Airlines announce that starting Jan. 1, 2012 - all internal Ecuadorian flights - including those to the Galapagos - will have a fuel surcharge

UPDATE Jan 9, 2012 – For both Aerogal and TAME flights, fuel surcharges can now be paid in advance to our offices. There will no longer be any payments made locally at the airport. Please see additional details in comments section below.

All flights starting on January 1, 2012 to the Galapagos, will be subject to a fuel surcharge. It does not matter when the flights were booked, and applies to flights departing/arriving from both Quito and Guayaquil to/from the Galapagos. Travelers should expect the fuel surcharge to be roughly $70 for each leg; a round-trip ticket will see an increase of $140.

Depending on the airline and departure city, here is the costs for fuel surcharges for flights to/from the Galapagos for flights on or after Jan. 1, 2012:

Aerogal
$50 USD per way in flights to/from Quito – Galapagos
$50 USD per way in flights to/from Guayaquil – Galapagos

TAME
$70 USD per way in flights to/from Quito – Galpaagos
$60 per way in flights to/from Guayaquil – Galapagos

Why the increase?
In the past, the Ecuadorian government supplied a 40% fuel subsidy for internal flights. Officially announced earlier this week, the government is no longer offering this subsidy to the airlines, which means, in order to cover costs, there will be an increase in costs for all domestic Ecuadorian flights, this, of course, includes those to the Galapagos Islands.

There is still some mystery to exactly what travelers can expect to pay for which airline and whether or not this surcharge needs to be paid locally or in advance. We’re on top of things, and are eagerly waiting details from the airlines.

I understand that this is surprising and frustrating – believe me, we, and operators throughout the industry, share your sentiments. I will share updates as soon as they are available. In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions on how this will affect your Ecuador or Galapagos travels.

Two corrals closed. The giant tortoises can be observed from the viewing platforms. Photo courtesy of Galapagos Conservancy

The closure — rather the reasons behind this closure — is of course disheartening. The Giant Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center has been operating for over 40 years. It is not only and important place for tortoise research and rearing (it currently holds 925 juvenile tortoises and 70 adult tortoises), it is also an educating tool to thousands of visitors who come to learn about the islands’ intriguing flora and fauna. The closure, however, does inspire me to get the word out and remind visitors that there are simple rules to being a responsible traveler on a Galapagos tour. A little refresher can do us all a bit of good.

The Galapagos National Park created the following rules for all visitors to the Galapagos:

1. To visit the National park you must always be accompanied by a certified Galapagos National Park guide.
2. Galapagos is unique and fragile environment. Take only photographs and video. Professional shooting needs authorization from the National Park.
3. Please stay within the limits of the walking trails for your safety and that of the flora and fauna.
4. To avoid affecting the wildlife’s natural behavior please avoid getting closer than two meters (6.5 feet) to the animals.
5. Camping is only allowed in specific sites. If you wish to camp, you must first obtain a permit from the Galapagos National Park.
6. Help conservation by cooperating with the authorities in their inspection, monitoring and control duties. Report any anomalies to the National Park.
7. Do not introduce foreign organisms to the islands, as these can have a negative impact on the ecosystem.
8. Please do not buy souvenirs which are made from black coral, sea shells, sea lion teeth, tortoise shell, volcanic rock or endemic woods.
9. Galapagos animals have their own feeding behaviors. Never feed the animals. Feeding them can be detrimental to their health.
10. Galapagos landscapes are beautiful and unique. Do not spoil them by writing or etching rocks or trees.
11. Do not litter while on the islands. Always dispose of rubbish in a safe and appropriate way.
12. Smoking or making camp fires in the national park areas is forbidden and can cause devastating fires.
13. Fishing is strictly forbidden, except on those boats specifically authorized by the Galapagos National Park for that purpose only.
14. Jet skiing, submarines, water skiing, and aerial tourism are all forbidden.

For more information on responsible Galapagos travel, this video from our friends at the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) makes a nice visual.

Show your conservation attitude … and travel well.

Adventure Life on Travel + Leisure A-List: World's Top Agents 2011

Galapagos 2012
Now, more than ever, a good Galapagos trip planner is important. Galapagos travelers should be aware that earlier this year, the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) issued a notice to all Galapagos boat operators that they must start operating 15-day itineraries. Original announcements stated all boats would adhere to the new 15-day itineraries as early as Feb. 1, 2011 — later reports pushed the official effective date to Jan. 1, 2012 to allow more lead time for boats to make changes.

With the changes already on the horizon, however, many Galapagos yachts are voluntarily moving forward with the changes and operating the new 15-day itinerary in 2011, as originally proposed. More itineraries obviously mean more options. Not only do travelers now need to decipher the myriad of ship options available (some excellent, some not-so-excellent), a good travel agent will help clients understand where the itineraries are going to take them, and which stops they should not miss. Gone are the simple choices of either the long or short-cruise options; each yacht making stops at essentially the same destinations. Now there are options that include Eastern, Western, Northwestern, Southern, Circumnavigation of the Islands … This is when travelers need to pick up the phone and talk to an expert. Or better yet, one of the Galapagos’ Top Travel Agents.

Our amazing guide, Simone, from the Achuar community in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Did I tip? You betcha.

Restaurants — 10% of the bill*
Hotel/airport portage — US$1 per suitcase, per person
Local guides — US$5-8 per day, per person
Cooks and Porters — US$2-3 per day, per person
Driver for tours — US$3 per day, per person
Guides on Galapagos tour — US$5-10 per day, per person
Galapagos cruise crew — US$10 per day per person for entire crew

*This amount is usually included in the bill, so double check that you are not tipping twice. And note that many times your server doesn’t see this tip if it is included in the bill – it is typically pooled into the staff or absorbed by the restaurant. If you feel your server did a stand-out job, you might want to leave something specific for him/her.

Rest assured – if you have reservations or are confused about tipping you are not alone. Whatever you feel comfortable with is usually the best rule of thumb. As in any situation you might find at home, if you feel someone has provided exceptional service, any small gift of extra tip is graciously accepted. But bottom line, remember that tipping is at your discretion.

Let me expand…
In general, Latin America is not really a tipping culture — certainly nothing like the U.S. where the culture is such that it is almost a requirement; at the very minimum there is a huge pressure to tip.

United States citizens are known throughout the world for being “good-tippers” or for over-tipping. In Latin America it is not “expected” like it is in the U.S., and it is certainly much more appreciated. But sectors of the community that work specifically within the tourism industry are becoming much more accustomed to receiving tips.

For example, take taxi drivers — those directly working in the tourism sector anticipate a tip from travelers. Is this due to an increase of U.S. visitors and their tipping practices? Perhaps. But truly the only division that really expects, and almost requires a tip, are guides.

Keep in mind, however, that many of the services that you receive on a Latin America trip would cost much more in North America, especially if you venture outside of the tourism sector and into locally-owned businesses.

For services directly linked to the tourism industry, tipping is quite common. For those outside of the industry, it is not expected, but welcomed. Frankly, you are probably more inclined to want to tip, simply because you’ve receive a service at a very reasonable price.

That is about as clear-cut as I can get when it comes to tipping. Honestly, even when I travel I always struggle a bit with tipping but typically follow my own recommendations.

Questions?

357 dead sharks found on board illegal fishing vessel - photo courtesy of the Galapagos National Park

For me, this news carries with it a mixture of emotions — frustrating, disheartening and at the same time encouraging that the Galapagos National Park (GNP) and Ecuadorian government seem to be effectively working together to enforce the law. Reports from the GNP state that this is the largest shark seizure in history.

Sharks are hunted around the world for their fins – a delicacy in parts of the world. Shark finning is a graphic process where the fins are cut off the large fish while still alive. The shark is then thrown overboard, back into the ocean where it slowly bleeds to death. Interestingly enough, the sharks found in this case had not been finned, rather where whole fish. Half of the 29 species of sharks that call the Galapagos Marine Reserve home are considered threatened.

When deciding to take a Galapagos trip, there are important choices you can make to support the Galapagos National Park and conservation efforts in islands. Click here to learn more about traveler involvement in Galapagos conservation efforts and the significance of protecting the islands.

1. Post this blog or video to your Facebook page anytime between June 10, 2011 and June 26, 2011.

To post the video copy/paste this URL to your Facebook post: http://youtu.be/yk2WjswA9Ns
To post this blog copy/paste this URL to your Facebook post: http://blog.adventure-life.com/2011/06/10/post-this-eagle-ray-video-to-win-eagle-creek-gear/

2. Tag Adventure Life in your post

3. I’ll pick a random winner to walk away with over $400 of great Eagle Creek gear.

One of our Galapagos guides, Fabricio Chavez, captured this “flock” of spotted eagle rays while snorkeling in the islands. A resident of the Galapagos, spotted eagle rays can reach up to 8 feet across and 16 feet long from head to tail. While they are found widespread throughout the Galapagos, they are not extremely common. This was a rare — and beautiful — treat.

Enter to win over $400 of Eagle Creek gear

Prize: Winner receives a Traverse Pro 25, and a folder, cube, and sac from Eagle Creek’s exclusive Pack-It System; or what I like to call, the tidy-traveler’s best friend. Here’s how to enter:

1. Post this blog or video to your Facebook page anytime between June 10, 2011 and June 26, 2011.

2. Tag Adventure Life in your post

3. I’ll pick a random winner to walk away with over $400 of great Eagle Creek gear.

Yes, it’s that simple!

Winner will be posted here on our blog, so stay tuned. GOOD LUCK!

The “Small Print”:
Submissions are open to legal residents of the continental United States and must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Once contacted, winner will have 2 work-days to reply before another winner is selected. Winner agrees to let Adventure Life brag about you on our Facebook page, Twitter, and any other promotion of this sweepstakes as part of the winning announcement. Prize is non-redeemable for cash.

The dining room of the Finch Bay hotel is cleaned after the flood. The hotel was flooded by the equivalent of various very high tides – not waves. Finch Bay re-opened to visitors on March 15, 2011

Fortunately, no lives were lost. And tortoises (including Lonesome George) from the Park’s Tortoise Captive Breeding Center on Santa Cruz were temporarily relocated to higher ground.

There are some sensationalized reports of emergency supplies sent from the mainland to Ecuador and how hotels were destroyed. And while some hotels were flooded, no hotel was destroyed. The Finch Bay hotel which was one of the hardest hit reopened yesterday. The Red Mangrove’s lodge in Puerto Ayora will be back and operational by April 1. The amount of emergency supplies that the Ecuador military sent out is 6 tons. To put it in perspective, that is about six pick-up truck loads. Supplies were sent to assist those whose businesses and homes where impacted by the flooding.

Flights were canceled on Friday, but were operating once again by Saturday and all reports from Galapagos yachts state operations are back to normal.

Currently, the Charles Darwin Center is closed, but we will keep you posted as to its re-opening, which we are optimistic will be soon. If you have any specific questions on the impact of the tsunami in the Galapagos, or how it might impact your visit to the islands, do not hesitate to contact us at 1-800-344-6118.

The Galapagos Islands take precautions as a tsunami is anticipated to arrive sometime today around 4:30 pm

We woke with news this morning of an earthquake that struck Japan measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this natural disaster. As a result of this earthquake, tsunami alerts have been issued for islands and coastal regions hugging the Pacific Ocean.

The tsunami is expected to arrive in Galapagos later this afternoon (March 11, 2011), around 4:30 pm local Galapagos time (5:30pm mainland Ecuador). Ecuador President Rafael Correa has ordered evacuation of the Galapagos Islands. Thankfully, effects of the tsunami are not expected to be severe in the Galapagos or in Latin America in general. Nonetheless, all necessary precautions are already in affect and with the advanced notice, time to seek safe ground is sufficient.

Along with the evacuation order, flights to Galapagos today have been canceled. All tour yachts are required to leave port and be at least five miles offshore to safe waters. Travelers are staying on board. The local populations are seeking higher ground to the highlands and mid sections of the Islands by noon today. Obviously, all visits today have been canceled.

Weather experts in Ecuador expect a similar situation to the one witnessed in Hawaii earlier today in the Galapagos. The higher than usual waves, which arrived about every 15 minutes to the Hawaiian coast caused minimal damage on the shores and ports of the islands. A very similar scenario is expected in the Galapagos today.

Among those evacuating to higher ground is the islands’ famous inhabitant, Lonesome George, as reported by the Galapagos Conservancy.

All international flights into Quito and Guayaquil are operating normally and no delays or cancellations are expected. We are optimistic that flights to and from the Galapagos will be resuming tomorrow. Congestion is inevitable – airports in Galapagos will see an increase in flights to normalize the situation of those passengers stranded in mainland Ecuador today.

Tsunami alerts and alarms in Latin America have also been issued for Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile. In general, coast regions in these countries are advising coastal populations to be on alert and in some cases seek higher ground.

We are in constant contact with our partners in Galapagos and throughout Latin America and will keep you updated on developments.

The Giant Tortoise - A Galapagos Superstar

With the changes already on the horizon, however, many Galapagos yachts are voluntarily moving forward with the changes and operating the new 15-day itinerary in 2011, as originally proposed. Boats that are moving forward on this 15-day itinerary are hoping to secure preferential and the most sought-after itineraries for their clients. Travelers have the option of booking the full 15-days … or, depending on the boat, any length from 4 to 15 day itineraries. The new itineraries should not visit any site more than once.

Why the Change?
The protection of the islands is the foremost concern for all parties involved. This new itinerary project is designed specifically around preservation of the islands. The islands continue to wow travelers, and along with their fame, their number of visitors has increased dramatically over the past few decades. This lengthened itinerary will spread travelers out — decreasing visitation to the most heavily visited sites and allow the opportunity for travelers to visit some of those lesser-explored regions of the islands.

The International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) states:

The purpose of this measure was to cut visitation at 15 heavily used sites, give equal access to all boats at sites, increase the use of underused sites, enhance the visitor experience, reduce accidents, and reduce the total number of visitors by cutting out shorter itineraries.

To break it down to numbers – implementation of this measure will reduce visitors to some sites by 50%. The goal is to enhance Galapagos travel for both the islands and its visitors. In other words, change is good.

Is Your Yacht Making the Change in 2011?
These Galapagos yachts have decided to start offering the 15-day itinerary starting sometime this upcoming season. I know this is vague, but each yacht has their own agenda and initiation schedule that vague is the only option. Certainly give us a call 1-800-344-6118 if you have any questions on your yacht, your trip, or Galapagos cruises in general.

Aida Maria
Eden
Angelito
Cachalote
Guantanamera
San Jose
Millennium
Athala
Beluga
Seaman II
Queen of Galapagos

Endemic Galapagos Hawk -- The lava lizard didn't stand a chance. Photo by Jennifer Crossman

As part of an ongoing commitment (and battle) to eradicate invasive species on the Galapagos Islands, partner organizations including the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and Galapagos National Park (GNP) are once again attacking the invasive rat population of the Galapagos Islands. The rats causing all the trouble were first brought inadvertently to the islands in the 17th century as stowaways on ships. Rats have been successfully removed from other islands; and the work continues.

Biologists from University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center have joined the CDF and GNP in their efforts to rid the islands of rats. Why the Raptor Center? Well, the project is focusing on the removal of invasive rats from ten small islands and islets; four of these islands are home to 22 Galapagos hawks. As a means to their end, the rats will be poisoned. To protect the hawks from potential secondary poisoning (via eating the poisoned rats), the 22 birds will be held in captivity for roughly 6 weeks, during the eradication process.

I should note that the Galapagos does have an endemic species of rat called the Galapagos Rice Rat – this small, brown rat with bat-like ears, resides on Santa Fe Island.

The park service has had some great successes with eradication, including invasive pigs, goats and various plant species. Some of you might remember reading my feature about the return of giant tortoises to Pinta Island this past summer. Following the removal of invasive goats from Pinta Island, giant tortoises have returned to Pinta Island after a 40-year absence.