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[Sanjiv]

Hi-
I am looking into going the galapagos islands and not really sure where to begin. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting there from Quito? Also, once there is it better to stay on the island or is it better to do a boat tour?

[Josiah]

I would say boat tour is better than staying on the islands, as I found the outer, unhibited islands to be a bit more special than the "closer", more visited islands. I am not sure if you can visit islands like Fernandina on a day trip while basing on the island.

As for where to begin - this is how I arranged everything. I'm sure there are other ways, butI suggest this as a starting point:
1. Pick the type of boat you would like to be on, decide on budget range and length (I'd recommend ~7 days).

2. Once you have those two things decided, speak to a travel agent (there are many recommended on these forums, I went through Columbus Travel who were great). They will be able to come up with a few boats that meet your price range, and likely will also be able to book and arrange flights to Galapagos from Quito or Guayaquil (prices for flights are more or less set, so not that much point shopping around, I beliveve its around ~400 US).

3. Once you have narrowed down to a few boats, some research is recommended, as you should choose based upon which islands you want to visit, whether the boat offers things like scuba/snorkelling, etc.
Hope this helps, and good luck