Galapagos National Park Entry Fees to Double from August 2024

The Galapagos National Park and Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism have agreed on an entry fee hike – the first since 1998 – that will see the cost to visit the Galapagos Islands double from $100 to $200 per person. Children aged 12 and under will qualify for a lower fee.

According to a post by the Galapagos Conservation Trust: “Recent years have seen worrying growth in the number of visitors to the Islands, driven by a sharp increase in land-based tourism. This is pushing waste management systems to the limit, exacerbating water and food insecurity, and increasing the threat of devastating invasive species being introduced to the Islands.”

The extra funds from the fee increase will be used for conservation initiatives, infrastructure upgrades, and community programs.

While the increase seems dramatic, the overall fee to visit the Galapagos remains lower than other wildlife tourism destinations, the Galapagos Conservation Trust said. For instance, to visit the Serengeti National Park, tourists must pay an entry fee of $70.80 per person, per day during low season, and $82.60 per person, per day during high season. It’s even more expensive to visit the Masai Mara National Reserve. That costs $185 per person, per day in low season and $285 per person, per day during high season.

Visitors to the Galapagos only pay once during their time in the Galapagos.

According to a spokesperson for Lindblad Expeditions, the fee increase has no impact on guests already booked for a Lindblad-National Geographic cruise after August 1. HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) is still “in the process of making a decision.”