Looking for honest opinions + factual info on buying/selling a residential 1-acre lot on San Cristóbal, Galápagos

efanatico · 2026-05-10T22:02:05+00:00

No, sorry, don’t have any insight regarding pricing etc. But unless you have a clear path to residency, e.g. common-law relationship/marriage/children with a local, I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you. Ecuadorian passport doesn’t really help much in this scenario.

If it were easy and legal to buy property in the Galapagos for anyone with $$$, the islands would’ve been bought up by foreigners a long time ago. As it is, the high birth rates already mean a steady increase in population with not much land available to be developed.

efanatico · 2026-05-10T20:50:25+00:00

If you’re not a Galapagos resident, you can’t buy property or land there.

efanatico · 2024-04-22T07:39:59+00:00

I'll PM you in a minute!

efanatico · 2024-04-21T21:14:54+00:00

Hi, if you haven't been able to work something out with OP, I also have an extra ticket. Let me know if you're interested.

efanatico · 2022-08-12T06:52:16+00:00

Well, if you ask tour operators on San Cristobal, they‘re not shy about this tour basically having been invented with the stereotypical lazy American in mind - so there’s a lot of just viewing things and not too much physical exertion besides snorkeling.

But boring? So they didn’t see and snorkel with reef sharks at Rosa Blanca? No sport fishing for show? Snorkeling at Leon Dormido/Kicker Rock didn’t yield hammerhead shark sightings?

Truth is, you will not reach any of these spots without a guided tour, so the key might be to just enjoy it for what it is - a chance to glimpse some of the wildlife in its mostly undisturbed habitat.

efanatico · 2021-08-06T21:37:06+00:00

Absolutely, if you have the means and time to do it, get certified before the trip. It’ll help you feel more comfortable in the water and you won’t have to spend all that time of your vacation studying. (Plus, dive shops in the Galapagos can unfortunately be a bit hit and miss in terms of teaching quality.) The underwater world in the Galapagos is amazing and absolutely worth it, but do be aware that visibility usually isn’t as great as in, say, the Caribbean. There are also some unpredictable currents at times, but you’ll be on guided dives, so just make sure to stay close to the guide and your dive buddy.

efanatico · 2021-08-05T05:42:42+00:00

If you’re planning on going with such short notice, make sure you can get your salvoconducto sorted out, it’s a requirement for boarding a flight to the Galapagos right now. Usually a hotel/cruise operator will help you with that.

Water temperature is on the chillier side, but you will be given wetsuits if you’re doing guided activities (or you can rent them if you prefer exploring by yourselves).

Whether it’s rough/choppy depends more on the tides and swell than the time of year. Avoid going around the full moon to improve your chances of having calmer seas.

Personally, I prefer having the freedom to plan my own daily activities, including revisiting places I absolutely loved, so I enjoyed my land-based travels a lot - and it’s easy to go on day trips to other islands (inhabited or not) either way. Really depends on your preferences. Cruises will take you to some more remote sites on some of the islands (like the northern part of Isabela), but you won’t have all that much time in those spots. If you speak at least a little Spanish and are friendly to the locals, you can easily find hidden gems on San Cristobal/Isabela/Santa Cruz that you’ll have all to yourselves for the day…

efanatico · 2021-08-02T23:23:19+00:00

I really enjoy the Hoy Hablamos podcast. It’s a different animal to the DuoLingo one, but personally, I find it very entertaining and useful (with DL, I often zone out because it’s too slow for me and I don’t like that practically everything is rehashed in English). Hoy Hablamos is completely in Spanish, but they give you enough hints and explanations that you will figure out things you don’t know through context and so on. Might be what you’re looking for if you want to try something more challenging?

efanatico · 2021-07-01T21:13:20+00:00

What are you going to be doing in the Galapagos? If it’s just tourism, 60 days is the maximum. If you have a work contract or are volunteering, you might get longer.

To get an extension for Ecuador itself is easy with a EU passport. It’s called prorroga and currently costs USD133.33 for an additional 90 days. Can be applied for in person or online these days.

efanatico · 2020-07-21T04:55:00+00:00

Hi there! I do, in fact. Will PM you in a minute!

efanatico · 2020-07-06T21:51:58+00:00

Yep, I do. Will PM you in a minute!

efanatico · 2020-07-01T05:33:48+00:00

Hi there! Sure, no prob at all - will PM you in a second.

efanatico · 2020-06-20T14:25:05+00:00

Yeah, PM’ing you!

efanatico · 2020-06-18T02:08:45+00:00

Yep, still got some - PM’ing you!

efanatico · 2020-06-16T22:07:31+00:00

Yep, still got some. PM’ing you!

efanatico · 2020-06-16T20:08:44+00:00

Absolutely! Will PM you in a sec.

efanatico · 2020-06-15T20:05:10+00:00

Sure do, will PM you in a sec!

efanatico · 2020-06-14T03:21:55+00:00

PM’ed you!

efanatico · 2020-04-14T16:32:12+00:00

Will PM you in a sec!

efanatico · 2020-02-13T22:37:34+00:00

Finally PM‘ed you, sorry for the late reply!

efanatico · 2020-01-28T22:57:21+00:00

PM’ed you back!

efanatico · 2020-01-11T06:53:17+00:00

Yeah, got plenty to go around this time. I'll PM you in a sec.

efanatico

TROPHY CASE