Galápagos debuts new visiting rules with mandatory reservations and guiding

The Galápagos National Park Directorate (DPNG) issued the new General Visit Rules and Rules of Conduct for the Galápagos Protected Areas, through Resolution No. MAE-PNG/DIR-2026-0044-RM, signed in Puerto Ayora on August 12, 2026, and published in the Third Supplement No. 368 of the Official Registry on Monday, September 14, 2026. The regulation, signed by the acting director Mgs. Lorena Katherine Sánchez Saritama, regulates the entry, stay, and activities of visitors, residents, tour operators, guides, and researchers in the Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Marine Reserve.

The instrument repeals Resolution No. 00021 of May 12, 2026, and updates the rules in effect since Resolution No. 0000007 of January 29, 2024. The update responds to the technical review by the Public Use Directorate, which detected the need to strengthen management measures, incorporate rules of conduct, and make the use of the reservation system mandatory, within the framework of the Organic Law of the Special Regime of the Province of Galápagos and its regulations.

Mandatory Guiding and Authorized Operation

Visits to protected areas may only be carried out accompanied by a naturalist guide accredited by the DPNG, except in expressly exempted sites. All tourist activities must be executed through duly authorized operators, vessels, or modalities, and visitors must remain within the trails, beaches, and delimited zones, respecting official signage.

Minimum Distances from Wildlife

The regulation sets safety distances according to the activity, with the aim of not altering the natural behavior of the animals:

• 2 meters during freediving, diving, snorkeling, and hiking, including photography equipment.
• 4 meters in kayaks, paddleboards, and panga rides relative to the coast and the animals observed.
• 100 meters from whales and 50 meters from dolphins during sighting from vessels; the distance is doubled for groups with calves.

It is prohibited to touch, feed, chase, or manipulate wildlife, as well as to swim or dive with cetaceans. The approach to whales must begin at 400 meters and to dolphins at 200 meters, with a maximum speed of 4 nautical miles per hour and a maximum observation time of 25 minutes per group.

Reservation System and Schedules

The Reservation System for Visit Sites is established as the official entry control mechanism, which is mandatory for tourist service agencies and guides. Prior reservation is required for the tortoise breeding centers Fausto Llerena (Santa Cruz), Arnaldo Tupiza (Isabela), and David Rodríguez (San Cristóbal), as well as the sites Las Grietas (Santa Cruz), Volcán Chico, and Minas de Azufre (Isabela).

General visiting hours are from 06:00 to 18:00; diving extends until 17:00, and night diving, only in defined sites, from 18:00 to 22:00. Camping requires prior permission requested at least 48 hours in advance. In aquatic activities, the use of sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate is restricted, and motorized aquatic vehicles, tourist submarines, and aerial tourism are prohibited.

Control, dissemination, and co-responsibility

The DPNG will carry out monitoring and control actions, including the inspection of backpacks and equipment at entry points, and may verify publications in digital media and social networks upon evidence of non-compliance. The tourism sector—guides, operators, agencies, and crew—must provide prior and mandatory notification of the rules applicable to each itinerary, and non-compliance will be documented for the application of the sanctions provided for in current regulations.

The regulation comes into effect upon its signing, without prejudice to its official publication, and entrusts its execution to the Directorate of Public Use and the technical units of San Cristóbal and Isabela. For the thousands of tourists who visit the archipelago each year, the new rules reinforce the protection of one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, while organizing tourism operations and the coexistence between visitors, residents, and wildlife.

Source: Official Registry, Third Supplement No. 368, September 14, 2026, p. 2 (official reference: Resolution No. MAE-PNG/DIR-2026-0044-RM).