FAQ

Yes, very. Act accordingly! Make sure to wear sunscreen and a sunhat even on cloudy days.

The archipelago is located 1,000 km (600 mi) from the mainland, less than 2 hours flying time from Guayaquil and an additional 55-minute flight (plus a 30–40-minute layover) if you are travelling from Quito.

UCT (GMT) – 6 hours. One hour less than on the Ecuadorian mainland.

• Endemic species unique to the archipelago that are not afraid of humans, which means you can see them from up close. We call the most iconic ones our BIG15.
• The islands offer virtually unchanged, pristine natural environments.
• Great weather all year round.
• Haunting volcanic landscapes.
• A wonderful place to disconnect from the world!

The entrance fee to the Galapagos National Park (www.galapagospark.org) is currently USD 100, and the INGALA Transit Control Card (to help regulate immigration to the islands) is USD 20 per person. These fees are subject to change.

It’s always a good time to visit the Galapagos but there is some variation in the weather depending on the time of year. There are two distinct seasons in the islands, each of which offers its own pleasures in terms of vegetation and landscapes. Wildlife does not migrate and so is visible year-round.

The rainy, hot season is from December to June when humidity is high and average temperatures range from 26°-30° C (80s F). There may be occasional showers, but the days are generally hot and sunny.

From June to November, you can expect cool winds, occasionally bringing with them a light misty-type drizzle called “garúa”. Temperatures average 20°-24° C (70s F) during the day and lower at night.

Of course! It’s part of the second-largest Marine Reserve in the world and it’s a place where the wildlife both on land and in the water is fearless, giving you a great opportunity to discover all that lives beneath the waves. Snorkeling and swimming make up an important part of the Galapagos experience.

Check our detailed (and printable!) packing list to help you prepare for your trip of a lifetime with us in the Galapagos. Our boutique has you covered should you leave anything behind! Please remember that flights to Galapagos restrict checked luggage to one (1) piece that does not exceed 23 kg (50 lb). Hand luggage cannot exceed 8 kg (17 lb). So, pack light and pack smart!

Very nearly. In fact, 97% of the archipelago’s islands is designated a national park. Human settlements are concentrated on the remaining 3%. There are strict rules about visiting the areas on islands that have been designated as visitor sites by the National Park authorities. The Galapagos is also part of a huge Marine Reserve, which ranks among the largest in the world.

The Galapagos National Park Service controls all visitor activities within the parks, including the vessels itineraries. Visits both within the National Park sites and the Marine Reserve, are always escorted by licensed Naturalist Guides. By following these rules, you are directly contributing to the ongoing local conservation efforts. The only footprints we want to leave are in the sand…

• Do not stray from the trails.
• Do not disturb any wildlife or remove any native plant or rock material.
• Make sure you do not bring any live material to the islands – even accidentally – or from island to island. Insular ecosystems are fragile biological units.
• Approach wildlife cautiously and always follow your Naturalists’ advice.
• Do not feed the animals. Particular attention should be given to water bottles.
• Do not bring food to the visitors’ sites.
• Try not to startle and make sure not to chase any animal from its resting or nesting area.
• There is no smoking on the islands, nor on any boat (dinghy) during your visits. The use of cellular or satellite phones is prohibited on the visitors’ sites.
• Please do not buy any souvenirs made from native Galapagos species (except for wood).
• Make conservation your business! Please do not hesitate to show your conservationist attitude. Become a Galapagos devotee and ask us about our protection programs that support sustainability on the islands.

This is not the best term to describe the animals in Galapagos, since this would imply that they had been tamed by humans, or domesticated, if you will. We prefer to say simply that they are fearless, because their ancestors never perceived humans as a threat, and so neither do they.

No, although marine iguanas can get surprisingly big! Nor are giant tortoises endemic to the Galapagos. The elephantine sub-species developed in other parts of the planet, too. In Galapagos, the interesting aspect to note is the speciation of the tortoises once they arrived on the islands, evolving in time into different species, to the extent that different islands’ species are unable to reproduce amongst themselves.

From the medieval/Renaissance Spanish term for a type of saddle that was raised up at its front. The Spanish sailors who came across giant tortoises – of whom various subspecies have ‘saddle back’ shells – named them “galápago” after these saddles.

The finches on Galapagos are special because they are the bird species that inspired and illustrated Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. The work of the Grants on Daphne Major is an excellent case study of finch populations. The variations they show over a short period of time clearly proves that, as Darwin argued, “species are not immutable,” and adaptations can occur rapidly in populations in order to exploit ecological niches. There are 13 species of finch in all in Galapagos, some very similar in size and colouration: anyone who can says they can identify all of them in the wild immediately is a liar!

Placetopay is the electronic payment platform that uses Finch Bay Hotel to process online the transactions generated in the virtual store with the payment methods enabled for this purpose.

In the virtual store of Finch Bay Hotel you can make your transaction with the means of payment enabled for this purpose. You, according to the payment options chosen by the merchant, will be able to pay through (Define the means of payment enabled Diners, Discover, Visa and MasterCard); of all banks with current payment and with deferred payment, only the cards issued by Banco Pichincha, Diners, Loja, BGR and Manabí.

To protect your data Finch Bay Hotel delegate to Placetopay the capture of sensitive information. Our payment platform complies with the highest standards required by the international PCI DSS standard for security in credit card transactions. In addition, it has SSL security certificate issued by Geo Trust a Verisign company, which guarantees secure communications by encrypting all data to and from the site. This way, you can feel safe entering your card information.

During the payment process, the browser displays the name of the authenticated organization, the authority that certifies it and the address bar changes to green. These features are immediately visible and give guarantee and confidence to complete the transaction in Placetopay.

Placetopay also features constant monitoring from McAfee Secure and electronic message signing with Certicámara.

Placetopay is a brand of the Colombian company EGM Ingeniería Sin Fronteras S.A.S.

Yes, in Finch Bay Hotel you can make your purchases online 7 days a week, 24 hours a day just a click away.

If you haven’t finalized your payment yet, you can go back to the initial step and choose the payment method you prefer. Once the purchase is completed, it is not possible to change the payment method.

No, electronic payments made through Placetopay do not generate additional costs for the buyer.

You must check if a payment confirmation email arrived in your email account (the one registered at the time of making the payment), in case you have not received it, you must contact [email protected] to confirm the status of the transaction.

If your transaction is declined, you must verify if the account information is valid, if it is enabled for non-face-to-face purchases and if you have space or available balance. If after this, you continue with the decline you should contact Finch Bay Hotel. And you can refer your application to [email protected].

For each transaction approved through Placetopay, you will receive proof of payment with the purchase reference at the email address you provided at checkout.  If you do not receive it, you can contact the line +18443914613 or the email [email protected], to request the forwarding of the voucher to the same email address registered at the time of payment. Almost you can refer your application to [email protected].

You should check if the transaction was successful on your bank statement. If so, you should review our shipping policies on the website (https://www.finchbayhotel.com/) to identify delivery times.