Before you read any further, I feel it's important to emphasize these points...
-I visited the Galapagos in July (not exactly "peak tourist season") which meant I had no problem finding last minute accommodations/excursions. The weather was beautiful while I was there but I planned on going regardless of the season.
-I was traveling alone - arguably cheaper and more flexible than traveling with other people.
-YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE A CRUISE! I loved the flexibility I had staying on land and any excursion a cruise might offer can just as easily be booked with one of the many tourist shops on land.
So how much did my trip really cost? I'll break it down as best as I can remember, ballpark...under $1,000 for six days.
Flight
My biggest expense was obviously my flight. Since I was traveling from Quito, my flight was significantly cheaper than it would have been flying from the states. My roundtrip direct flights between Quito and the Galapagos (2 hours and 15 mins each way) cost $398 total. Worth. Every. Penny. I was so lucky to have money leftover at the end of the year - thank you to everyone who supported my trip!
Fees
There are two airports you can fly into, I chose Santa Cruz. The airport is literally in the middle of NOWHERE. When we departed the plane, I looked around and thought we had emergency landed on planet Mars. Before you can officially leave the airport you need to pay two fees. First, there is a $100 national park entrance fee. "Funds from the entry tax for tourists are used to finance the conservation of biodiversity of flora and fauna, terrestrial and marine, and benefits the local community by improving basic services, education projects, sports, health, environmental sanitation, environmental services and services directly related to tourists." Thanks, Google!
The second fee is $20 for a Transit Control Card which helps keep track of who is coming and going from the islands. The islands are VERY PROTECTED and very well maintained. I'll spare you the history lesson but if you want more information, look here.
If you are actually planning on visiting the Galapagos it's important to know that these fees are CASH ONLY. A few of the islands don't even have ATM's so depending on which ones you'd like to visit, plan accordingly. Price: $125
Ok, back to the fun stuff. Once I was registered and finished paying my fees, I took a free shuttle bus to a dock where boats were waiting to transport visitors to the main island. Price: $3
(HI, I'M A TOURIST!)
The island of Santa Cruz was beautiful, clean, and safe to walk around. My driver from the boat into the mainland was named Jose Alfredo (yes, that is a real name). I'm going to take a guess here and say that he was in his mid-twenties (you never know with Ecuadorian men) and he spoke zero English so we filled the hour-long car ride with small talk about my time in Ecuador, my plans for seeing the islands, and his grave concern for my imminent spinsterhood. I don't know what shocked him more, the fact that I was traveling alone (unless of course you're a murderer, Jose Alfredo, in which case my large, overly protective, gun-wielding boyfriend is waiting at the hostel), or the fact that I wasn't married with five kids - he already had two. Jose Alfredo seemed like a real class act so I took his number and planned on calling him for future transportation needs.
(Crabs - on the rocks)
("Hop inside my mouth if you want to live.")
(First official sea lion sighting - more to come)
(My spirit animal)
(Living the dream)
We arrived at the hostel late in the afternoon just before sundown. The hour-long ride was $20. I had booked a room for two nights at Hostel Gloria through Airbnb ($35/night). I'm sure there were cheaper options but I wanted to be close to the beach and it had great reviews. The host was Anthony and he owned the Inn with his mother. Anthony spoke fluent English and was nice enough, he was always running around doing something as the building was under construction (not mentioned on the website) and when my bedroom ceiling leaked rainwater all over my clothes and luggage, he quickly upgraded me to a much nicer suite. The Lord...works in mysterious ways... I walked around town for a bit but I didn't want to be out alone after dark so I picked up some food and brought it back to my room.
(Hostal Gloria)
(Rooftop patio where a complimentary breakfast was served. I took this photo from the internet, no idea who these people are. But look how happy they are!)
(Another photo from the internet, but this is what my bedroom looked like.)
I woke up early the next morning and walked around town. Santa Cruz is very touristy so there were plenty of restaurants, shops, and people. It was chilly and raining so I decided to call Jose Alfredo for a date ride to three of the main tourist attractions: Los Gemelos, Reserva El Chato, and Tuneles De Lava. Price: $40 for a driver for the day.
Los Gemelos are two collapsed craters that reminded me of Jurassic Park, minus all the dinosaurs. In lieu of pterodactyls, the craters were filled with a thick layer of fog so I wasn't able to get an Instagram-worthy photo but, you get the idea. Jose Alfredo dropped me off at the first crater and told me he would drive around and park at the other end of the second crater (seemed legit). As I watched him drive away, I was only mildly concerned that somewhere, lost in translation, I had unknowingly agreed to walk home but alas, he was ready and waiting by the time I arrived. Price: Free
Our next stop was to El Chato Tortoise Reserve. I couldn't decided if it was the time of the year or the fact that it was cold and rainy, but I was literally the only person there. I was given some stylish rain boots, strict instructions to keep a safe distance from the wildlife (7 feet), and freedom to roam about the grounds. All-in-all I'd say there were about 50 tortoises either sleeping, eating, walking around, or hanging out in the giant pit of mud. The pictures don't do it justice but the tortoises were HUGE and if I got too close for their comfort, they let out a loud "hsssssss" as they retreated into their shells and waited for me to give them more space. I'm not a runner, and I'm fairly confident I could outrun a giant tortoise, but I still wanted to "respect nature" and give them their space juuuust in case I angered the Usain Bolt of the tortoise world and ended up being the first tourist to have their face bitten off. Price: $5
(Lazy Sundays. Am I right, boys?)
(Keeping a safe distance - face still intact.)
Our last stop was to Tuneles De Lava (you guessed it - Lava Tunnels.) Jose Alfredo once again dropped me off at the entrance and estimated it would take me about 15-20 minutes to make it through to the other side. This of course was after he noted that I was wearing Chaco sandals and planning on using the light from my iPhone. What is the Girl Scout motto? "Always have reception?" I didn't end up needing my phone for most of the trek because there were lights hanging from the ceiling, I did however use it to play some music because I was the only person in the tunnels and after 5-7 minutes of complete silence, I was starting to lose it. The tunnels were incredible and once again, the pictures really don't do it justice. At one point, the ceiling was so low that a piece of wood had been placed on the ground to slide on your stomach to the other side (ohhh how I miss Ecuador). I felt like Indiana Jones and Jose Alfredo looked pretty impressed when I emerged from the tunnel unscathed. Price: Free
(If you zoom in, you can see that it looks like a 3rd grader drew this map for his/her school project)
(Entrance to the tunnel - go towards the light!)
(So. Much. Silence.)
(Super glad I was wearing Chacos right about now.)
(Ignoring all survival instincts and sliding through to the other side.)
The next day I visited the Charles Darwin Research Station, an enormous national park right by the ocean where you can observe and learn about tortoises. It was pretty hot that day so I ended up hanging out by the beach but I'm glad I went. Price: Free
The second island I visited was San Cristobal, another popular tourist destination. Most tourists (including me) use the ferries to get from island to island. There is an option to fly to certain islands but as I said before, I was sticking to a budget. Ferry is, to say the least, a misleading name for the Boat-From-Hell that I ended up taking. The trip lasted just under two hours and from minute four, passengers were getting violently seasick into plastic barf bags conveniently available throughout the boat. I lucked out with a seat at the back of the "ferry" (in reality, it was a large speedboat) so I at least had some fresh air and a view of the sky, but imagine drinking 1,000 shots of vodka then riding a horrifying rollercoaster at Six Flags for two straight hours. I sat next to a family with small children and seeing how miserable I must have looked, the mom reached over her puking daughter and handed me a little white pill "for seasickness." I'm going to be real honest here folks, I had no idea what she gave me, it could have been straight up ecstasy for all I cared, I popped that bad boy into my mouth like it was a tic-tac and it was the best decision I have ever made. While I was still on the verge of barfing at any moment, it didn't feel so...so...violent? I ended up being one of maybe ten people on the boat that didn't puke and for that, I am still awaiting my medal of honor. Price: $30 + 10 years of my life.
San Cristobal was my favorite island, it also happened to be the island with the most sea lions, there were hundreds of them! I checked into Casa de Laura and immediately felt right at home. The hostel was one minute from the beach and just past the main part of town so it was quiet but still within walking distance. Price: $25/night
I walked down to the beach where there were about 5 tourists and 50 sea lions. Most of the sea lions were napping in the sand but some of the younger ones played in the ocean. They playfully rode the waves onto the shore, casually checking out the humans that had ventured into the water. Since it was my first day on the island, I didn't want to be the annoying tourist that asked "CAN WE TOUCH THEM?!" so I assumed the answer was "no" and kept my distance. Per the advice of another solo traveler, I walked through another park that had a stone path next to the ocean. The plants reminded me a lot of Arizona and I took some precious selfies overlooking the bluffs. (Photos not included - too much sunburn.)
(Hoping for scraps - like a Golden Retriever!)
Like I said, this was definitely a popular tourist destination so there were plenty of small excursion shops to choose from on the main road. I walked into one that looked reputable and booked a snorkel trip to Kicker Rock. I boarded the boat early the next morning with a man from Germany, a young couple with their son, and four Norwegian Abercrombie and Fitch models that were there to scuba diva far, far, away from the peasant snorkel losers.
(Kicker Rock from a distance) 
(Whoaaaa there Kicker Rock...too close!)
We had an amazing guide, Angel, who was very excited about the ocean and eager to share his knowledge about the wildlife we were about to encounter but sadly Hans (I'm just assuming that was the German man's name) and I seemed to be the only two nerds paying attention. The young couple was busy trying to take a picture for their next Christmas card (their son was NOT having it) and the Norwegians were busy being hot.
As we approached Kicker Rock, our guide asked if this was anyone's first time snorkeling and I made the grave mistake of raising my hand. Despite my assurances that I was a perfectly adequate swimmer, had spent many years teaching swim lessons, was in fact the head lifeguard at a summer camp, and was currently WEARING A LIFE JACKET, Angel insisted that I hang on to the most embarrassing orange floaty that was attached with a long rope around his waist...
"Just until you get used to the water..."
"I. CAN. SWWWWIIIIIMMMMMMM!!!!!"
The floaty lasted about 12 seconds before I let go and swam alongside him but it was good that we had it because the little boy was FREAKING OUT that there were in fact...fish...in the ocean.
We saw so many cool things, I wish I had an underwater camera. The rock was lined with brightly colored coral, there were hundreds of fish, we saw sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, and a few small sharks. We were able to snorkel around the entire rock and finished with a swim through the tunnel space pictured above. The water was freezing but it was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. We snorkeled for about an hour, ate lunch on the boat, and then snorkeled at a different location for about another hour. By the time I made it home I was exhausted so I grabbed some dinner and went to bed. Price: $120
The next day I had planned on visiting Isabela Island but the mom from the trip to Kicker Rock informed me that from this particular island, it was only accessible by plane. Bummed I didn't have time to make it there, I found a different snorkel shop and booked an excursion to Isla De Los Lobos (Sea Lion Island). What started as a last minute scramble ended up being THE BEST DAY EVER.
If I could relive one day, this would be it. I boarded the boat with three sassy ladies from Germany and about 10 middle school kids with their four chaperones...ON A FIELD TRIP. Am I the only one who remembers dressing like a peasant and visiting the freaking Ye Old Schoolhouse as a class field trip?! We certainly weren't booking any trips to the Galapagos...kids these days.
We hiked around the island and saw plenty of wildlife including the famous Blue-Footed Boobies, some other birds I don't remember the name of (they were in the peak of mating season), more sea lions, and some black sea lizards that apparently, exclusively live in the Galapagos.
(Black lizard - not swimming)
(Birds in heat)
(The elusive Blue-Footed Booby! Just kidding, they were everywhere.)
(Baby Boobies!)
(More babies)
The sassy German ladies were having a field day ignoring all of our guide's instructions to give the wildlife space and if he hadn't put a stop to it, I swear one of them would have put a baby sea lion in her backpack. For the sake of their chaperones, the kids were half listening to the guide but I could tell they were eager to get in the water.
Do you see how close those sea lions are? That's where we jumped in the water...right there. Words cannot even describe how much fun it was, swimming with the sea lions in their natural habitat. I'd estimate there were about 30 sea lions all within an arm's length away. The kids were losing their minds, I'm not sure why the chaperones thought swimming with large wild animals would be a good idea when the kids "didn't know how to swim" but luckily, the guide had a few extra floaties and like a true champion, he dragged those kids kicking and screaming through the water.
I, on the other hand, had the best day of my life. A few of the sea lions were super playful, they were very similar to dogs! They would swim towards me at full speed, making direct eye contact the entire time, and at the very last possible moment they would do a flip-turn in front of my face and swim away, only to circle back five seconds later to play some more. I'd swim in circles and they'd mimic my every move. My heart was racing the entire time - I was so happy - it was seriously the best day ever. There was an "alpha male" chilling at the bottom by the sand that was roughly the size of a manatee. I stayed away from him because unlike the tortoises, he could absolutely kill me. We swam in the cove for about an hour and if I could, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The Germans had an underwater GoPro to take pictures and video and I gave them my e-mail to connect later but sadly, I never heard from them! Oh well, I'm glad I was able to truly enjoy the day without worrying about getting a good picture. I did however find a video online that shows what we did - check it out!
We took a quick break for lunch then moved to another private beach where we were allowed to swim freely for about another hour. I swam with some sea turtles that I found grazing in the sea grass, made friends with two young sea lions that were looking to play, and shot down the guide's many attempts to ask me on a date as he was now referring to me as his "Ocean Queen." Price: $120
Isla De Los Lobos was my last full day in the Galapagos. My last morning I took another puke-ferry back to Santa Cruz, made friends with some Europeans watching Harry Potter in a cafe, and returned safely home to Quito to pack up my room and head back to the states!
So what is the moral of the story? IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE PLANE TICKET, GOOOOOO! At the end of the day, I spent well under $1,000 for six amazing days in the most beautiful place I have ever been. I have so many more pictures and stories and if you truly want to go, I'm happy to answer any questions you have. In addition to the advice I received from other volunteers, here are two websites I found to be incredibly helpful.
https://thriftynomads.com/10-ways-to-explore-galapagos/
https://thriftynomads.com/galapagos-islands-on-the-cheap/
