Since August 1, 2024, a non-resident foreign adult pays 200 dollars to enter the protected areas of the Galápagos. The amount is stated in resolution 002-CGREG of the Governing Council of the Galápagos Special Regime, dated February 24, 2024.
Our old page promised to “dive with the giant tortoises.” We are correcting this title. The giant tortoises of the Galápagos live on land, and none are waiting for you underwater.
So we have completely revised the article, with our usual framework: level, current, season, supervision, and fallback plan.
Can you dive with the giant tortoises in the Galápagos?
No. The giant tortoises of the Galápagos are land tortoises, living on the islands and never in the sea. The turtles you can encounter while diving are sea turtles, and no outing can guarantee their presence on the day you are in the water, regardless of the site or season chosen.
The old version caused confusion in every section. It placed “giant tortoises” at Gordon Rocks, Darwin, or Wolf, and even told of a diver’s encounter with one of them at more than twenty meters deep. This anecdote had no source. We removed it. The quiz followed the same path, as it gave two contradictory answers about the best season for visibility. Travel guides copied from one site to another often make this shortcut, because “giant tortoise” attracts more clicks than “sea turtle.”
If you want to see a giant tortoise, plan a visit on land, at a site open by the national park.
At sea, no one will tell you where or when to encounter a green turtle. No dated source consulted allows it. But one rule applies everywhere, and we explain in another article why you should never touch marine life, turtles included.
How much does entry to the Galápagos National Park cost in 2026?
For a non-resident foreign adult, 200 dollars since August 1, 2024, and 100 dollars for a child under 12 years old. Resolution 002-CGREG of February 24, 2024 also sets a reduced rate for Mercosur and Andean Community nationals, and exempts children under two years old.
| Category (resolution 002-CGREG, effective August 1, 2024) | Under 12 years | 12 years and older |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident foreigner | $100 | $200 |
| Mercosur or Andean Community national | $50 | $100 |
| Ecuadorian or resident | $15 | $30 ($15 after 65 years) |
This entry fee is added to the Transit Control Card (TCT), required before the flight to the archipelago. Since May 29, 2025, according to the newspaper Primicias, it is paid online. At the airport, the same article lists the TCT, an identity card or passport, and the return ticket. Its amount does not appear in this article, and we have not found an official updated fee schedule. In short, check it at the time of payment rather than on an old forum.
Dives and cruises are paid separately.
Yet many agency pages still display the old entry fee of 100 dollars for a foreigner, while the 2024 resolution doubled it. For a couple, the difference reaches 200 dollars before the first dive.
Darwin and Wolf: what level is required to dive there?
No official text consulted sets a minimum certification for Darwin and Wolf. Operators set their own conditions, often an advanced level and a minimum number of dives. In practice, online offers including these two islands are multi-day cruises. Ask for their requirements in writing before paying a deposit.
The old page announced “20 to 50 dives” and a simple Open Water certification. We removed these figures. They came from no source and suggested that a beginner could dive there without conditions.
Darwin and Wolf are the two northernmost islands of the archipelago, less than 40 km apart, according to a study published in PeerJ in 2016 by Pelayo Salinas-de-León and coauthors. The team measured the highest shark biomass recorded worldwide there, about 73% of the total fish biomass. Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) led, ahead of the Galápagos shark. These surveys date from November 2013 and August 2014. The study also notes that a sanctuary of about 40,000 km², closed to fishing, was created around the two islands in March 2016, within the Galápagos Marine Reserve established in 1998.
A report about ten years old does not guarantee any hammerhead sharks during your week.
Yet this is the figure that brochures use. For what level? In the blue, far from a sheltered coast, it is the rapid descent, the current, and the ascent to the dinghy that determine your comfort much more than the color of your certification card. The hammerhead shark is also featured in our selection of the strangest sharks in the world.
Warm season or cool season: when to dive in the Galápagos?
Around Darwin and Wolf, the 2016 study describes a warm season from January to June and a cool season from July to December, when the average surface temperature remains below 25 °C. Over the year, the water varies from 22.5 to 29 °C, with a peak in February and March.
These figures apply to the north. The rest of the archipelago is colder. According to the same study, the Galápagos are at the intersection of three currents, since the Panama current brings warm water from the northeast, the Peru current (called Humboldt) brings cold water from the southeast, and the equatorial undercurrent (called Cromwell) brings cold water up from the depths to the west. And this mixture makes the temperature very variable from one site to another. The old range of 15 to 27 °C had no source, so we removed it.
A thicker wetsuit requires more diving weight, so an adjustment must be redone from the first dive.
The choice of season remains a personal decision. The old page associated whale sharks, manta rays, and large schools with the period from June to November, without source. We do not repeat this promise, and our page on whale sharks does not either.
Decompression chamber, supervision, fallback plan: what to ask before booking?
Ask in writing for the required level, the procedure in case of decompression accident, and the planned program if a dive is canceled. Regarding the hyperbaric chamber, we found no official dated source giving its location and availability in 2026. Impossible to decide from here, so the operator’s answer counts.
The question of the chamber weighs heavily, because Darwin and Wolf are far from any port. Ask the boat where the nearest chamber is, how many hours of navigation separate it, and if it carries oxygen with a person trained to administer it. Also check that your insurance covers diving and evacuation. This way, you compare two cruises on what matters in case of trouble, not on their photos.
When drifting offshore, keep a safety sausage on you and know how to inflate it.
The fallback plan is prepared before departure. A day trip formula from an inhabited island at least allows a shore visit when the sea cancels a trip, and that is where you will see giant turtles. A cruise to the north does not always offer this safety net. If you hesitate with another destination with currents and sharks, our Sipadan diving guide applies the same criteria. On the budget side, count 200 dollars entry per adult, the TCT, the cruise, and insurance covering evacuation. Would you book it this way?
FAQ
Can you swim with giant turtles in the Galápagos?
No. The giant Galápagos turtles are terrestrial and do not go into the sea. While diving, you can encounter marine turtles, with no guarantee. To see a giant turtle, plan a visit on land.
How much does the entrance fee to the Galápagos cost in 2026?
Resolution 002-CGREG of February 24, 2024 sets 200 dollars for a foreign adult non-resident, effective since August 1, 2024. A child under 12 pays 100 dollars. The transit control card (TCT) is paid separately.
Is an advanced level required to dive at Darwin and Wolf?
No official text consulted sets a minimum certification. It is the cruise operators who set the required level and number of dives. Ask them in writing before booking.
What is the water temperature at Darwin and Wolf?
A study published in PeerJ in 2016 gives water between 22.5 and 29 °C over the year, with a peak in February and March. The rest of the archipelago is colder, under the influence of the Peru current and the equatorial undercurrent.
Sources
- Resolution No. 002-CGREG-24-02-2024 (Special Regime Government Council of Galápagos, 2024)
- Largest global shark biomass found in the northern Galápagos Islands of Darwin and Wolf (Salinas-de-León et al., PeerJ, 2016)
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