Galápagos with Kids: How We Did It Without a Cruise (+ What It Cost)

Did you know you can visit the Galápagos Islands without taking a cruise?

Before planning our family trip to Ecuador, I honestly assumed a Galápagos cruise was the only realistic way to experience the islands. And with a family of six, I also assumed it would be WAY out of our budget.

Then I started researching land-based Galápagos trips.

Instead of sleeping on a boat, we stayed in hotels and Airbnbs on the inhabited islands, took a ferry between islands, planned our own activities, and booked a snorkeling excursion to Kicker Rock. It gave us more flexibility with the kids and allowed us to experience the Galápagos for significantly less than many of the cruise options I had researched.

In this episode of Travel with Kids, I'm breaking down exactly how we planned our 5-day, 4-night Galápagos trip with four kids, including what worked, what didn't, and what I would change if we did it again.

We'll talk about:

Why we chose a land-based Galápagos trip instead of a cruise

The pros and cons of land-based travel with kids

How many days I think you REALLY need in the Galápagos

Why we chose Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal

Our complete 5-day Galápagos itinerary

Flying into one island and out of another