:

• E-mail: info@galapagoslastminutes.com;
• Skype: Galapagos.Last.Minutes;
• Phone or Whatsapp: (+593) 98 8935082

If it concerns a last minute cruise or island tour, payment is required immediately. Vouchers and tickets will never be issued unless full payment is received. Other parties involved with the bookings, can also use these terms of payment.

If you book a cruise or tour for the future, we would like to receive an initial deposit of 30%. We pay the deposit directly to the boat company or to the hotel so that the Galapagos Cruise or the tour is confirmed. Two months before departure of the Galapagos cruise or island tour, we would like to receive the remaining outstanding amount. If we have also transferred this amount to the boat company or the hotel, we will receive the voucher for the tour/cruise. This will be sent to you directly by email.

If you like to confirm the cruise/land tour with Galapagos Lastminutes, you can pay with us in the following ways:

• A bank transfer into our Ecuadorian bank account. We charge a $40 fee to cover expenses that the banks charge us for receiving your money.
• By credit card. This is a quick and easy secure online payment method for Visa and Mastercard cardholders. Credit card processing fees are 4%.
• Cash. If you are already in Ecuador, you can pay for the tour in cash (US Dollars) with a deposit directly into our Ecuadorian bank account. This is the best option in order to avoid both banking charges and exchange rate costs if you are already in the country.

Our accounts are 100% SECURE and in the name of Elwotravel Cia Ltda. We will never ask you to risk paying into any account registered under a personal name.

If you would like to book a Galapagos cruise or an island tour, we would like to receive the following information from you to make the reservations:

• a copy of the passport.
• the name and telephone number of a person in your home country, which we can reach in case of an emergency.
• the food restrictions for during the cruise.
• the flight details to and from Galapagos, if you like to book the flight tickets yourself (the Airline company, the flight numbers, the departure and arrival times).
• the name and telephone number of the hotel where you will be staying the night before the cruise/tour starts (in case of emergency).
• the International Flight details (the Airline company, the flight numbers, and the arrival and departure dates).

We will use this information to make the reservations for you. As soon as we receive the confirmation for the Galapagos cruise or island tour, we will send you a message that your tour/Cruise is confirmed. We will make the payment to the Galapagos boat company. Then we will receive the voucher. We will send this one to you by email, with a general information letter and any flight tickets booked with us.

The difference between an island tour and a Galapagos cruise: during an island tour you will visit the inhabited islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela and or San Cristóbal (depending on the number of days of the tour). During the island tour, you will visit one uninhabited island. On the day, the excursions and activities take place. While you´re doing the Galapagos Island tour you can also snorkel at various places. The accommodations are in hotels; you can choose from different hotel classes. In the evening there is an opportunity to visit a restaurant or bar on one of the inhabited islands.
During a Galapagos cruise, you sail on a boat to different islands. Usually, there is night sailing. During the day you take walks across the islands with the guide and the other passengers to view the flora and fauna. During a Galapagos cruise, there are several options for snorkeling. The nights are in a cabin (for two people) on the boat.

If you are interested in a particular Galapagos cruise, after we have sent you the options by email, you can take hold of a cabin (or cabins if you are traveling with several people) on a Galapagos boat. This option is for a few days. During these days you can send us the requested information to make the reservation (a copy of your passport, your food restrictions, etc.). We would also like to receive the (down) payment. When receive the money in our bank account, we make the final reservation with the Galapagos boat. We make the (down) payment to the Galapagos boat and receive the voucher for the cruise. With a general information letter (and flight tickets, booked by us), we will send you the voucher by email.

It is quite possible to go to the Galapagos as a single traveler. If you are interested in a Galapagos Cruise, you can reserve one seat on a Galapagos boat. You share the cabin with another traveler, on most boats, with a traveler of the same sex. The Galapagos boats in the Tourist Superior Class can´t guarantee 100% that you will share the cabin with a traveler of the same sex. If you want to book a cabin (which is normally for two people) for yourself for the trip, you have to pay a single supplement. This surcharge differs per boat. If you, as a single traveler, are interested in an island tour, you can book a single room for during the tour. For a single room you pay a single surcharge.

Flights to and from Galapagos depart from Quito or Guayaquil in Ecuador. The flight time from Quito to the Galapagos is approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. Along the way, a stop is made in Guayaquil to allow passengers to board there as well. There are also direct flights available from Quito to the Galapagos. There are two airports on the Galapagos: the airport on Baltra (close to the island of Santa Cruz) and on San Cristóbal. Galapagos Lastminutes can help you with flight tickets to and from the Galapagos Islands. Some boat companies require passengers to book tickets through them so that all passengers arrive at the Galapagos Airport at the same time and all passengers can be taken to the boat together. If you do not book the tickets through the boat company, a fee will be charged. This fee differs per boat company. If you have any questions about this, please contact us.

Galapagos Lastminutes updates the availability of the Lastminute Galapagos cruises daily. If you are interested in a (Last Minute) Galapagos cruise on a particular Galapagos boat, you can fill in the form on the website and we will check the availability of the Galapagos boat for you. We will send you the availability of the Galapagos boat by email, with the price for the Galapagos cruise and the link of the Galapagos boat with the information.

Galapagos Lastminutes can help you book your Galapagos cruise or your island hopping tour in the Galapagos Islands. We can also help you make reservations for flight tickets to and from Galapagos. We are also happy to give advice and tips for your unforgettable trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Galapagos Lastminutes can book your transfers, tours, hotels, activities, excursions on the Mainland and organize an unforgettable jungle tour in the Amazone Area in Ecuador.