A bucket-list destination for travellers the world over, no trip to Ecuador is complete without visiting the Galapagos islands. After all, who wouldn’t want to see animals that aren’t found anywhere else in their natural habitat! The Galapagos Islands are like nowhere else in the world and are often the highlight of travellers’ visits to South America!
There’s just one problem with the Galapagos. It’s pretty expensive travelling here! It’s actually one of the most expensive places to travel in South America. However, a good way to save yourself some cash is by staying in hostels. So, we’ve decided to help you out and take a look at hostels on Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Isabela.
Yep, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best hostels in Galapagos. There are some budget hotels and B & Bs in here – there aren’t loads of Galapagos hostels, but there are plenty of places to stay where you can keep your costs down. So, let’s jump in and take a closer look at the top hostels in Galapagos!
Quick Answer – Best Hostels in Galapagos
- Overall Best Hostel in Galapagos – Hostal Galapagos Morning Glory
- Best Hostels for Solo Travellers in Galapagos – Galapagos Best Hostel
- Best Cheap Hostel in Galapagos – Hostal Puerto Ayora
- Best Hostel for Couples in Galapagos – Hostal Costa del Pacifico
- Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Galapagos – Hostal Seymour
- Best Hostel with a Private Room in Galapagos – Hostal el Paraíso
- Best Hostel on Santa Cruz – Hostal Vista al Mar
- Best Hostel on San Cristobal – Hostal Suiza
- Best Hostel on Isabela – Posada del Caminante
Best Hostels in Galapagos
Backpacking Galapagos awesome, we’re not going to lie. But your accommodation can make or break your stay, so choose wisely. Since not everyone is travelling with a massive budget, we’ve listed the best backpacker hostels in Galapagos.
Our tip: plan your whole trip ahead to get the most out of it. Knowing where to stay in Galapagos will make the booking process a lot easier and you won’t end up miles away from the hotspots you want to explore. Or even easier, if you know you don’t want to come up with a plan yourself, check out some of the awesome Galapagos tours.
Overall Best Hostel in Galapagos – Hostal Galapagos Morning Glory
- $$$
- Garden and Bar
- Hammocks and TV
- Free toiletries
Let’s kick off our list of the best hostels in Galapagos with this awesome offering in the islands’ most happening town – Puerto Ayora! Set around the garden, each private room has a patio where you can enjoy some sun and try and spot the finches that influenced Darwin’s theory of evolution! If Darwin’s your thing, it’s also the closest hostel to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you can see the famous tortoises! If all that’s not enough, there’s a free breakfast – perfect for fuelling up before a day of exploring the islands!
Best Hostels for Solo Travellers in Galapagos – Galapagos Best Hostel
- $
- Outdoor terrace
- Book Exchange
- Laundry Facilities
If you’re travelling solo, you’ll want somewhere that you can easily meet people. Check out this youth hostel in Galapagos then! Not only does it have a mixture of private rooms and dorms where you can easily meet fellow travellers, but the owner is super friendly and will be happy to give you recommendations on the best places to visit in Galapagos! It may not be anything fancy, but it’s clean, welcoming, and good value for money. Spend your evenings with something from the book exchange on the roof terrace. Bliss!
Best Cheap Hostel in Galapagos – Hostal Puerto Ayora
- $
- Great location
- Towels included
- No free breakfast
The Galapagos Islands can be an extremely expensive place to holiday and you might be put off by high accommodation prices. However, you can save a wad of cash by checking into the best budget hostel in Galapagos! Hostal Puerto Ayora offers you a comfy bed in a cosy dorm on the island of Santa Cruz so you’ll be close to all the tour operators and top attractions! There’s a shared kitchen so you can keep your costs down even further, just pick up some produce from the local market and you’re good to go!
Best Hostel for Couples in Galapagos – Hostal Costa del Pacifico
- $$$
- Great location
- Private bathroom
- Air conditioning
There are some great romantic places to stay in Galapagos, but they can end up being pretty pricey. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a bed in a dorm or pitch a tent on a beach! One of the best and cheapest double rooms you’ll find in Galapagos is here at Hostal Costa del Pacifico. Not only that, you’ll have a nice view of either the sea or Puerto Ayora and a private bathroom with complimentary toiletries! It’s got great reviews from couples, so you don’t just have to take our word for it!
Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Galapagos – Hostal Seymour
- $$$
- Laptop friendly workspace
- Hot Tub
- Shared Lounge
Okay, so the Wi-Fi on the islands can be pretty slow and frustrating. Not good news if you’re a digital nomad! If you’re happy to just make the best of it though, this is the coolest hostel in Galapagos if you need to get your head down and do some work. There’s a laptop-friendly workspace in your bedroom! Once you’ve finished working for the day, pop to the hot tub and soak and de-stress! If you don’t want to get wet, just relax on the terrace and top up your tan!
Best Hostel with a Private Room in Galapagos – Hostal el Paraíso
- $
- Private bathrooms
- Complimentary Toiletries
- Airport shuttle
Sometimes when you’re looking to save cash, a shared dorm is the best. However, it’s worth paying a little extra for your own personal space! So, check out this great hostel with a private room in Galapagos. And it’s not only a private bedroom you get but your own bathroom too – with complimentary toiletries! You have not one, but two beaches within 1 kilometre, so that’s perfect if you’re planning on swimming or snorkelling! This cool spot also has its own tour desk, so you can easily find the best places to spot wildlife or go scuba diving!
Psst! Heading to a hostel? Don’t forget to pack a padlock! It’s well worth having one so you can secure your locker and protect your stuff!
Best Hostel on Santa Cruz – Hostal Vista al Mar
- $
- Flat Screen TV
- Free toiletries
- Tour desk
Right in the centre of Puerto Ayora, the biggest town on Santa Cruz, you have one of the coolest hostels in Galapagos. The best restaurants on the island are within 50 yards! Your room comes with plenty of cool extras, including a flat screen TV and a fan. There’s also a communal shared lounge and a tour desk, should you want to indulge in some adventures on the islands! If you’re travelling solo, this is a great shout. Reviews give it an almost perfect score from individual travellers, so you don’t just have to take our word for it!
Best Hostel on San Cristobal – Hostal Suiza
- $$$$
- Private bathrooms
- Sun terrace with hammocks
- Daily maid service
Most of the best hostels in Galapagos are on Santa Cruz and in Puerto Ayora. But what if you want to head to La Lobería, check out Tijeretas Hill, or go scuba diving at Kicker Rock?! Looks like you’ll have to search for hostels on San Cristobal. Hostal Suiza is right in Puerto Moreno Baquerizo, the biggest town on the island. So, you’ve got tours within easy reach and it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to both the beach and the pier to catch a boat to Santa Cruz!
Best Hostel on Isabela – Posada del Caminante
- $$
- Shared kitchen
- Free fresh fruit
- Laundry service available
The last of the three main islands in the Galapagos is Isabela. And while it’s the least developed of the three, it still has some top Galapagos hostels! La Posada del Caminante has both private rooms and shared dorms, so it’s suitable whatever budget you have. Prepare your breakfast in the morning before going hiking on a volcano or scuba diving at Los Tuneles. When you’re in the fully equipped kitchen, you can even take some complimentary fresh fruit! This is the best hostel in Puerto Villamil – trust us!
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Another Great Hostel in Galapagos
The Point Galapagos Hostal Emanuel
- $$
- Complimentary Breakfast
- Bike hire available
- Shared kitchen
Last but not least on our list of the best hostels in Galapagos is this place in Puerto Moreno Baquerizo. So, take note if you’re staying on San Cristobal! There’s bike hire available too which is one of the easiest and most exhilarating ways to explore the island. It’s up to you whether you want to make your own breakfast in the shared kitchen, or take advantage of the complimentary one offered. And… why wouldn’t you enjoy a free breakfast?! Last but not least, you’ll get towels. But not just any towels – they’re folded in the shape of a manta ray! Wow!
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Read our full review!
What to Pack for your Galapagos Hostel
Here’s some gear our editors take hostelling.
1. Noise-Cancelling Earbuds: Noise in hostels… is a thing. Your bunkmate coming in late, motorbike traffic just below your window, construction on the property or the round-the-clock rooster that seems to follow you to every f*cking hostel. Having a way to escape the noise while you sleep makes for a well-rested morning. Noise canceling ear-buds are a great solution, just put on your favorite artist or load a quick Netflix episode to fall asleep too.
2. Sea to Summit Travel Soap: Soap can be very useful on long travels, but it’s hard to carry around. It might get taken off you at the airport or leak in your backpack. This Sea to Summit Travel Soap is the perfect solution for every backpacker with a thought for hygiene. The dry soap is super handy, and it definitely won’t leak (there’s nothing to leak). One box contains 50 leaves of soap, making sure that you’ll be clean, even on longer adventures.
3. Playing Cards: Name your ideal night: I’m for a few cheap beers and some card games. Oh, and you don’t even have to be drinking to enjoy a game – having cards with you traveling definitely helps out on those long airplane or beach days! Make sure to snag a waterproof deck to protect from the pool, ocean or Chang.
4. Active Roots Microfiber Towel: Quick-drying, lightweight, super soft and compact – the Active Roots Microfiber Towel is essential for every backpacker. No need to use the scabby towels your hostel may or may not provide! Use it for drying off, as a yoga towel or even as a picnic blanket – the options don’t stop here. Made of antibacterial material, you don’t have to worry about your towel starting to smell unpleasant either after lots of use.
5. Headphone Splitter: You’re the one with the Netflix account and your friend wants to watch too? But you don’t want to share headphones? And you’re good people who wouldn’t disturb your dorm mates? That’s not going to be a problem with this Headphone Splitter! Plug in two pairs of headphones at the same time, so both of you are able to listen to music or watch shows simultaneously. It comes in handy and won’t weigh you down.
6. Active Roots Toiletry Bag: The Active Roots Toiletry bag keeps all of your bathroom essential items organized instead of flowing around your backpack. Having everything handy and accessible in one water-resistant bag is a bathroom lifesaver. This toiletry bag also helps from being that embarrassed person walking back to the dorm room, in a towel, to grab forgotten shampoo.
Final Thoughts on the Best Hostels in Galapagos
So, that completes our list of the best hostels in Galapagos. We think you’ll agree there is a lot of choice. Not only have we taken your budget and travel styles into account, but there’s enough spread of location to make sure that you’ve got somewhere to stay on whichever island you’re planning to spend your time!
And if you’re travelling to Santa Cruz and still overwhelmed by choice, go for our top hostel in Galapagos – Hostal Galapagos Morning Glory. It’s a great combination of value for money, an awesome location, and just an overall great place to stay!
Now that we’ve helped you plan out your holiday a bit better, all that’s left is for us to wish you an amazing vacation in Galapagos. We hope you have a great time!
And don’t forget Travel Insurance! We’ve put together a roundup of Travel Insurance for backpackers – check it out here, or if you’re low on time, get a quote from World Nomads, our favorite travel insurance provider.
Getting an estimate from World Nomads is simple – just click the button or image below, fill out the necessary info, and you’re on your way!
Do you own or run a kick ass hostel? Want to be featured in this list? Get in touch at [email protected]
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