Volunteer in the Galapagos Islands
Volunteering in the
Galapagos is a cheap way to see the famous
islands and their unique wildlife, you might think. Could it
be better
than a bargain tour
or economy Galapagos cruise? Will you get subsidised or discounted
flights to the Galapagos as a conservation volunteer? or perhaps even
free!
Working
holidays in the Galapagos are actually rather
different. The islands are far off the Ecuadorian coast;
shipping supplies in is costly and flights are not cheap.
Volunteers
can unwittingly introduce destructive new species and accidentally harm
island habitats. The Galapagos environment
needs protection and money from tourism (and volunteering) is
what funds
this.
Galapagos
volunteer
opportunities do exist and can
be very
worthwhile. However, Galapagos volunteering is not cheap.
You'll
almost certainly
have to contribute to project costs.
A return flight from Europe to Quito or
Guayaquil and on to the Islands will
probably
cost at
least £1000/$1600, and you'll need to pay the $100 entry fee
to
the Galapagos National Park. Once there, everything
is
around two or three times as expensive as on the mainland, so you'll
probably get
through
another £1000/$1600 in a month.
The
longer you volunteer in the Galapagos Islands, the cheaper it is likely
to be
per
day, but even so you should expect to pay at least $50 per day, rising
to $150
a
day or more on some of the priciest volunteer packages. And
that's without any kind
of Galapagos cruise or tour,
though of course you will see some of the unique wildlife and most
volunteer opportunities will give you some free time in the islands.
Be
wary of cheap Galapagos volunteer opportunities - find out what they
don't include and how much it will cost you. For example,
food
costs a lot in the islands.
If conservation of
the Galapagos Islands' unique
ecosystems genuinely interests you, and you can afford
to volunteer, search around to find the best volunteering
experience for you, considering your skills,
experience and interests. (Do spell it correctly when
searching: it is not Galapogos, Galopogas, Galopogos
nor Golopagos but GALAPAGOS, and the islands are in ECUADOR, not
Equador....)
Read more about volunteering in Ecuador.
Be prepared to do manual work under tough conditions on some
Galapagos conservation projects and working holidays.
Note that Spanish is spoken in the Galapagos Islands -
volunteers may need Spanish language skills to participate in some
projects.
If Galapagos Islands
volunteering is
beyond your budget, you could make your money go much further by
volunteering in mainland Ecuador - see
CRACYP's Ecuador
volunteer
opportunities and Development
Internships for some bargain volunteer options on the
mainland.
You may be surprised at
the diversity you can experience there: wildlife,
birds,
flowers, volcanoes, beaches, snow-capped
mountains and over 20 different ethnic groups. There are
many opportunities to
volunteer on conservation projects throughout Ecuador, though you will
need to speak at least a
little Spanish to get the most from your volunteering experience.
Volunteer
for Green Progress in the Galapagos Islands
No free flights, not a
cheap alternative to a Galapagos cruise,
but volunteering abroad for genuine sustainable
development, conservation and reforestation with CRACYP, on a working
holiday protecting the
unique environment of the Galapagos Islands.
