New rules for Galapagos visitors adopted

The Galápagos Governing Council is adding three new requirements for visitors to the islands. According to the council, the rules are needed to strengthen environmental controls.

An islander’s view of the Galapagos.

Under the new requirements, all non-residents entering the islands must show:

— a return airline ticket when they depart from the Quito and Guayaquil airports
— a hotel or cruise reservation
— an island visitor traffic card issued at the airport by the Galápagos Governing Council

According to the council, the traffic card is needed to monitor and control the number of visitors on the island.

All other visitor rules for entry to the Galápagos remain in effect, including pre-registration on the Governing Council’s website.

The new rules were adopted Wednesday and will go into affect in July, although an exact date has not been determined.