To get to Baltra airport (GPS) for a 10AM flight I was advised to take the 7AM bus from the terminal at the edge of town. I got up at 6, determined to get a coffee and pastry before heading to the airport. I expected this was not uncommon in a town of tourists catching a diving tour at the break of dawn or an early flight, but nothing was open by 6:50 save for a diving operator populated by sleepy tourists awaiting their boat. I got my bags from the hotel and got into a white pickup truck to taxi to the bus station. The drive took a few minutes, getting stuck in traffic of schoolchildren. I arrived at the station a couple of minutes past 7, just in time to catch the bus.
The four stage ride to the airport is fairly straightforward, but they charge you at every step. The total cost from Puerto Ayora to Baltra is $5: $2 for the taxi, $2 for the bus, and $1 for the ferry. The final shuttle across Baltra to the airport does not charge. You have to take your luggage onto this bus, it does not go below. The taxi to the bus stop can be skipped if you give yourself enough time to walk the mile across town and possibly get lost due to lack of coffee.
I arrived at the airport at 8:40. The 4-gate airport itself is quick to get through. There is a food court before security with the usual premium airport prices.
View from the airport. The Daphne islands are visible in the background. On arrival, it is strange to see this desert in this supposed paradise of biodiversity, but on leaving, it is similarly clear why they put the airport here.
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Cumulative cost of the Galapagos trip: $1550 + 40K miles.
Update: Moved to new category “Travel Logisitics” for posts that may be useful to some people but are not terribly interesting if you don’t need the info.