Quasar strongly recommends arriving in Ecuador two days prior to the start of your cruise. That way if your international flight is delayed for any reason you can still make your flight to the Galapagos on Saturday morning, insuring that you arrive in time for the start of your cruise.
You can typically spend the extra day enjoying the mainland and its beautiful sites. It is especially important for you to arrive a day or two early during the winter when storms can shut down airports or cause flight delays in the northern hemisphere. It can be costly and difficult to catch up with your yacht once she leaves. If you are pressed for time you can also plan to arrive in Ecuador on the day prior to your flight to the Galapagos so long as you factor in all the above.
Your cruise also ends on a Saturday when you fly from the Galapagos back to the mainland. We therefore recommend that you fly from Ecuador to your home on Sunday. However, if you are pressed for time it is possible to connect with international flights departing Ecuador late on Saturday. Flights returning from the Galapagos arrive back in the mainland in the afternoon or early evening on the Saturday the cruise ends, depending on flight schedules. You can fly home that same evening as long as you leave adequate time to connect to your international flight. International air carriers require that you check in at least 3 hours prior to departure when flying out of Quito or Guayaquil and you must adhere to this.
We recommend leaving a connection time of no less than 4 and a half hours to play it safe and you can always spend the night in the mainland and fly out the next day. In most cases you will have to spend the night in either Quito or Guayaquil to catch early morning flights home.
All our flights to and from the Galapagos, with very few exceptions, originate in Quito, Ecuador, stop at the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil, and then fly on to the Galapagos Islands. They return the same way they came, also stopping in Guayaquil. Keep in mind that these flights are subject to delays.
