The best Inter Island Transfers | Travel Blog

There’s a lot of information available online about how to get to the Galapagos Islands but less about how to get around once you are there. Yet traveling around the islands is all part of the magic of a Galapagos Islands journey, so it might be interesting to know a bit more about the transfers between the islands.

The cruise

Of course, one of the best ways of traveling around the islands is on a cruise. On a liveaboard vessel, you can do most of the traveling at night, meaning each day you will wake up to another spectacular view. The flexibility of a cruise means you get to see as much of the islands as possible during your stay.

Also, as only a few of the islands are habitable (the remainder are preserved as wildlife reserves and national parks) a boat gives you the best chance of seeing parts of the archipelago that you might not be able to reach by staying in a hotel.

Custom travel and flights

Apart from an organized cruise, another great way of exploring the islands is on Galapagos tours. Design your own itinerary, taking in the sights and destinations that you most want to visit.

A custom Galapagos Islands vacation allows independent travel and accommodation throughout the island chain. To save time you can fly between the three main inhabited islands – Santa Cruz Island, Isabela and San Cristobal. The inter-island airlines are:  MTB & Flight Galapagos, and they connect flights between the islands, with flight times of around 30 minutes. So that should cover the transfers!

Speed Boats

Alternatively, if you would rather not fly or prefer a more leisurely form of travel, then you can hop onto one of the many public boat services that run between them.

From Puerto Ayora, you can catch a speedboat service daily to Puerto Villamil on Isabela and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal. Journey times are around two and half hours and it can get a little bumpy at times, so be prepared to invest in some seasickness medication. It’s also recommended that you book at least one day in advance as they can get booked up and space is limited.

From the main inhabited islands, you can join organized tours to the outlying islands but there are no public transport routes between them.

There are many different ways to enjoy your Galapagos Islands vacation, using many modes of transport. However, what remains constant is the amazing natural beauty and stunning wildlife of the islands.