Guide to the Galapagos Islands

San Cristobal

Things to do for free:

Playa Mann

Playa Mann is the beach across the street from my university (USFQ) and the Galápagos Science Center. You can easily get here using directions from Google maps. This sandy beach is a great location for laying on the beach while accompanied by Galapagos Sea Lions. Upon entering the water, the sand transitions to a rocky bottom, which hosts a few fish species and the occasional turtle. At this beach, if you stand in the shallow water, a playful and curious young sea lion might swim up close to you. This is not necessarily a destination for snorkeling, but it is worth popping your head underwater to check out what’s going on below.

Punta Carola

Punta Carola is a long, sandy beach dotted with Galápagos Sea Lions. It is located past my university, USFQ. To get there, follow directions to Playa Mann or USFQ on Google Maps, then continue straight along the road which will turn into a dirt road. Continue straight into the area the Punta Carola sign, then follow the path to your right.

Not only is Punta Carola great for sunbathing, but it is also great for snorkeling. This is a great location for spotting sea turtles; at times you will come across 6 turtles congregated together under the water. There is also the chance of swimming with a sea lion at this beach as well.

This beach also has a scenic lighthouse and is great for watching the sunset. The waves can also be good for surfing, but be sure to go during high tide as the rocks can be dangerous.

Tijeretas

Tijeretas is a rocky cove located near Playa Mann and Punta Carola. Tijeretas translates to scissors in Spanish, and the cove received its name from the frigate bird populations there, which have scissor tails that open and shut as they fly. To get there, follow directions to Playa Mann or USFQ on Google Maps, then make a right once you pass the school. The road continues to the left towards the Interpretation Center. You will enter the interpretation center and follow the signs along the path to Tijeretas. Continue along the path until you see stairs, then turn to the left to walk down to the cove. You can ascend the stairs if you want, which will take you to a nice lookout of Tijeretas cove.

Tijeretas is one of, if not my favorite free snorkeling sites in the Galápagos. It hosts a wealth of marine life including fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, and more. It has a great variety of species and diversity compared to other snorkeling spots (This diversity is only matched by Kicker Rock which is only available by tour). I have also seen turtles, rays, swimming sea lions, and diving blue footed boobies at this site. You are sure to see something great every time you snorkel at Tijeretas!

Playa Baquerizo

Baquerizo is a beautiful, sandy, secluded beach that requires an hour long hike. To get there, follow directions to Playa Mann or USFQ on Google Maps, then make a right once you pass the school. The road continues to the left towards the Interpretation Center. You will enter the interpretation center and follow the signs along the path to Tijeretas. Continue up the stairs, and eventually you will meet with the dirt path that will take you to to Baquerizo Beach.

Baquerizo has a great amount of biodiversity, from algae to sharks. It is a great place to see turtles, beautiful fish, and it is the only place where I have been able to watch marine iguanas feeding underwater. Local fisherman also clean their fish just offshore, which can attract sharks, so if lucky, you can spot a Galapágos or Black Tipped Reef Shark.

Note: Be sure to bring good walking shoes! Chacos, Tevas, or closed toed shoes are great, but flip flops will not be a great option because you will have to walk on lava rocks at times.

Lobería

Loberia is a long beach with a long sandy strip to lay with sea lions, a rocky intertidal with great tidepools, and a 30 minute walk to a cliff lookout with lots of birds. To get here, you can walk along city streets for approximately 45 minutes while following directions on Google Maps. If you don't want to walk, you have the option of taking a taxi (look for the white truck taxis), which will cost you $3 each way.

Lobería has a great snorkeling area that is designated by buoys. Do not pass the buoys because the current is very strong, making it unsafe to snorkel outside of the buoys. Regardless of the limited area, there are typically many large green sea turtles hanging out on the ocean floor or swimming around and feeding. I have also seen a spotted eagle ray and swimming sea lions at this site. There are also lots of parrot fish and triggerfish which you might see feeding on sea urchins.

Lobería has an active sea lion breeding site, so you can find many adorable baby sea lions lying on the beach or playing in shallow rock pools. The rocks also act as a home to many marine iguanas.

At this beach, you can also walk around the rocky intertidal if you have close toed shoes or secured sandals such as chacos. The rocks are slippery, so be careful! The tidepools are best viewed at low tide. You also have an option to do a 30 minute walk up to a sea cliff where you can see birds such as swallow tailed gulls, frigate birds, blue footed boobies, and red billed tropic birds. To find the path, walk along the beach from the entrance all the way to the end of the beach, which will turn into a dirt path leading you to the lookout. You will see many marine iguanas along the path, so watch your step!

The Boardwalk

The Malecón (which translates to boardwalk in English) is fun to walk along while looking at souvenir shops and other yummy restaurants, but there are also a few beaches filled with sea lions that you will walk past. These beaches are not meant to be accessed by humans, but you can stand behind the railings and observe the behavior of many sea lions. You can also spot blue footed boobies and pelicans feeding offshore.

Cheap Attractions:

Galapaguera Giant Tortoise Breeding Site ($40)

Galapaguera is the giant tortoise breeding site on San Cristóbal Island. The entrance is free, but you will have to pay for a taxi to get there, which costs $20 each way. If you are traveling with others, you can split this cost, making it more affordable.

At the breeding site, you can walk along a path where you can spot a variety of mature giant tortoises in their “natural” habitat. These tortoises are allowed to walk around a relatively large enclosed area, but they are still monitored and under the care of the breeding center. There is also an area specifically for breeding where you can see juvenile giant tortoises at different ages.

Note: You will need to tell your taxi driver when you want to be picked up, because there is no service and the drive is a pretty solid distance from town (about 30 minutes). This excursion is great when coupled with a trip to Puerto Chino, which is a beautiful white sand beach only about a quarter mile away from the breeding center. It is a steep downhill walk from Galapaguera to Puerto Chino, which is completely fine to do by foot, but if you are lucky a taxi driver passing by will offer you a lift for free since it is very close.

Puerto Chino ($40)

Puerto Chino is a beautiful white sand beach located on the side of the island that is opposite of the town. It is a 30 minute drive from town to the beach, which will cost you $20 each way, but you can split the cost with friends and family if you carpool. To get here, you just need to find a taxi (a white truck) and tell them you want to go to Puerto Chino. Make sure you tell your driver when to pick you up, because there is no service at the beach.

Puerto Chino does not have great snorkeling because it has very soft sand, making the visibility poor. If the swell is good, you can surf here, but mostly it is a beach for sunbathing and enjoying the scenery. It is also very fun to swim in because it doesn’t have a rocky bottom, which makes it unique from most of the other beaches. Curious juvenile sea lions may float up to you in the water to say hi. As long as you do not approach the sea lions or try to approach or touch them, they are typically harmless.

Surfing at Tongo Reef and Cañon Point ($20- $50)

Tongo Reef and Cañon Point have the two most consistent surf breaks in the Galapagos Islands. These two breaks are only accessible through the Navy Base. The two requirements for getting into the Navy Base are a surfboard and an ID (they accept state ID’s). You will leave your ID at the front gate when you enter and recollect it when you exit. The guards will see that you have a surfboard and let you in.

To get there, follow the instructions on Google Maps to the Navy Base. To get to Cañon Point, continue straight along the road through the base, and you will pass the dock and see the break on your right hand side. If you get to the sand path that takes you to Tongo, you have just passed it! To get to Tongo, you will continue along that sandy path until the end. Be very careful entering the water at both beaches because they are pretty shallow and rocky. The best surfing is at high tide, so for maximum time in the water, enter just before high tide and exit just after.

My good friend Carlos owns a surf shop named Cañon, where he rents surf boards, wetsuits, and surf related gear. His shop is located just outside of the navy base. He will rent you a surfboard and a short wetsuit at a very fair price, ranging from $20- $30 a day, depending on how new the board is. You can also take a surf lesson from him (he is an awesome teacher) for $50. If you are a relatively inexperienced surfer, I recommend taking a lesson from him because he will explain to you the geography of the beach and how to safely avoid rocks.

Paid Tours:

Española Island Tour ($150)

This tour takes you by boat from San Cristóbal Island to Española Island. Española is famous for the Waved Albatross, because it is the only current nesting site of this species. The Waved Albatross is migratory, and is only on the island to breed from April- December. To see the mating dance, it is best to go early in the season, around April-July. The albatross population will slowly decrease starting in November as they leave to migrate, and they will mostly all be gone by December.

On Española Island, you can also see beautifully colored male marine iguanas, which start to show rainbow coloring during their mating season. There are also lots of juvenile marine iguanas, many Nazca boobies, swallow tailed gulls, Galápagos hawks, and even Galápagos fur seals.

Kicker Rock Tour ($150 to snorkel, $180 to dive)

Kicker Rock is San Crisóbal’s biggest tourist attraction. It is a beautiful rock just off the coast that has the richest species diversity that I have seen in the Galápagos. The rock creates a dramatic and steep wall where you can see all types of algae, sea urchins, sea stars, sea fans, sponges, and sea anemones. You can also see nudibranchs, octopi, and small coral colonies. As for fish, there are incredible schools that can be found here, and you can swim side by side with many different types of fish. In the warm season, you can find Hammerhead, Galápagos, and black tipped reef sharks swimming past you. It is truly a spectacular site, and it is visited as part of the 360 tour, or you can take a tour specifically to Kicker Rock.

360 Tour ($150)

The 360 tour is my favorite tour excursion in the Galápagos Islands. It takes you to three locations: Rosa Blanca, Punta Pitt, and Kicker Rock. It is a full day tour that you can book through many different tour companies. Even in the high speason, you only need to book the tour a few days in advance. The tour gets its name because it makes an entire loop around San Cristóbal Island in one day.

Rosa Blanca is a shallow, mangrove lined bay that is used as a nursery site by white tipped reef sharks. These sharks are harmless, and lay on the sandy bottom, allowing snorkelers to hover right over them. It is truly breathtaking, and it is my favorite snorkeling spot in all of the Islands. Here you can also find massive turtles and marbled rays.

Punta Pitt is the point on the back side of the island. It is a nesting site for blue and red footed boobies, and also hosts a variety of other bird species. You can visit Punta Pitt on a tour dedicated entirely to the area, where you will take a hike to see the booby nests, where you can see the boobies up close. The 360 Tour only stops at Punta Pitt for a few minutes from the water, so bring binoculars if you want a close look at the vibrant feet!

Kicker Rock is San Cristóbal’s biggest tourist attraction. It is a beautiful rock just off the coast that has the richest species diversity that I have seen in the Galápagos. The rock creates a dramatic and steep wall where you can see all types of algae, sea urchins, sea stars, sea fans, sponges, and sea anemones. You can also see nudibranchs, octopi, and small coral colonies. As for fish, there are incredible schools that can be found here, and you can swim side by side with many different types of fish. In the warm season, you can find Hammerhead, Galápagos, and black tipped reef sharks swimming past you. You can take a tour dedicated entirely to kicker rock, but you will get approximately the same time allowed for snorkeling, and the 360 tour includes more locations, so I believe the 360 tour to be a better bang for your buck.

Punta Pitt ($150 to snorkel, $180 to dive)

Punta Pitt is the point on the back side of the island. It is a nesting site for blue and red footed boobies, and also hosts a variety of other bird species. On this tour, your boat will pull up to shore and your group will take a hike to see the boobies up close at their nesting sites. This tour provides the best opportunity to see boobies and their vibrant feet up close, as it is basically guaranteed that the birds will be nesting there. Boobies can be seen all around the island, but they are typically flying, and you cannot see their feet while they are in flight.

After the hike, you will have the opportunity to snorkel or dive at one of the few sites in the Galápagos that still has coral reef colonies. Most of the corals were wiped out during the El Niño event in 1998, but Punta Pitt still has a relatively healthy coral population.