Sleeping and eating on a boat is not for everybody, and if you are particularly prone to seasickness, consider a land-based itinerary. These are becoming increasingly common, both on organized tours and for independent travelers.

Most commonly you will be based in Santa Cruz, but itineraries that take in San Cristóbal and/or Isabela are also popular. Five-day tours start at about $600 pp, but savings can be had last-minute. If you want to do it yourself, you can usually find accommodations in the ports for as little as $20 pp per night.

As well as seeing sites on Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Isabela, day tours run regularly from Santa Cruz to Bartolomé, Seymour Norte, or Plazas (each costing a hefty $125 pp), while cheaper tours run to Floreana and Santa Fé ($75 pp). The other islands are out of bounds to day tours.

Doing it this way, you could easily spend less than $500 in five days, not including the flights. Note however that there may be no escaping seasickness even on land-based tours, because you will spend plenty of time on boats shuttling to and from the port, and they are generally smaller boats that roll around more.