The one you’ll use
SCY
San Cristóbal Airport
To town
Under 5 min
By car to the centre, per Galapatours; Noonsite says about 2 km.
Taxi
US$2–4 per car
Per Galapatours; Wikivoyage says about US$2.50.
Runway
1,900 m
Asphalt, per Wikipedia.
The short answer
Fly into San Cristóbal Airport (SCY) from Guayaquil or Quito. On your line’s recommended flight, its guides usually meet you and take you and your bags to the pier; on any other flight a taxi costs about US$2 to 4 per car, per Galapatours.
The fees come first. Validate the US$20 Transit Control Card on the mainland before check-in, and pay the park fee, US$200 for foreign adults, when you land.
The risk is the mainland flight. Ecoventura warns that a delayed or cancelled flight can mean missing the boat, and asks guests to reach Ecuador at least a night early.
Take your line’s flight if
- You want to be met at SCY and walked through the fees and the bags
- You’re on Silver Origin; Silversea runs its own charter from Quito
- You’re on Ecoventura; its representative helps with mainland check-in
Book your own flight if
- You’re coming a day early and staying in town
- You’re happy to taxi to the main dock and wait for the Zodiac
Airport taxis
Need a ride from the airport?
Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
Which Lines
Who starts a trip on San Cristóbal
Each line’s own wording, read October 18, 2026 — ship lists change, so check yours.
| Line | What it sells here | Ships and dates we found | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silversea | Silver Origin, 7-day round trips | e.g. December 19 to 26, 2026; Day 1 lists San Cristóbal until 16:15 | silversea.com OR261219007 |
| Silversea | Charter flight for Silver Origin guests | Quito to San Cristóbal, about two hours, middle seats blocked | Seatrade, July 2025 |
| Ecoventura | All its yachts | Avianca on Sundays; at the main dock by 12:00 if you fly independently | ecoventura.com |
| Lindblad Expeditions | National Geographic Endeavour II | Flies to San Cristóbal, bus to the dock, ends at Baltra | expeditions.com sell sheet |
Celebrity’s Galápagos sailings are listed from Baltra; see the Baltra airport page. If your ship is on another island’s itinerary, your line will say which airport; don’t guess, because the two aren’t interchangeable on the day.
The Airport
San Cristóbal Airport
From the mainland
GYE·UIO
Guayaquil and Quito
Airlines
Avianca, LATAM
Both fly to SCY from GYE and UIO, per Wikipedia.
Ecoventura’s flight
AV1630, Sundays
GYE 09:45, lands about 10:30 to 10:35 island time, per Ecoventura.
Time zone
1 hour behind
Galápagos runs an hour behind the mainland, per Ecoventura.
Flights
Still need flights?
Fares and dates are on Booking.com. Land the day before, not the morning you sail.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
The Ride
What the ride to the pier costs
Two published prices: Galapatours’ taxi range, per car, and Golden Bay’s airport shuttle on Expedia, per person. Most lines include the ride if you’re on their flight.
Travelers
| Taxi, airport to the pier: US$2 to 4 per car, per Galapatours (top of the range) | — |
| Golden Bay’s airport shuttle: US$18 per person one way, per Expedia | — |
One way, all in US dollars, read October 18, 2026. The taxi row uses the top of Galapatours’ US$2 to 4 range; Wikivoyage gives about US$2.50. The shuttle row is one hotel’s, on a booking site.
On Ecoventura’s or Lindblad’s recommended flights, the guides take you to the dock, per each line. Silversea includes airport transfers when you buy its flight package.
Sail-Day Landing
Landing on sail day? Check your timing
Put your line’s time in the “Ship departs” box. Silversea lists San Cristóbal until 16:15 on Day 1; Ecoventura wants independent arrivals at the main dock by 12:00. The rows below are the ride and a buffer, not a line’s rule.
- The ride to the pierUnder five minutes by taxi, per Galapatours, plus the park fee queue. We've allowed 30 minutes in all.—
- Our two-hour bufferOur suggestion, not a line's: two hours covers bags, the fee and a Zodiac that won't wait.—
- Our four-hour bufferAgain ours: four hours absorbs a late mainland departure on the same morning.—
Ecoventura’s landing, at about 10:30 to 10:35, clears a noon dock call on paper, and the line plans around it. A delayed mainland flight doesn’t — Ecoventura says it can mean missing the boat. Fly into Ecuador the night before at the least; a night on the island takes the risk off entirely.
A night in San Cristóbal (Galápagos) first
Land a day early. Sleep across from the pier.
We ranked seven hotels in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, all within about 700 m of the pier by our pins. Tell us the flight and the ship, and Seabound Journeys will pick the night that fits.
Coming Home
The morning you’re back
Ecoventura’s return, Avianca AV1631, leaves San Cristóbal at 11:25 on Sundays and reaches Guayaquil at 14:15, per Ecoventura. Silversea’s round trip lists San Cristóbal from 06:30 on the last day. Enter your flight and when you expect to be ashore.
There are no partner links inside this planner. It’s built only from what the lines, Galapatours, Wikivoyage and the named hotel listings publish, plus our own map estimates. Every price is in US dollars.
Fees and Bags
Fees, bags and the clock
Pay attention to the order. The US$20 Transit Control Card is issued online as a QR code and validated at the CGREG counter in Quito or Guayaquil before check-in, per Think Galápagos; Quasar says you can also buy it at the counter, preferably in cash. ABG, the biosecurity agency, checks bags on the mainland before you fly, to keep out introduced species.
On landing you pay the park fee: US$200 for foreign adults and US$100 for children under 12 since August 1, 2024. Galapatours says it’s cash at the arrival airport, with a surcharge on cards. Some lines prepay both fees for you — Ecoventura prepays both for its guests.
Then the clock. The islands run an hour behind the mainland, per Ecoventura, so a flight leaving Guayaquil at 09:45 lands at about 10:30 to 10:35 local time. For the pier and the lines, see our San Cristóbal cruise guide.
Fly In Early
Flying in the day before
One night in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno takes the mainland flight off the critical path. The town is small, and every hotel in our list is within about 700 m of the pier by our pins.
The airport is close too. The distances below are straight lines, so they look longer than the ride feels.
Pre-cruise hotels
Six for the night before
Our top six, with the straight-line distance from San Cristóbal Airport to each. All seven are on the hotels page.
142/100
Indigo
Isabela y Charles Darwin, on the malecón · about 1.2 km from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →
230/100
Casa Blanca
Charles Darwin, opposite the main pier · about 1.1 km from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →
330/100
Sunset
Charles Darwin y Herman Melville, by the pier · about 1 km from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →
430/100
Golden Bay
Charles Darwin, on the malecón · about 900 m from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →
527/100
Opuntia
On the bay, south end of the malecón · about 800 m from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →
627/100
Miconia
Near the promenade, north of the pier · about 1.4 km from the airport in a straight line
Hold a room →Airport to hotel
What each of our seven, or its listing, says about getting from the airport to the door. Golden Bay’s Expedia listing prices a shuttle at US$18 a person, and Sunset’s Hotels.com listing offers one at extra cost with no price; the rest leave it to a US$2 to 4 taxi.
SCYSan Cristóbal Airport
Hotels with a ride or a walk from here
- #3 SunsetPaid shuttle, per Hotels.com
- #4 Golden BayUS$18 pp, per Expedia
FAQ
San Cristóbal (Galápagos) cruise airport FAQ
What airport do I fly into for a San Cristóbal cruise?
San Cristóbal Airport, code SCY, inside Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Your line tells you whether it’s SCY or Baltra.
Which airlines fly to San Cristóbal, Galápagos?
Avianca and LATAM, from Guayaquil and Quito, per Wikipedia. Silversea also runs a charter from Quito for Silver Origin guests.
How much is a taxi from San Cristóbal airport to the pier?
About US$2 to 4 per car, per Galapatours, for a ride of under five minutes.
Where do I pay the Galápagos park fee?
At the arrival airport, in cash, per Galapatours. It’s US$200 for foreign adults and US$100 for children under 12.
Where do I get the Galápagos Transit Control Card?
Online, then validated at the CGREG counter in Quito or Guayaquil before check-in. It costs US$20, per Think Galápagos and Quasar.
Is Galápagos in a different time zone?
Yes, an hour behind mainland Ecuador, per Ecoventura.
Sources, read October 18, 2026:Ecoventura — flight informationEcoventura — cruise questions answeredSilversea — Silver Origin OR261219007Silversea — Silver Origin OR261128007Seatrade — Silversea charter flightsLindblad — Endeavour II itinerary sheetWikipedia — San Cristóbal AirportLATAM — Quito to San CristóbalGalápagos National Park — entrance feePrimicias — park fees from August 2024CGREG — fee report (2024)Galápagos Conservation Trust — fee increaseGalapatours — park feeThink Galápagos — Transit Control CardQuasar — Transit Control Cardgob.ec — ABG biosecurityGalapatours — airport to townWikivoyage — San CristóbalNoonsite — Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
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