Doubled, yet still modest, new US $200 entrance fee per person expected to bring in $40 million per year for
long-term conservation and the local community

As anyone who has explored the Galápagos knows, the islands that inspired Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution give as good as they get. Now, the captivating archipelago lying 620 miles off the coast of Ecuador is getting more, as per the recent entrance fee to Galápagos National Park to US $200 per person from US $100 per person for up to 50 days of travel. It’s the first fee increase from the Park in 26 years, and it has full support of Metropolitan Touring, the award-winning pioneer of sustainable tourism that has been revealing the natural and cultural wonders of the Galápagos and Ecuador to travelers since 1953.

First Fee Increase in 26 Years

“To us, the fee increase reflects the positive commitment shown by the Ecuadorian government for long-term conservation of the Galápagos Islands,” said Paulina Burbano de Lara, CEO of Metropolitan Touring, which offers land-based and cruise explorations of the Galápagos and implemented the first recycling and waste management plant on Santa Cruz Island in 1996. “We see it as a commitment to safeguarding the fragile, singular ecosystem of the islands to benefit future generations. The fee increase is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of the surrounding local community.”

Indeed, the motivation behind the entrance fee increase is to ensure both the enduring conservation of the islands’ ecosystems — 97% of the archipelago’s land is protected as part of the Galápagos National Park — as well as the well-being of the local population of 33,000, scattered across small ports on four islands in the 3% of land outside the Park. The 333,000 visitors to the islands in 2023, comprised of 50% foreigners, either stay in the ports or venture on liveaboard cruises to specific sites on uninhabited islands.

The Galápagos Welcome 178,000 Foreigners Annually

The entrance fee increase is expected to double the Park’s income to over $40 million per year without boosting the number of visitors. The proceeds will be well used, with 45% going to the Galápagos National Park Directorate, 25% to municipal governments, 20% to the Galápagos Governing Council, 5% to Parish Councils of the Province, and 5% to the Galápagos Biosafety and Quarantine Regulation and Control Agency.

Global Park Fee Comparison

Though now doubled, the entrance fee is still relatively modest, especially considering all that awaits travelers throughout the Galápagos. By comparison, high-season entrance fees per person per day run $285 at Masai Mara National Reserve, $100 at Bhutan, and $82.60 at Serengeti National Park, according to the global forecasting agency Globetrender. Meanwhile, Ecuadorians pay just a fraction of the new rate: $30 or less per person.

“The Galapagos Islands are not only a national treasure but a global one. It is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve this unparalleled ecosystem for future generations,” said Niels Olsen, Ecuador’s former Minister of Tourism. “The adjustment in the entry fee, the first since 1998, is a necessary measure to ensure that tourism in the Galapagos remains sustainable and mutually beneficial to both the environment and our local communities.”

“The Galapagos Islands are not only a national treasure but a global one. It is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve this unparalleled ecosystem for future generations,” said Niels Olsen, Ecuador’s former Minister of Tourism. “The adjustment in the entry fee, the first since 1998, is a necessary measure to ensure that tourism in the Galapagos remains sustainable and mutually beneficial to both the environment and our local communities.”