All Inclusive Galapagos Trips: What Is Really Included

An all inclusive Galapagos trip rarely includes everything. There are no big resorts with open bars on these islands, and the phrase means something different on every brochure. A cruise comes closest, but even most cruises leave out your flights and $220 in island fees. Here is what each option covers, so you can compare real prices.

What each option includes

Included?	Most cruises	Lodge or hotel program	Our 7 day land tour
Bed	Yes, a cabin	Yes	Yes, 6 hotel nights
Breakfast	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lunch	Yes	Usually	Box lunches on 2 days
Dinner	Yes	Usually	No, you choose in town
Naturalist guide	Yes	Yes	Yes, on every excursion
Excursions and boats	Yes	Yes, on set days	Yes, with a yacht day
Flights from the mainland	Usually no	Usually no	No, but we can quote them
$200 park fee and $20 card	Usually no	Usually no	No
Wetsuit	Sometimes	Sometimes	Ask us
Drinks and tips	Rarely	Rarely	No

Every operator is a little different, so use this as a checklist and read the list on each quote. We run land tours, so the cruise and lodge columns describe what we see in the market, not our own products.

What it costs with everything added

This is the comparison that matters. These are totals per person, starting in Quito or Guayaquil, before your flight to Ecuador.

Trip	Total (USD per person)	What you still pay for
Our 4 day Santa Cruz tour, four sharing a room	About 1,140 to 1,390	Meals not listed, tips
Our 5 day Isabela tour, four sharing a room	About 1,450 to 1,700	Meals not listed, tips
Our 7 day island hopping tour	About 1,850 to 2,100	Lunches and dinners, tips
8-day cruise, budget ship	About 3,000 to 4,500	Drinks, extras
8-day cruise, mid-range ship	About 4,500 to 7,500	Drinks, extras
8-day cruise, luxury ship	About 7,500 to 12,000 or more	Varies by line

Meals in town are the smallest part of the gap. A set lunch in Puerto Ayora costs $8 to $12, and $20 to $40 a day covers food for most people. Our guide to the Galápagos trip cost goes through every line. Cruise figures are published 2026 rates, and they already count flights, fees and tips in the total.

Cruise: the closest thing to all inclusive

On a ship you unpack once, and the fare covers your cabin, your food, your guide and every landing. It is also the only way to reach far islands such as Genovesa and Fernandina. A few high-end lines bundle flights, drinks and tips as well, and you pay for that in the price.

The trade-offs are the ones nobody puts in the brochure: a small cabin, a fixed schedule, and a night at sea that some people do not sleep through. If you get seasick, think hard about this one.

Land tour: nearly all inclusive, for less

Our land tours bundle your hotels, transfers, speedboats, guides and excursions in one price. On the 7 day tour that also means breakfasts, a full day on a yacht to an uninhabited island, and the Isabela entry fee. You pay for your dinners and most lunches in town, which many people prefer after a day on a boat.

The price per day is far lower than a cruise, and you can skip a day if you want to. The islands you reach are the ones closest to Santa Cruz and Isabela, which still gives you giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed boobies and penguins. Our list of things to do in Galápagos shows what fits.

Hotels, speedboats, guides and a yacht day in one price

7 Day Galapagos Tour from Quito

Santa Cruz, Isabela and a Yacht Day

7 days
Medium effort

From $1,279 per person

Sea lion diving past two snorkelers over rocky reef in clear Galápagos water

Five questions to ask before you pay

Does the price include flights from the mainland? This is usually $350 to $600.
Is the $200 park fee in the price, or do I pay it in cash when I land? And the $20 Transit Control Card?
Which meals are included each day? "All meals" can stop on the first and last days.
Is the guide with us on every excursion, or only on some?
Are wetsuits and snorkel gear included, and do tips appear on the final bill?

All inclusive trips with mainland Ecuador

The same logic applies on the mainland, where you will not find all-inclusive resorts on the routes we travel. Our combined programs put your hotels, transport, guide and entrances in one price:

Program	From (USD per person, 2 travelers)	With Galápagos flights and fees
9 day Ecuador and Galápagos tour	1,990	About 2,610 to 2,810
12 day Ecuador and Galápagos tour	2,690	About 3,310 to 3,510
14 day Ecuador and Galápagos tour	3,390	About 3,960 to 4,160

Dinners, some lunches, tips and your flight to Ecuador are extra. Want one number with everything in it? Send us your dates and we will quote the tour and the flights together, and list exactly what is left out.

All inclusive Galápagos: questions we get

Are there all-inclusive resorts in the Galápagos?

Not in the Caribbean sense. There are no large beach resorts with open bars. The closest thing is a cruise, or a program at a lodge or hotel that bundles meals and guided excursions.

What is the most all-inclusive way to see the Galápagos?

A cruise. The fare normally covers your cabin, all meals, guides and excursions. A few high-end lines also add flights from the mainland, drinks and tips, so read the list for each ship.

Do all-inclusive Galápagos packages include flights?

Often they do not, and that is the largest item to check. A round trip from the mainland usually costs $350 to $600, and the $200 park fee and $20 Transit Control Card are usually apart as well.

How much does an all-inclusive Galápagos trip cost?

An 8-day cruise with flights, fees and tips runs about $3,000 to $4,500 on a budget ship and $4,500 to $7,500 on a mid-range one. Our 7 day land tour comes to about $1,850 to $2,100 with flights and fees, plus the lunches and dinners it leaves out.

Can you make a land tour all inclusive?

Very close to it. Send us your dates and we will quote your flights together with the tour, and tell us if you want more meals added. The park fee is always paid in cash when you land, so that part stays apart.

Is there an all-inclusive vacation in mainland Ecuador?

Few trips are truly all inclusive. Our guided programs come close, with hotels, transport, a guide and entrances in one price, and most dinners left free so you can choose where to eat.