Galápagos ferries: routes, times, fares and connection buffers

Which Galápagos islands can you reach by ferry?

For the main three-base trip, regular passenger boats connect Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz with Puerto Villamil on Isabela and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal. Isabela–San Cristóbal travel uses two boats via Santa Cruz; it is not a direct sea crossing. These are passenger transfers between towns, not sightseeing cruises or tickets to uninhabited visitor islands.

Use the network below to choose a corridor. The direction-specific guides cover the individual transfers, while the island-hopping guide helps place hotel nights around them.

Treat the schedule as a planning pattern, not a confirmed ticket

The table reproduces Galapagos Transfers’ April 2026 schedule, checked on 24 October 2026. The seller gives about 2 hours 15 minutes for each direct crossing and asks passengers to reach the pier at least 45 minutes before departure. Sea conditions and operating decisions can change the journey.

Choose a morning boat when reaching the next island is the priority. Choose an afternoon boat only when the morning activity has a dependable finish and leaves time to collect luggage and check in. Do not schedule a full-day excursion before an afternoon departure.

Board in the town, not at the mainland-flight airport

Santa Cruz departures use Gus Angermeyer pier in Puerto Ayora. San Cristóbal departures use the Hammerhead Shark dock in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Isabela’s pier is outside Puerto Villamil, so include the hotel-to-pier transfer. The actual boat and meeting instruction on your ticket still matter at each dock.

Baltra airport is not the Santa Cruz ferry pier. Reaching Puerto Ayora involves the airport bus, Itabaca Channel crossing and road journey across Santa Cruz. Leave that entire transfer separate from the sea-crossing time.

Isabela to San Cristóbal means a morning boat and an afternoon boat

The published pattern is Isabela–Santa Cruz at 06:00, followed by Santa Cruz–San Cristóbal at 15:00. In the other direction, use San Cristóbal–Santa Cruz at 07:00, then Santa Cruz–Isabela at 15:00. Buy and confirm both legs; an afternoon first leg will not produce this same-day pattern.

You have a wait in Puerto Ayora between crossings. Keep it to town time with a luggage plan rather than booking a remote outing. If your holiday can include Santa Cruz nights here, split the visit around them instead of spending one day on two open-water crossings.

What do ferry tickets cost?

Galapagos Transfers advertises US$60 per passenger for a one-way direct ticket on its schedule page, checked on 24 October 2026. That is one seller’s advertised price, not an official universal tariff or a comparison of every boat. Its booking process manually secures space with the operators, so an initial order acknowledgement is not the same as the confirmed boarding details.

Price every leg and separate pier transport, water taxis and any local charges from the headline ticket unless the seller explicitly includes them. Two legs between Isabela and San Cristóbal require two tickets or a clearly specified connecting product. Do not assume luggage storage or transfer assistance is included with a different seller.

Build in a night before a critical mainland flight

Our conservative recommendation is to sleep on the island serving your departure airport before the mainland flight, rather than relying on a same-day ferry. For Baltra, this normally means returning to Santa Cruz in advance and still allowing time for the channel and airport transfer. For San Cristóbal, spend the preceding night in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

A buffer night reduces dependence on a sea connection but does not guarantee travel during disruption. Keep irreplaceable items and documents accessible in your luggage, follow boarding and biosecurity checks, and avoid promising a fixed arrival time to an onward provider.

Choose the route guide for the transfer you need

Use the Santa Cruz–Isabela guide for Puerto Ayora and Puerto Villamil boarding details, or the Santa Cruz–San Cristóbal guide for the eastern corridor. If you need to move between the two outer islands, compare a dated inter-island flight with the two-boat alternative before buying either route.