Galapagos Islands Rules Making Changes
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Jul 22, 2013 | by Kevin Loughlin
The Galapagos Islands offer a showcase of nature’s wonderments. Home to numerous birds and reptiles, and even a few mammals that are found no where else on Earth, these islands have been protected by both local and international efforts.
In January 2012, new rules were put into place, by the Ecuadorian government, presumably to protect the islands. These rules, on paper, seem to be a great idea whereas previously all boats visiting the islands had a regular, weekly itinerary that was repeated throughout the year. The new rules state that no boat shall return to the same island within a two-week period.
When these rules were instated, all the small, locally operated yachts that carried 12-20 passengers were upset while the large ships carrying 50-100 passengers embraced the prospects of now being able to fill the slots opened to them to visit a wider variety of islands, where they were previously not allowed to go.
Our fear is that these larger boats will, at some point in the not so distant future, outnumber the smaller yachts, forcing them out of business. As this happens, larger cruise-lines will be able to get a stronger foothold and have more financial power to do what they wish in the islands with little control, as they are doing in other parts of the world now (like the Caribbean and Alaska)!
The itineraries for all the small yachts have changed drastically, and now, many of the itineraries are not what would be considered ‘ideal’ and spend a lot of time visiting less desired locations. Wildside has been leading high-quality Galapagos experiences since 2001, using these smaller, locally operated yachts and plans to continue to do so for the near future. As we know the best islands for photography, we choose our itineraries wisely and get the best of the best for our trips, including the best yachts for the money.
However, we highly recommend visiting the islands NOW, before these new rules eliminate these incredible small boat experiences Wildside is currently able to offer!