Going to the Galápagos? Travel Sustainably If You Really Want to Protect the Islands

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Traveling sustainably to the Galápagos Islands has never been more important — or more expensive — as the entry fee doubles to protect the region’s fragile biodiversity.

One of the most beloved tourist destinations in the world, the Galápagos Islands emerged out of covid like much of the rest of the globe. But, the islands made famous by Charles Darwin’s theory on natural selection, are now facing a new kind of evolutionary shift: the potentially irreversible, detrimental impacts of unsustainable travel habits.

To protect the fragility of the biodiverse region, Galápagos is emphasizing sustainable tourism — but, generally, less of it. It’s a hard position to be in: the region’s economy thrives on being a tourist destination, but tourism is slowly destroying the region.

One way to address it? Make it more expensive. The Galápagos recently announced it will be doubling its entry fee for tourists beginning this year to $200. “The Galapagos Islands are not only a national treasure but a global one,” Niels Olsen, Ecuador’s Minister of Tourism, said in a statement. “It is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve this unparalleled ecosystem for future generations.” The fee increase will help the region bolster its conservation efforts as well as make improvements to infrastructure and the surrounding community, according to the Galápagos Conservation Trust (GCT). The increase comes as post-covid tourism has seen a significant uptick, which conservationists say threatens the islands’ ecosystem.

Why are the Galápagos Islands important?

Crowned the world’s first UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site in 1979, the Galápagos island chain is most notable for being the backdrop to naturalist Charles Darwin’s theory on evolution. The exclusive nature of the islands has kept many of its native species in a state of homeostasis — mostly unchanged since prehistoric times. Evolutionary adaptations have not been necessary because the Galápagos Islands are a biological bubble.

In 2021, actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced a $43 million contribution to the islands — an effort in partnership with his organization Re:wild to increase conservation and protection for the popular tourist destination. As part of the campaign, the Oscar winner lent his social media accounts to the cause, inviting a wildlife veterinarian and island restoration expert to educate his followers on the importance of the Galápagos.

These islands, six hundred miles off of Ecuador’s coast, are home to animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet including the Galápagos penguin, Darwin’s finches, fur seals, marine iguanas, the giant tortoise, flightless cormorants, and lava lizards.

Covid brought a boon to several ecosystems across the globe, and the Galápagos’ wild animal populations boomed too — for some species, it brought the biggest population increases in 40 years. Both the Galápagos penguins and flightless cormorants saw population spikes as the throngs of tourists subsided. Penguin populations spiked 34 percent and the cormorants saw a 16 percent increase.

“Lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic have had a paradoxical impact on the Galápagos; native animal species have thrived as a result of limited disturbances but the halt in tourism has had a devastating impact on local businesses, with many struggling to stay afloat,” Michael Eiseman, co-founder of Touring Galápagos told Travel Pulse. “That’s why it’s important that we get tourists back to exploring the area as soon as possible, but in a way that is both sustainable and educates them about the fragility of the habitats.”

Galápagos tourism

Tourism is big business for the Galápagos. It makes up about 85 percent of the local economy. Covid cost the archipelago more than $850 million in tourism losses between March 2020 and March 2021. Between 2007 and 2016, tourists visiting the islands increased by 39 percent, according to the Galápagos Tourism Observatory.

Tourism to the islands was long done primarily by cruise ships. And even though cruises are one of the least sustainable ways to travel, the industry was well regulated in the Islands. It was only once land-based tourism increased that the islands began to feel the impact of hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region every year. In 2022, Hilton announced it was bringing the first points hotel to the islands. It’s taken a sustainable and conservation focus to the region through the launch.

Traveling the Galápagos sustainably

The $43 million from DiCaprio will fund restoration efforts including the Floreana Island, home to 54 threatened species. It will also help to reintroduce 13 locally extinct species, including the Floreana mockingbird. This is the first mockingbird Darwin documented. The partnership will also address ocean pollution and work to protect threatened marine resources.

Ninety-seven percent of the land area in the Galápagos is classified as a national park. Paula A Castaño, an environmentalist to who DiCaprio handed over his Twitter account to said conservations are not trying to “remove” humans from the picture. “We are trying to all work together to rewild these ecosystems and support the community as well. They want to be able to continue to thrive together with nature.”

Now, as tourism ramps up across the globe, experts are urging visitors to take extra precautions to visit the region in the most sustainable way possible. This includes finding sustainable travel providers, and accommodations, and supporting local buying and eating habits while visiting the area.

Both the Galápagos National Park Directorate and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism require tour providers to make their businesses as environmentally friendly as possible. This includes efforts to conserve water and energy, recycle and treat all waste material, source locally whenever possible, and employ locals paid fair, liveable wages.

Sustainable travel partners to the Galápagos include Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, the International Nature & Cultural Adventures, Go Galápagos, and Mountain Travel Sobek.

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