The Galápagos Islands
Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
Puerto Ayora
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Isla Isabela (Albemarle)
Puerto Villamil
Isla Fernandina (Narborough)
Understand the Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands
Why Go?
The Galápagos Islands may just inspire you to think differently about the world. The creatures that call the islands home, many found nowhere else in the world, act as if humans are nothing more than slightly annoying paparazzi.
This is not the Bahamas and these aren’t typical tropical paradises; in fact, most of the islands are devoid of vegetation and some look more like the moon than Hawaii. However, more humans live here than is commonly assumed, and there’s a surprising level of development in the islands’ towns, mostly geared toward the thriving tourism industry.
This isolated group of volcanic islands and its fragile ecosystem has taken on almost mythological status as a showcase of biodiversity. Yet you don’t have to be an evolutionary biologist or an ornithologist to appreciate one of the few places left on the planet where the human footprint is kept to a minimum.
When to Go
Jan–May Sunny, warm, occasional short downpours. Water is less rough and winds slacken.
Jun–Dec The cool and dry season. Seas tend to be choppier due to the Humboldt current.
Jun–Dec Sea mammals and land birds tend to be at their most active.
Best Places to Stay
The Galápagos Islands Highlights
1 Los Túneles Locking eyes with sea horses among superb lava formations.
2 Punta Suárez Witnessing the pageantry of birdlife on Española Island.
3 Volcán Sierra Negra Hiking amid otherworldly scenery and fumaroles.
4 Isla Bartolomé Taking in spectacular views and snorkeling with sea turtles around Pinnacle Rock.
5 Rancho Primicias Gawking at the slumbering beasts in in the highlands of Santa Cruz.
6 Tortuga Bay Sunbathing on sublime white sand alongside marine iguanas.
7 Isla Isabela Kayaking past penguins by day and enjoying beachside cocktails by night.
8 Puerto Baquerizo Moreno Surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, biking or diving within minutes of Isla San Cristóbal’s port town.
9 Isla Floreana Relaxing after days of adventuring on a pretty, peaceful beach.
ISLA SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE)
The island of Santa Cruz has the largest and most developed town in the Galápagos; almost every visitor to the islands spends at least some time here, even if it’s simply commuting from the airport on nearby Isla Baltra to a cruise ship in the harbor of Puerto Ayora. However, to anyone who stays for longer, the island of Santa Cruz is more than just a way station or place to feel connected to the modern, man-made world. It’s a destination in itself, full of visitor sites, easily accessible beaches and remote highlands in the interior, and a base for adventurous activities far from the tourism trail.
1Sights
Several sites of interest in the highlands of Santa Cruz can be reached from the trans-island road and are part of the itineraries of many cruises.
oEl Chato Tortoise ReserveWILDLIFE RESERVE
($5; 
h8am-5pm)
South of Santa Rosa is El Chato Tortoise Reserve, where you can observe giant tortoises in the wild. When these virtually catatonic, prehistoric-looking beasts extend their accordionlike necks to feed, it’s an impressive sight. The reserve is also a good place to look for short-eared owls, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, Galápagos rails and paint-billed crakes (these last two are difficult to see in the long grass). The reserve is part of the national park and a guide is required.
Rancho PrimiciasWILDLIFE RESERVE
($3; h8am-5pm)
Next to El Chato is this private ranch, owned by the Devine family. There are dozens of giant tortoises, and you can wander around at will. The entrance is beyond Santa Rosa, off the main road – ask locals for directions. Remember to close any gates that you go through. There is a cafe selling cold drinks and hot tea, which is welcome if the highland mist has soaked you.
Lava TunnelsTUNNEL
($5; h8am-5pm)
These impressive underground tunnels southeast of the village of Santa Rosa are more than 1km in length and were formed when the outside skin of a molten-lava flow solidified. When the lava flow ceased, the molten lava inside the flow kept going, emptying out of the solidified skin and thus leaving tunnels. Because they are on private property, the tunnels can be visited without an official guide. The tunnels have electrical lighting (you can also hire flashlights/torches). Tours to the lava tunnels are offered in Puerto Ayora.
El Garrapatero BeachBEACH
A 30-minute taxi ride from Puerto Ayora through the highlands, plus a 15-minute walk, brings you to this beautiful beach. It has tidal pools that are good for exploring and snorkeling on calm days, and a lagoon with flamingos, white-cheeked ducks and black-necked stilts.
Cerro CrockerHIKING
A path north from Bellavista leads toward Cerro Crocker (864m) and other hills and extinct volcanoes. This is a good chance to see the vegetation of the scalesia, miconia and fern-sedge zones and to look for birds such as the vermilion flycatcher, the elusive Galápagos rail and the paint-billed crake. It’s around 5km from Bellavista to the crescent-shaped hill of Media Luna, and 3km further to the base of Cerro Crocker. This is national park, so a guide is required.
Los GemelosNATURAL FEATURE
Part of the highlands that can be visited from the road are these twin sinkholes (not volcanic craters), surrounded by scalesia forest. Vermilion flycatchers are often seen here, as are short-eared owls on occasion. Los Gemelos are about 2km beyond Santa Rosa on the trans-island road. Although the sinkholes lie only 25m and 125m from either side of the road, they are hidden by vegetation, so ask your driver to stop at the short trailhead.
Punta Estrada BeachBEACH
The small beach in front of the Finch Bay Hotel is a good place to while away a few hours. The water here is pristine and sharks have been known to pass through the cove.
Coastal Sites
The remaining Santa Cruz visitor sites are reached by boat and with guides. On the west coast are Whale Bay and Conway Bay, and on the north coast are Black Turtle Cove (Caleta Tortuga Negra) and Las Bachas. Conway Bay has a 1.5km trail passing a lagoon with flamingos; north of here is Cerro Dragón, with two small lagoons, which may have flamingos. It also has a 1.75km trail that leads through a forest of palo santo (holy wood) trees and opuntia cacti to a small hill with good views. There are some large repatriated land iguanas here.
There is no landing site in Black Turtle Cove, which is normally visited by panga (small boats used to ferry passengers from a larger boat to shore). The cove has many little inlets and is surrounded by mangroves, where you can see lava herons and pelicans. The main attraction is in the water: marine turtles are sometimes seen mating, schools of golden mustard rays are often present and white-tipped sharks may be seen basking in the shallows. The nearby Las Bachas beach, although popular for sunbathing and swimming, is often deserted.
ISLAND BASICS
The islands lie in the Pacific Ocean on the equator, about 90 degrees west of Greenwich. There are 13 major islands (ranging in area from 14 sq km to 4588 sq km), six small islands (1 sq km to 5 sq km) and scores of islets, of which only some are named.
Five of the islands are inhabited. About half the residents live in Puerto Ayora, on Isla Santa Cruz in the middle of the archipelago. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristóbal (the easternmost island) is second in importance to Puerto Ayora when it comes to tourism.
The other inhabited islands are Isla Isabela (the largest island, accounting for half the archipelago’s land mass), with the small, increasingly popular town of Puerto Villamil; Isla Baltra; and Isla Santa María, with Puerto Velasco Ibarra. The remaining islands are not inhabited but are visited on tours.
Most of the islands have two, or sometimes three, names. The earliest charts gave the islands both Spanish and English names (many of these refer to pirates or English noblemen), and the Ecuadorian government assigned official names in 1892. The official names are used in this guide in most cases.
4Sleeping
While most of Santa Cruz’s accommodations options are in Puerto Ayora, there are a handful of highland hotels and lodges that range from bare-bones basic to break-the-bank luxurious.
Royal PalmHOTEL$$$
(
%05-252-7408; www.royalpalmgalapagos.com; r from $300; 
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W
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If Puerto Ayora is too ‘bright lights, big city’ for you, try the Royal Palm Hotel, a beautifully designed luxury hotel in the highlands around Santa Rosa.
Casa NaturaLODGE$$$
(%05-450-6016; www.casanaturahotel.com; Via al Camote; r incl 3 meals from $285)
A few kilometers from Bellavista, this is a fine, ecofriendly place to enjoy the peacefulness of the highlands. Food served in the garden is grown in the lodge’s gardens; tours are available.
Puerto Ayora
%05 / Pop 20,000
This town, the largest in terms of population and size in the Galápagos, is a surprise to most visitors, who don’t expect to find anything but plants and animals on the islands. Puerto Ayora looks and feels like a fairly prosperous mainland Ecuadorian coastal town, despite the sea lions and pelicans hanging around the waterfront. Most of the hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities line Avenida Charles Darwin, and the airport is on Isla Baltra, around an hour away to the north. Several blocks inland, travel agencies give way to ordinary, humble dwellings and shops. Some descendants of the handful of Norwegian, Swiss and German families that originally settled here four generations ago maintain an active presence in the tourism industry.
1Sights & Activities
oMAPRAEMUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Museo de Arte Precolombino de Realidad Aumentada; %05-252-5197; www.maprae.com; Av Darwin & Av Binford; $5-10, includes tablet with headphones; h10am-10pm)
The first of its kind in the world, this museum uses augmented reality to showcase a permanent exhibition of 55 pre-Columbian artifacts. The ancient cultures of Ecuador’s Amazon and coastal regions are brought to life as visitors point their smart phones or tablets at one of the relics, with historical information and three-dimensional images appearing directly on the devices.
Charles Darwin Research StationWILDLIFE RESERVE
(%05-252-6146; www.darwinfoundation.org; Av Darwin; h8am-12:30pm, 2:30pm-5:30pm) 
F
Just northeast of Puerto Ayora is this iconic national-park site, where more than 200 scientists and volunteers are involved with research and conservation efforts, the most well known of which involves a captive breeding program for giant tortoises. Paths leading through arid-zone vegetation take you past tortoise enclosures, where you can get a good look at these Galápagos giants. There’s also a baby-tortoise house with incubators (when the tortoises weigh about 1.5kg or are about four years old, they’re repatriated to their home islands).
Several of the 11 remaining subspecies of tortoise can be seen here. Other attractions include a small enclosure containing several land iguanas, with explanations in Spanish and English concerning efforts to restore their populations on islands where they’ve been pushed to the brink of extinction. Follow paths through arid-zone vegetation such as saltbush, mangroves and prickly pear, and see a variety of land birds, including Darwin’s finches. The research station is supported by contributions to the Galápagos Conservancy (www.galapagos.org).
Tortuga BayBEACH
In terms of sheer white-sand beauty, this beach is the rival of any in South America. You’ll find it at the end of a 2.5km paved trail southwest of Puerto Ayora. In addition to swimming (a spit of land provides protection from the strong and dangerous currents on the exposed side), surfing or just sunbathing, you can see sharks, marine iguanas, pelicans and the occasional flamingo. There’s no drinking water or other facilities. It’s about a half-hour walk from the start of the path – often used by local runners – where you must sign in between 6am and 6pm.
Centro Comunitaria de Educación Ambiental Miguel Cifuentes AriasMUSEUM
(h7:30am-12:30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat)
At the foot of the hill before the start of the path to Tortuga Bay is this educational center, where you can learn about conservation efforts and issues in the waters around the archipelago. To get here, you have to take the road out of Puerto Ayora about 500m before reaching the paved path that begins at the top of a hill and runs the rest of the way to Tortuga Bay.
Playa MansaLAGOON
If you walk the length of Tortuga Bay, you’ll reach this picturesque lagoon lined with mangroves. Here you can spot marine iguanas, brown pelicans and blue herons, among other species. On the nearby dunes, sea turtles lay their eggs. The placid, shallow water is a great swimming spot for kids. Kayaks (per person per hr $10; h9am-6pm)
are available for hire.
Laguna de las NinfasLAGOON
(MAP GOOGLE MAP) F
This peaceful lagoon has a short boardwalk path, where you can stop to take in the mangroves while looking for stingrays, baby sharks, sea turtles and other creatures sometimes spotted here.
Diving
Because live-aboards are costly and space is limited, most divers experience the underwater wonders of the Galápagos on day trips booked from Puerto Ayora. These are suitable for intermediate to advanced divers – currents can be strong and most are drift dives.
Gordon Rocks, Caamaño Islet, La Lobería, Punta Estrada and Punta Carrión are popular dives sites, as is North Seymour Island, a short boat trip from Isla Baltra. Devil’s Crown, Enderby or Champion off the northern tip of Isla Santa María are good for barracudas, rays and sharks. One of the recommended sites for those with a few dives under their belt is Academy Bay off the Puerto Ayora harbor.
The standard rate for two boat dives starts at $180 ($160 if booked ‘last minute’); all offer PADI certification courses to newcomers and have English-speaking divemasters.
Scuba IguanaDIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6497; www.scubaiguana.com; Av Darwin; h9am-12pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pm Sat)
Run by two of the most experienced divers in the Galápagos.
Nauti DivingDIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6982; www.nautidiving.com; Avs Baltra & Darwin; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat & 3:30-8pm Sun)
Runs hotel-based diving tours as well as day trips. Prices begin at $185 per person for one dive, with equipment, lunch and transfers included.
Academy Bay DivingDIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-4164; www.academybaydiving.com; cnr Av Darwin & Islas Plaza; h8am-7:30pm Mon-Sat & 2-7:30pm Sun)
Whether you’re a novice or an expert, this is your one-stop shop for all things scuba – it offers lessons, day tours and live-aboard excursions.
Surfing
There are several good surf breaks near Puerto Ayora itself, including La Ratonera and Bazán near the Charles Darwin Research Station beach. If hauling your board a few kilometers is no problem, Tortuga Bay has several good breaks.
An hour or so by boat takes you to Punta Blanca and further north to Cerro Gallina, Las Palmas Chica and Las Palmas Grande, considered to be three of the best breaks in the Galápagos. There are also several breaks off the west side of Isla Baltra.
Point GalápagosSURFING
(%05-822-1926; www.thepointgalapagos.com; 18 de Septiembre & Piqueros)
Offers surf camps, yoga retreats, SUP, kayaking and snorkeling, plus multi-adventure day-tour packages around Santa Cruz and beyond.
Biking
A ciclovia (bicycle path) runs from Puerto Ayora up to Bellavista and Santa Rosa, but it’s a long, tough climb to the highlands. A good DIY adventure is to hire a bike and take a taxi up to either Los Gemelos or El Camote, then bike back. Returning from Los Gemelos, you can stop in El Chato and the lava tunnels. Another option is to taxi instead to El Camote, from which you can continue by bike down to El Garrapatero Beach for a full day’s outing. Many shops in town offer rentals by the hour, half-day or full day.
WORTH A TRIP
LAS GRIETAS
For nice swimming and snorkeling, head to Las Grietas, a water-filled crevice in the rocks. Talented and fearless locals climb the nearly vertical walls to plunge gracefully (and sometimes clumsily) into the water below. Take a water taxi (per person $0.60 from 6am to 7pm) to the dock for the Angermeyer Point restaurant, then walk past the Finch Bay Hotel, then past an interesting salt mine, and finally up and around a lava-rock-strewn path to the water. Good shoes are recommended for the 700m walk from the dock. Keep an eye on any valuables that you leave on the rocks.
TTours
Daily trips to Islas Santa María, Isabela, Bartolomé and North Seymour, as well as nearby Santa Cruz sites, are offered by almost every travel agency in town. Some include snorkeling as well as visits to land-based sites for wildlife.
AquatoursTOURS
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-7303; www.galapagosaquatours.com; Av Darwin)
Offers glass-bottom boat tours around the bay, which includes snorkeling and a visit (on foot) to Las Grietas.
Metropolitan TouringTOURS
(%05-252-6297; www.metropolitan-touring.com; h8am-5pm)
Located at the Finch Bay Hotel, this outfit books the M/V Santa Cruz, yachts Isabela II and La Pinta and any land- or water-based tours in the islands.
Moonrise TravelTOURS
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6402; www.galapagosmoonrise.com; Av Darwin)
Run by a family of Galápagos experts and guides, who can arrange camping at their private highlands ranch, plus boat- and hotel-based tours and diving trips.
Albatros ToursTOURS
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6948; albatrostours@gpsinter.net; Av Darwin)
Santa Cruz day tours, snorkel gear rental and dive trips.
4Sleeping
You get much less bang for your buck compared to the mainland. Most of the hotels are within a few blocks of Avenida Darwin, and prices tend to rise during the heaviest tourism seasons (December to January and June to August).
4Around the Southern End of Avenida Charles Darwin
Hotel Sir Francis DrakeHOTEL$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6221; www.sirfrancisdrakegalapagos.com; Av Baltra; s/d from $25/30; aW)
Hidden behind a small department store, the Sir Francis Drake is one of the better value places in town. Ask for one of the ground-floor rooms all the way in the back – these have large windows that let in lots of natural light. Common space is limited to an inner patio with no seating and a single balcony. It’s located just a short walk from the pier.
La Posada del MarGUESTHOUSE$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-301-4976; posadadelmargalapagos@gmail.com; Tomás de Berlanga near Av Baltra; s/d incl breakfast $70/85)
Above the Galapagos Deli, this place has handsome rooms with russet-colored ceramic-tile floors and balconies with views over the greenery beyond town. Breakfast in the first-rate Galapagos Deli is a bonus.
Hotel CrossmanHOTEL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6467; www.crossmanhotel.com.ec; cnr Juan Montalvo & Charles Binford; s/d $25/40; aW)
Draped with bougainvillea, this attractive red-roofed guesthouse has decent if somewhat plain rooms. Though unadorned, they’re good-sized with strong wi-fi and cable TV, and some have balconies.
Galapagos NativeGUESTHOUSE$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-4730; www.galapagosnative.com.ec; Tomás de Berlanga near Av 12 de Febrero; s/d from $25/30)
This place offers decent value for its clean rooms with white adobe-like walls. Three rooms (the best) are bright and airy with balconies.
Hostal GardnerHOSTAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6979; Tomás de Berlanga; s/d from $20/35; aW)
The budget-minded Gardner has simple rooms and a covered rooftop patio with lounge chairs and hammocks.
oLodging House Casa del LagoAPARTMENT$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-4116; www.casadellagogalapagos.com; cnr Moisés Brito & Juan Montalvo; d/tr incl breakfast from $99/170; aiW) 
S
Ideal for laid-back families or small groups. Choose from several suites with fully stocked kitchens and charming private patios or porches: everything is made from recycled materials and decorated with colorful tiles and textiles. A short walk from the harbor and next to Laguna Las Ninfas, it’s run by an environmentally conscious owner who also runs the charming attached cafe.
Hotel FiestaHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6440; www.galapagoshotelfiesta.com; Av Moisés Brito near Juan Montalvo; r incl breakfast $125; aiWs)
Next to the Laguna Las Ninfas, the Fiesta has spotless modern rooms set around an attractive courtyard set with cacti, palms, scalesia trees and an enticing pool. Excellent breakfasts.
4Around the Northern End of Avenida Charles Darwin
Hostal Los AmigosHOSTAL$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6265; hostal.losamigos@gmail.com; Av Darwin; s/d without bathroom $15/30; W)
Possibly the best-value cheapie in town. The lack of private bathrooms (aside from one room for four) is excused by the absolutely central location and gleaming wood-floored, though admittedly small, rooms. A kitchen and a lounge with TV is available for guests.
Peregrina B&BHOTEL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6323; www.laperegrinagalapagos.com.ec; cnr Av Darwin & Indefatigable; s/d incl breakfast $45/70; aW)
Not exactly a typical B&B, this collection of simple rooms, some larger and more nicely decorated than others, occupies prime real estate. A few hammocks in the small cactus garden contribute to the impression of a relaxing hideaway.
Hotel La Casa de JudyHOTEL$$$
(%05-252-7343; www.hotellacasadejudy.com; cnr Fragata & Scalesia; s/d $77/95, with sea view $119/150; aWs)
Million-dollar rooftop ocean views and sun-splashed top-floor rooms with balconies are the big draw at this hotel, also known as Hotel Galápagos Inn. Some of the smaller standard rooms (not recommended) open up onto a courtyard pool. It’s on a quiet block, almost on the outskirts of town, although still only a short walk from the malecón (waterfront).
Hotel MainaoHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-7029; www.hotelmainao.com; Mata-zarnos; r incl breakfast from $140; aiW)
A mix of Greek island and Moroccan casbah, this white stucco complex features a nicely landscaped flowering courtyard. Rooms are clean and spacious, if unexceptional, for the price.
4Waterfront
Angermeyer Waterfront InnHOTEL$$$
(%05-252-6561; www.angermeyer-waterfront-inn.com; r from $240; aiW)
Across the harbor (accessible by water taxi) is this sun-splashed complex that has simple rooms and outstanding views from the garden patio, as well as from the rooms with balconies in the newer multi-story annex.
Finch Bay HotelRESORT$$$
(%05-252-6297; www.finchbayhotel.com; r from $379; aiWs)
Power down and disconnect at this ecologically minded beachside retreat across the bay from Puerto Ayora. Lava gulls and herons hang out by the pool and every facet of the property evokes a sense of place. The rooms aren’t especially large or luxurious, but the grounds, hot tub and restaurant are worth coming for.
Metropolitan Touring, based in the hotel, can arrange any outdoor activity imaginable.
Red Mangrove Aventura LodgeHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6564; www.redmangrove.com; Av Darwin; r incl breakfast from $350; aiW)
Nestled in a shady mangrove cove, this charmingly designed red-adobe inn at the northern end of town feels like a secret hideaway. While the standard rooms are suitably comfy, it’s quite a step up to the next level of accommodation in terms of size, luxury and sunniness with its outdoor porches and tiled bathrooms. It has an attractive waterside restaurant, Almar, and all manner of day and overnight trips can be arranged.
Hotel Sol y MarHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-6281; www.hotelsolymar.com.ec; Av Darwin; r incl breakfast from $250; aiWs)
Occupying a sought-after waterfront location with pelicans, sea lions and marine iguanas for neighbors, this hotel (for better or worse) resembles a Florida condo complex. The rooms are no-nonsense, efficient and comfortable, each with a small private balcony; however, it is the seaside hot tub, pool, bar and restaurant area that justify consideration.
5Eating
More than a half-dozen popular food kiosks sell inexpensive and hearty meals – mainly seafood – along Charles Binford, just east of Avenida Baltra. It’s liveliest at night, particularly on weekends, when there’s a festive atmosphere among the outdoor tables set out on the street.
Proinsular SupermarketSUPERMARKET$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; h7am-8pm Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm Sun)
A short stroll from the pier, this place has food, beer, wine, toiletries, sunblock and other necessities. Don’t miss the decent cinnamon rolls and croissants (on the left after you enter). The upstairs cafe offers a good view of the pier.
Galápagos DeliDELI, PIZZERIA$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Tomás de Berlanga; mains $5-9; h7am-10pm Tue-Sun; W)
Tired of standard almuerzos (set lunches)? Head to this sleek and modern place for brick-oven pizza (small $5) and high-quality deli sandwiches, as well as fish and chips, espresso and delicious gelato. Because it’s on a block with few pedestrians, it feels like a secret.
RockECUADORIAN, INTERNATIONAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Av Darwin & Islas Plaza; mains $8-23; h11am-11pm Tue-Sun; W)
This lively restaurant on the main strip serves up seafood and grilled dishes, including peppery seared tuna, pork ribs with pineapple salsa, and linguini with coconut and lobster. For something lighter (and cheaper), the big menu also features pastas, quesadillas and sandwiches.
Lo & LoECUADORIAN$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Berlanga; mains $9-19; h7am-3:30pm Wed-Mon; W)
A little open-sided place that does ceviche, grilled fish, seco de chivo (goat stew) and balones (mashed plantain balls).
Casa del Lago Café CulturalCAFE$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Moisés Brito & Montalvo; mains $7-9; h7am-7pm Tue-Sat; W
v)
This boho cafe with a few indoor and outdoor patio tables serves excellent breakfasts, sandwiches, empanadas and salads, as well as homemade cakes, fruit drinks and brewed coffee.
Descanso del GuiaECUADORIAN$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin near Los Colonos; mains $7-17; h6am-8pm)
Near the passenger pier, this bustling cafeteria is a handy spot for a quick bite.
Hernan CaféECUADORIAN, INTERNATIONAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Baltra; mains $8-20; h8am-10pm; W)
Owing to its location at the busiest intersection in town, lively Hernan Café often packs a crowd, and serves up decent (if unmemorable) pasta, pizza, fish and meat dishes.
Isla GrillBARBECUE, INTERNATIONAL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; mains $13-25; hnoon-10pm Tue-Sun)
This buzzing grillhouse serves satisfying plates of grilled meat and seafood. Among the top picks: costillitas (pork ribs), mariscada (char-grilled shrimp, octopus and calamari) and churrasquito de mimi (a particularly tender cut of steak). The plump salads are also first-rate.
Il GiardinoINTERNATIONAL, ICE CREAM$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Av Darwin & Binford; mains $16-32; h8am-10pm; W)
This open-air Italian trattoria boasts a lovely patio dining area, good meat and seafood dishes, plus decadent desserts. An heladería (ice-cream shop) is attached.
AlmarJAPANESE$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin, Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge; mains from $16-24; h8am-10pm; W)
Located inside Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge, Almar prepares its seafood dishes with ingredients sourced from local suppliers. The big draw is sitting on the back waterside deck where sea lions have free rein.
GarrapataECUADORIAN$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; mains $15-30; h11am-10:30pm Mon-Sat)
Good tunes, cool breezes and tasty Ecuadorian and international dishes (seared tuna, grilled seafood platters and fish in coconut sauce) draw a lively crowd most nights. It’s pricey but casual, with open sides and a pebble floor.
La Cueva de GusINTERNATIONAL$$$
(%05-252-6561; mains from $15-30; h5-10pm)
This picturesque open-air spot perched over the water serves tasty fish and lobster, pizzas and bistro fare. It’s attached to Angermeyer Point Hotel; to get there, take a water taxi from the pier.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Bongo BarBAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; h7pm-2am; W)
What nightlife there is in Puerto Ayora centers mainly on this bar, a trendy 2nd-floor spot replete with flat-screen TVs, music and a lubricated mix of hip locals, guides and tourists. Surprisingly, you’ll also find some of the best sushi on the islands here (rolls $10 to $14).
La PangaCLUB
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; h8pm-3am)
Downstairs from Bongo Bar, this disco is where to go to grind the night away.
Bar ToloméBAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; h10am-midnight Mon-Sat; W)
At the northern end of town, this outdoor lounge features festive fairy lights and recessed alcoves with couches. The kitchen serves up tapas and there’s sometimes live music on weekends.
7Shopping
Every imaginable item has been covered with a Galápagos logo or creature and is on sale in Puerto Ayora.
Tortoise GalleryJEWELRY
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; h9:30am-1:30pm & 3-10pm)
You’ll find one-of-a-kind gifts at this jeweler, with exquisite handmade works by Ecuadorian artisans. Some pieces incorporate lava forms, others feature pre-Columbian art and themes from native Ecuadorian wildlife.
Galería AymaraGALLERY, JEWELRY
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.galeria-aymara.com; cnr Av Darwin & Seymour; h8am-noon & 3-7pm Mon-Sun)
A high-end artists boutique selling uniquely designed handicrafts, jewelry and ceramics.
8Information
INTERNET ACCESS
The majority of midrange and top-end hotels offer wi-fi in public spaces; in rooms, it’s less often. Several restaurants and cafes also provide wi-fi. Internet cafes are scattered throughout town and along Avenida Darwin – most charge around $2.50 per hour and some have headsets for Skype users.
MONEY
There are two ATMs near the pier and in front of Proinsular Supermarket.
Banco del Pacífico (Av Darwin near Isla Floreana; h8am-3:30pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am-12:30pm Sat) has an ATM and changes traveler’s checks.
POST
Post Office Near the harbor.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Cámara de Turismo Has hotel information and maps; some staff speak English. Report any complaints here about boats, tours, guides or crew.
i-Tur (Av Darwin, entrance to water-taxi pier) A small kiosk with flyers, maps and basic hotel and travel-agency info.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
Three airlines fly to the Galápagos. Reconfirming your flight departures with Avianca, Lan (%05-269-2850; Av Darwin; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat & 10am-1pm Sun) or Tame (%05-252-6527; cnr Av Darwin & Av 12 de Febrero; h8am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat) offices is recommended. Flights are often full, and you may have difficulty changing your reservation or buying a ticket.
Emetebe and Fly Galápagos have small aircraft that fly between Islas Baltra, San Cristóbal and Isabela.
BOAT
Lanchas (speedboats) head daily to the islands of Isabela ($30, two to 2¼ hours) and San Cristóbal ($30, two hours). Both depart at 7am and 2pm. There’s also boat service to Floreana ($30, 1¾ hours) at 8am, but service is irregular so it is best to find out the schedule from an operator in Puerto Ayora and then plan your trip accordingly. The rides can be rough and unpleasant for some. Advance reservations aren’t required, but it’s wise to purchase tickets a day in advance. A string of offices near the pier sell boat tickets to the islands of San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana.
Interisland Boat Pier Catch boats to other islands here – be sure to arrive 30 minutes before departure.
Interisland Boats Book speedboat tickets from one of the several offices near the pier.
8Getting Around
Hotels, travel agencies, tour agencies and some cafes rent out bicycles (per hour from $2). To reach boats docked in the harbor, or one of the several hotels or sites southwest of town, take a water taxi (Av Charles Darwin). From 6am to 7pm water taxis costs per person $0.60, from 7pm to 6am it’s $1.
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
The airport is on Isla Baltra, a small island practically touching the far northern edge of Isla Santa Cruz. If you’re booked on a prearranged tour, you will be met by a boat representative upon arrival, and ushered onto a bus for the 10-minute drive to the channel (separating Baltra from Santa Cruz) and the boat dock.
If you’re traveling independently, take the public bus signed ‘Muelle’ to the dock (a free 10-minute ride) for the ferry to Isla Santa Cruz. A 10-minute ferry ride ($1) will take you across to Santa Cruz, where you will be met by a CITTEG bus to take you to Puerto Ayora, about 45 minutes to an hour away ($2). This drive (on a paved road) provides a good look at the interior and the highlands of Santa Cruz.
Buses ($2) from Puerto Ayora to Isla Baltra (via the ferry) leave every morning at 6:30am, 7:15am, 8am and 8:30am (schedules change, so verify before showing up) from the CITTEG bus station (Av Baltra) around 2km north of the harbor; a taxi to the station costs $1. If you’re going to the airport to make a flight, it’s a good idea to allow 1½ hours or more for the entire journey from town.
Taxis between town and the Santa Cruz side of the channel are $18 (35 to 40 minutes).
BUSES & TAXIS
Buses from the CITTEG bus station in Puerto Ayora leave for Santa Rosa (about $2) four times a day from Monday to Saturday, and less often on Sunday.
The most convenient way of seeing the interior (as it ensures you don’t get stuck) is to hire a taxi for the day with a group of other travelers.
All taxis are pickups, so you can toss your bike in the back if you want to return to Puerto Ayora by pedal power. To Bellavista by taxi is around $4 and to Santa Rosa is around $6 – both one way. Hail one anywhere along Avenida Darwin.
Around Isla Santa Cruz
Islas Seymour & Mosquera
Isla Seymour is a 1.9-sq-km island with a dry landing. A rocky 2.5km trail encircles some of the largest, most active seabird-breeding colonies in the islands. Frigates and blue-footed boobies are the main attractions and there is always some kind of courtship, mating, nesting or chick-rearing to observe. You can get close to the nests – there is always at least one pair of silly boobies that builds their nest in the middle of the trail. Sea lions and land and marine iguanas are common; occasional fur seals, lava lizards and Galápagos snakes are seen, too.
Mosquera is a tiny island (about 120m by 600m) between Baltra and Seymour. There’s no trail, but visitors land on the beach to see (or swim with) the sea lions. Keep your distance – males are territorial and may charge or swim into you if you get too close to females or young.
Islas Plazas
These two small islands, just off the east coast of Santa Cruz, can be visited on a day trip from Puerto Ayora. They were formed by uplift due to faulting. Boats anchor between them, and visitors can land on South Plaza (the larger of the islands), which is only about 0.13 sq km in area. A dry landing on a jetty brings you to an opuntia cactus forest, which is home to many land iguanas. A 1km trail circuit leads visitors through sea-lion colonies and along a cliff-top walk where swallow-tailed gulls and other species nest. The 25m-high cliffs offer a superb vantage point from which to watch various seabirds such as red-billed tropic birds, frigate birds, pelicans and Audubon’s shearwaters. Snorkeling with the sea lions is a possibility.
Islas Daphne
These two islands of volcanic origin are roughly 10km west of Seymour. Daphne Minor is much eroded, while Daphne Major retains most of its typically volcanic shape (called a tuff cone). A short but steep trail leads to the 120m-high summit of this tiny island.
There are two small craters at the top of the cone, and they contain hundreds of blue-footed booby nests. Nazca boobies nest on the crater rims, and a few red-billed tropicbirds nest in rocky crevices in the steep sides of the islands.
The island is difficult to visit because of the acrobatic landing – visitors have to jump from a moving panga on to a vertical cliff and scramble their way up the rocks. Special permission is required to visit.
Isla Santa Fé (Barrington)
This 24-sq-km island, about 20km southeast of Santa Cruz, is a popular destination for day trips. There is a good anchorage in an attractive bay on the northeast coast, and a wet landing gives the visitor a choice of two trails. A 300m trail takes you to one of the tallest stands of opuntia cacti on the islands, some over 10m high. A somewhat more strenuous 1.5km rough trail goes into the highlands, where the Santa Fé land iguana (found nowhere else in the world) may be seen, if you’re lucky. Other attractions include a sea-lion colony, excellent snorkeling, marine iguanas and, of course, birds.
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
Some local boosters say that San Cristóbal is the capital of paradise – and, technically, it is, because its port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the political seat of the Galápagos. It’s the only island with fresh water and an airport in town, and it has several easily accessible visitor sites, all of which means that its tourism profile is second only to Santa Cruz. San Cristóbal is the fifth-largest island in the archipelago and has the second-largest population. The Chatham mockingbird, common throughout the island, is found nowhere else.
History
Though San Cristóbal was first settled in 1880, it was the establishment of a sugar factory by Manuel J Cobos in 1891 that signaled the start of a significant human presence on the island. Cobos recruited jailed mainlanders to work in his factory at El Progreso; imported train cars; and minted his own money, called the cobo. The experimental utopian project lasted for 13 years until the workers revolted and killed him in 1904; his son took over but was not very successful. The site is now a small village, where you can see the factory ruins and the site where Cobos is buried.
1Sights & Activities
1Southern San Cristóbal
You can plan your own DIY adventure in the south, by hiring a pick-up taxi to take you to El Junco Lagoon, Galapaguera and Puerto Chino. Drivers charge around $60 for the whole return trip from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
oLeón DormidoISLAND
About an hour’s boat ride northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is León Dormido (Kicker Rock), so named because of its resemblance to a sleeping lion. León Dormido is an imposing, vertical, sheer-walled tuff cone that has been eroded in half; smaller boats can sail between the two rocks. Because there’s no place to land, this site is usually seen by snorkelers, passing boats or from the top of Cerro de las Tijeretas outside of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, often to dramatic effect when the sun is setting. Day trips from Puerto Boquerizo Moreno here are around $80.
El Junco LagoonLAKE
Around 10km east of El Progreso along the main road, you’ll find El Junco Lagoon – a freshwater lake some 700m above sea level. It’s one of the few permanent freshwater bodies in the Galápagos. Here you can see frigate birds shower in the freshwater to remove salt from their feathers; white-cheeked pintails and common gallinules; and the typical highland miconia vegetation and endemic tree ferns. The weather is often misty or rainy. A return taxi costs in and around $30.
Cerro BrujoBEACH
Possibly one of the nicest beaches in the Galápagos, Cerro Brujo is a huge white expanse found on the west side of the island. The sand here feels like powdered sugar. A colony of sea lions and blue-footed boobies call Cerro Brujo home, and behind the beach is a lagoon where you’ll find great egrets and great blue herons. There’s also good snorkeling in the turquoise waters.
Ochoa BeachBEACH
On the western side of the island you’ll find this horseshoe-shaped cove with a white sandy beach and shallow water that’s good for snorkeling. Sea lions, frigate birds, pelicans and blue-footed boobies can be found frolicking here; however, it’s only accessible by boat and usually with a guide. Kayaks are a possibility.
GalapagueraWILDLIFE RESERVE
Galapaguera is part of the national park on the southeastern part of San Cristóbal, where giant tortoises live in semi-natural conditions. A taxi can take you there and back from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for around $35.
El ProgresoVILLAGE
A road leads from the capital to the village of El Progreso, about 6km to the east and at the base of the 896m-high Cerro San Joaquín, the highest point on San Cristóbal. It’s a sleepy, ramshackle village with nothing much to see. Buses go here several times a day from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno or you can hop in a taxi for around $3.50.
Near the town entrance, the Casa del Ceibo (%099-934-1524; admission $2, climb $3.50, r per person $25; h9am-12:30pm & 1:30-5:30pm)
scores high on novelty. Halfway up an enormous ceiba tree (reached by narrow swinging bridge) is a tiny shed where you can bunk for the night. You can also climb up the outside or simply enjoy a cool drink in the snack bar below.
Puerto ChinoBEACH
The road to El Junco continues across the island to the isolated beach of Puerto Chino. This is one of the better places for beginner surfers, since this is a beach break. Camping is allowed with prior permission.
Isla LobosISLAND
A half-hour northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno by boat is the tiny, rocky Isla Lobos, with the main sea-lion and blue-footed booby colonies for visitors to San Cristóbal, and a 300m-long trail where lava lizards are often spotted. Both the boat crossing and the trail tend to be rough, and there are better wildlife colonies elsewhere.
1Northern San Cristóbal
Los GalápagosWILDLIFE RESERVE
At the northern end of San Cristóbal is Los Galápagos, where you can often see giant Galápagos tortoises in the wild, although it does takes some effort to reach the highland area where they live.
One way to reach Los Galápagos is to land in a bay at the north end of the island and then hike up – it takes about two hours to get to the tortoise area following the trail. Some visitors report seeing many tortoises, while others see none.
Puerto GrandeBEACH
Smaller than its name suggests, Puerto Grande is a well-protected little cove on San Cristóbal’s northwestern coast. There is a good, sandy beach suitable for swimming, and various seabirds can be seen. It’s reachable by kayak, and camping is allowed with prior permission.
Turtle BayWILDLIFE RESERVE
You can see flamingos, turtles and other wildlife here; both Turtle Bay and Cerro Brujo can be visited as part of a trip to Punta Pitt and Los Galápagos.
Punta PittBIRDWATCHING, SNORKELING
The northeasternmost point of the island is Punta Pitt, where volcanic tuff formations are of interest to geologists (and attractive in their own right), but the unique feature of the site is that it’s the only one where you can see all of the Galápagos booby species nesting. The walk is a little strenuous, but rewarding.
8Getting There & Away
Inter-island flights operate Monday through Saturday between San Cristóbal, Balta and Isabela. Speedboats run daily between Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno ($30, 2¼ hours).
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
%05 / Pop 7000
Despite its abundance of restaurants and hotels, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno retains its sleepy, time-stands-still fishing-village feel. And though an increasing number of trips begin or end here, it remains under the shadow of Puerto Ayora, its larger and higher-profile sister city in the Galápagos. The surfing is world class, and you can explore many places on the island from here on your own.
1Sights
Interpretation CenterMUSEUM
(%05-252-0358; Av Alsacio Northia; h8am-5pm) F
This modern and easily digestible center explains the history and significance of the Galápagos better than anywhere else in the country. Exhibits deal with the biology, geology and human history of the islands – it deserves a visit even if you’ve been inundated with facts from boat guides. From the center there are also many well-marked trails that wind around the cacti and scrub of Cerro de las Tijeretas (Frigate-Bird Hill).
Cerro de las TijeretasHILL
(Frigate-Bird Hill)
About 1.7km northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Cerro de las Tijeretas provides good views and can be reached on a trail. You’ll pass a national park information office en route, and there’s excellent snorkeling on the ocean side.
La LoberíaBEACH
Southwest of town, a road leads 2.5km (about a 30-minute walk) to La Lobería, a rocky beach with a lazy sea-lion colony. It’s good for year-round surfing, and there are lots of iguanas along the trail leading past the beach. Bring lots of water and sun protection. Taxis charge about $3 to take you out here and you can walk back. Once there, a cliffside path takes you past marine iguanas, lava lizards and soaring frigate birds. To get here on foot, take Av Alsacio Northia toward the airport, turn left after the stadium (look for the murals) and then take the first right.
2Activities
Diving
There are several good spots for diving nearby. Eagle rays, sea turtles, sea lions, and hammerhead and white-tip sharks can be found at León Dormido (Kicker Rock). Schools of jacks, eagle rays, stingrays and sea horses are seen around Stephanie’s Rock. Roca Ballena is a cave at about 23m to 24m down with corals, parrotfish and rays; strong currents mean it’s for experienced divers only. There are also several wreck dives, including the Caragua, a 100m-long cargo ship near the site of the Jessica oil spill. Several companies in town offer diving.
Dive & Surf ClubDIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %08-587-7122; www.divesurfclub.com; cnr Hernán Melville & Ignacio Hernández)
PADI-registered Dive & Surf Club offers diving and surfing lessons, and can also arrange camping and horseback tours.
Surfing
Hands down, Baquerizo Moreno has the best surfing in the Galápagos. From December to March a northern swell brings world-class waves and more than a hundred surfers, especially Brazilians, head here around January. Waves are rideable year-round, but the best time is December to April. High-quality reef breaks near town are El Cañon and Tongo Reef, both of which are accessed by walking through the military zone. If you’re carrying a board and show identification (your passport), the guard will sign you through. La Lobería and Punta Carola are also excellent spots with reef breaks. Cañon Point (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av de la Armada; bike per half-/full day $15/25; h8am-7pm Mon-Thu & Sun, to 10pm Fri & Sat) rents out boards (per day $20) and provides half-day lessons ($50 per person or $45 each in groups of two or more).
Cycling & Kayaking
If you’re a cyclist and in good shape, you can take on the steep uphill climb to El Junco, 16km east (and 700m up) from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It’s a further 10km from El Junco downhill to Puerto Chino. If attempting both, you’ll need to be fit and to start very early. Another option is to hire a truck taxi to take you one way and cycle back. Several agencies in town hire bikes. The best maintained are at Cañon Point.
To get out on the water, stop by Cabañas Don Jorge, where you can hire a two-person kayak for $20 (for four hours), and go for a paddle off nearby Playa Mann.
TTours
Sharksky ToursSNORKELING, DIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-1188; www.sharksky.com; Av Darwin; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat & 8am-12pm Sun)
This company offers island-hopping adventure-sports tours that range from four to eight days. It can also arrange longer cruises on many of the Galápagos expedition vessels.
Chalo ToursDIVING
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0953; chalotours@hotmail.com; Av Alsacio Northia)
Offers day and overnight scuba trips, as well as day trips on San Cristóbal and to nearby islands; it also rents out snorkeling and biking equipment.
GalakiwiGROUP TOURS
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-1770; www.galakiwi.com; Av Darwin; h9am-5pm)
Founded by a pair of New Zealanders, Galakiwi offers six- and 10-day adventure tours, with activities including kayaking, biking, yoga, paddleboarding and snorkeling.
4Sleeping
4Waterfront
oCasa BlancaHOTEL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0392; www.casablancagalapagos.com; Av Darwin; s/d incl breakfast from $70/90; aW)
There’s really no better place to base yourself in town: not only does this whitewashed adobe building have charmingly decorated rooms and tile floors, but it sits on the malecón directly across from the passenger pier, meaning rooms with sea-facing balconies have great views. There’s even a top-floor cupola suite, with its own private balcony.
Hostal León DormidoHOSTAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0169; www.leondormidogalapagos.com.ec; Av Villamil; s/d $25/40; aW)
A half-block off the malecón, the friendly León Dormido has clean rooms with a cheery yellow color scheme and tile floors. Most have windows facing onto the interior patio (although No 7 has an exterior window – lean out and you’ll see the sea). Below are bike hire and a tour outfitter.
Hostal San FranciscoHOSTAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0304; Av Darwin; s/d per person $15/30; W)
The best of several cheapies on the waterfront, Hostal San Francisco has simple but clean rooms with hot-water bathrooms and friendly owners who also run the shop below.
Casa OpuntiaHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %02-604-6800; www.opuntiahotels.com; s/d incl breakfast from $175/200; aWs)
This whitewashed villa anchoring one end of the malecón has airy and sparsely decorated rooms, some with wicker and island knickknacks. Some rooms open onto balconies facing the pool in back; others have views of the sea, overlooking the pleasant front courtyard, which has hammocks.
MiconiaHOTEL$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; s/d from $95/165; aWs)
Near the east end of the waterfront, Miconia has a range of rooms. The best are the seven suites in the original building, with big windows, arched ceilings and contemporary decor. The small patio in back and the pool add to the appeal.
WORTH A TRIP
CERRO DE LAS TIJERETAS
From the Interpretation Center, there are various well-marked and paved trails that wind around the scrub-covered Cerro de las Tijeretas. One trail leads over the hill to the small Las Tijeretas bay, which has excellent snorkeling; there’s no beach here – just step in from the rocks. Other paths lead to viewing points with breathtaking panoramas, and there’s also a path down to scenic Playa Baquerizo (2km one-way from the viewing point); the last half is strewn with large, sharp rocks, so wear good shoes.
Directly in front of the Interpretation Center is Playa Mann, a small beach popular with locals and tourists alike, especially for lovely sunsets and on weekends. The large building across the street houses the Galápagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences, which hosts semester-abroad international students and special marine-ecology and volunteer programs.
From the end of the dirt road that passes in front of the Interpretation Center, there’s a short trail to Playa Punta Carola, a narrow beach nicknamed ‘Playa del Amor’ (Beach of Love) because the sheltering mangrove trees are favorite make-out spots (the sea lions here show little interest in the goings on). Surfing off the nearby point is excellent.
4Inland
oCasa de Laura HostalHOSTEL$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0173; hostalcasadelaura@hotmail.com; Av de la Armada; r per person $20; aiW)
This friendly, family-owned hideaway is one of the best-value places in town. Located in a two-story adobe building with modern hot-water rooms, there’s a nicely landscaped courtyard, and hammocks in the tiny cactus garden in front. It’s just off the western end of Av Darwin.
Casa de NellyGUESTHOUSE$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0112; www.casadenellygalapagos.com.ec; Av Alsacio Northía near Manuel Agama; s/d from $50/70; aW)
This friendly three-story guesthouse can be found just outside town on the way to Playa Mann. The best rooms are bright and airy with fine waterfront views. There’s a small patio amid a few palm trees at the entrance.
Cabañas Don JorgeCABIN$$
(%05-252-0208; eco.donjorge@gmail.com; Av Alsacio Northia; s/d per person $25/35; aW)
Looking very much like a wilderness ranger station, this is a hodgepodge of rustic aging cabins. Kitchens are fully stocked and good for self-catering, and it has bikes for guest use. It’s on your right on the way to Playa Mann.
Hotel Mar AzulHOTEL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %05-252-0139; galapagosmarazul@gmail.com; Av Alsacio Northia & Esmeraldas; s/d $50/75; ai)
A surprisingly good choice, considering the Mar Azul looks like a 1970s-era school building. Your best bet is one of the rooms that opens onto a small, sunny courtyard with a hammock. All rooms are comfortable and modern with hot water and cable TV, although you should avoid the handful of rooms that open directly onto the street because noise can be an issue. Wi-fi is available in theory, but the service is spotty.
oCasa Iguana Mar y SolHOTEL$$$
(MAP; %05-252-1788; www.casaiguanamarysol.com; r $135-285; a)
Everything in this five-room hotel, only minutes from the malecón toward Playa Mann, is lovingly and painstakingly handcrafted – from the railings to the iguana carved into the front door. Each room is a large, boutique-quality suite with surprising flourishes. There’s a sylish ground-floor lounge/bar/breakfast area, and the rooftop deck is ideal for a sundowner.
Cabañas PimampiroHOTEL$$$
(%05-252-0323; www.hotelcabañaspimampiro.com; Av Quito & Tulcan; s/d incl breakfast $61/95; aWs)
It’s a long (1km) uphill trudge to this small walled-off complex overlooking town. If that isn’t a problem, Pimampiro’s spacious villa-style cabins with stone walls and hammock-strung porches are an excellent choice. The pool is a fine place in which to cool off on a hot day.
5Eating
Casa Blanca CafeINTERNATIONAL$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; mains $5-12; h8am-1pm daily & 4:30-10pm Mon-Sat)
Steps from the pier, this open-air cafe is one of the most popular spots in town. Stop in for tuna or chicken sandwiches, burgers, empanadas, cappuccinos and other snacks.
Cuencan TasteBAKERY$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Alsacio Northia; snacks from $0.50; h6am-10pm)
Join afternoon crowds for fresh-baked magnificence: chocolate or cinnamon bread, empanadas, pastries, and fruit and custard tarts.
La ZayapaCAFE$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %099-482-0384; www.lazayapahotel.com; Av Darwin; snacks $4-10; h9am-8:30pm)
The laid-back La Zayapa cafe has the best wi-fi on the waterfront; sit at one of the outdoor tables nursing an iced coffee, a sandwich or a dessert. There’s also a good-value guesthouse in back (per person $40 to $50).
Cabaña Mi GrandeCAFE$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Villamil; mains $4; h6am-3pm & 6-10pm)
This 2nd-floor perch whips up tasty smoothies, plus burgers, toasted sandwiches and good breakfasts including granola with fruit and yogurt.
Lucky’sECUADORIAN$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Villamil & Hernández; mains $4; hnoon-2pm daily, 6-8pm Mon-Fri)
Casual local favorite offering set lunches or dinners at low prices.
Supermercado GalamaxiSUPERMARKET$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Flores & Av Quito; h7:30am-9pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun)
The best supermarket in town.
Calypso RestaurantECUADORIAN, INTERNATIONAL$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; mains $9-20; h9:30am-11pm)
The Calypso does good seafood dishes (such as the festival calypso, a mixed seafood plate in coconut and ginger sauce), as well as burgers, pizzas and salads. It’s an informal place with outdoor seating, and it’s equally good for a coffee, a juice or a delicious slice of chocolate cake.
RositaECUADORIAN$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Hernández & Villamil; mains $6-12; h8am-8pm)
Rosita serves up popular set lunches ($6) in an appealing open-sided eatery with wood details and curious decorations (football jerseys hanging from the rafters, mounted fish, surfboards).
MiconiaINTERNATIONAL, ECUADORIAN$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Darwin; mains $15-20)
Occupying the 2nd floor of the hotel of the same name, this open-sided restaurant has a fine setting, though the food (seafood, meat, pastas, pizzas) receives mixed reviews.
El Descanso MarineroSEAFOOD$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Av Alsacio Northia; mains $15-18; h9am-9pm Tue-Sun)
Ceviche, lobster and other fresh-caught seafood is served up in a lovely outdoor garden with picnic tables.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Iguana RockBAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; cnr Flores & Quito; h8pm-midnight Mon-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat; W)
Iguana Rock draws a festive, dance-loving crowd on weekends, and remains a laid-back spot during the week. It has a pool table, salsa beats and even gets an off-island band or two.
El BarqueroBAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Hernández; h9pm-3am Mon-Sat)
El Barquero has an appealing, laid-back vibe with outdoor tables set on a small front patio. It has a pool table and American grooves. Order a cerveza grande, kick up your heels in the lava-rock gravel and take in the whimsical murals scattered around.
8Information
INTERNET ACCESS
Iguana Rock Wi-fi by night.
La Zayapa Wi-fi by day.
MONEY
Banco del Pacifico (cnr Melville & Hernández; h8am-4pm Mon-Fri) Has an ATM, just a short stroll from the pier.
POST
Post Office (Av Darwin & Cobos)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Municipal Tourism Office (%05-252-0119; www.turismosancristobal.com; Avs Darwin & 12 de Febrero; h7:30am-12:30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) Maps, accommodation and transportation information.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
The airport is 700m from town – a 10-minute walk or a $1.50 taxi ride (taxis are white pickup cabs). Regardless of the airline, you should check your luggage at least two hours in advance; you can always return to town to spend your final hours in the islands more comfortably. Avianca, Emetebe, Lan and Tame all have desks at the airport.
Fly Galápagos Offers inter-island flights and charter tours.
BOAT
Boats head daily to Puerto Ayora at 7am and 3pm ($30, 2¼ hours). Most tour operators around Puerto Baquerizo Moreno book these boats. You must arrive at the dock 30 minutes before departure.
8Getting Around
In Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Cooperativa de Transporte Terrestre (%05-252-0477) pickup-truck taxis hang out along the malecón. One-way rates include La Lobería ($3), El Progreso ($3.50), El Junco Lagoon ($15) and Puerto Chino ($30). You can also negotiate for day trips where the driver will take you to multiple sites. A half-day tour to El Junco, Galapaguera and El Chino is $60.
Isla Isabela (Albemarle)
Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago at 4588 sq km, but despite its size and imposing skyline of active volcanoes, it’s the delicate sights like frigates flying as high as the clouds or penguins making their way tentatively along the cliffs that really reward visitors.
It’s a relatively young island and consists of a chain of five intermittently active volcanoes, including Volcán Sierra Negra, which erupted in late 2005 and sent up a 20km-high smoke column. One of the island’s volcanoes, Volcán Wolf, is the highest point in the Galápagos at 1707m (some sources claim 1646m). There’s also a small, older volcano, Volcán Ecuador (610m).
In response to an ecosystem-wide threat and a dwindling tortoise population on Isabela and especially around Volcán Alcedo (1097m), the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galápagos National Park Service successfully eradicated tens of thousands of feral goats by means of ground and aerial hunting.
1Sights
Volcán Sierra NegraVOLCANO
Northwest of the tiny settlement of Tomás de Berlanga lies the massive Volcán Sierra Negra (1490m), which last erupted in late 2005. An 8km trail leads around the east side of the volcano. It’s possible to walk all the way around the caldera, but the trail peters out.
Galápagos hawks, short-eared owls, finches and flycatchers are among the birds commonly seen on this trip. The summit is often foggy (especially during the colder, drier garúa season, which extends from June to December) and it is easy to get lost. There are spectacular views from nearby Volcán Chico, a subcrater where you can see fumaroles. Several agencies in towns offer all-day tours (per person $35). These include transport up to the volcano, followed by an 11km walk. Bring a rain jacket, water and snacks (a sack lunch is provided).
Make sure you go only in a closed vehicle (and wear your seat belt); do not go in an open-sided chiva. A tragic accident in 2014 left several tourists on this outing gravely injured, when the driver of their chiva lost control coming down the mountain.
oVolcán AlcedoVOLCANO
The summit of this volcano (1097m) is famous for its 7km-wide caldera and steaming fumaroles. Hundreds of giant tortoises can be seen here, especially from June to December, and juvenile hawks soar on thermal updrafts. The view is fantastic. Permits are required to hike this long, steep and waterless trail and to camp near the summit (two days required).
Darwin LakeLAKE
A dry landing deposits you at the beginning of a 2km-long trail that brings you past this postcard-perfect saltwater lagoon. It has twice the salinity of the ocean, and is a tuff cone, like a chimney from the main volcano. The trail leads to the lower lava slopes of Volcán Darwin (1280m), where various volcanic formations and stunning views of surrounding slopes can be observed. There are some steep sections on this trail. A panga ride along the cliffs to Tagus Cove will enable you to see the historical graffiti and various seabirds, usually including Galápagos penguins and flightless cormorants. There are snorkeling opportunities in the cove.
Tagus CoveHISTORIC SITE
Just south of Punta Tortuga is this cove where early sailors frequently anchored and scratched the names of their vessels into the cliffs. It’s a strange sight to behold graffiti, the oldest from 1836, in an otherwise pristine environment, next to where sea lions lazily roam.
Volcán WolfVOLCANO
Not only is Isla Isabela the largest Galápagos island, but its imposing skyline of grumbling volcanoes makes it the most striking. Volcán Wolf, at the northern tip of the island, is the highest point in the Galápagos, standing at 1707m (5600ft), and is one of the most active volcanoes in the archipelago – young lava covers the caldera floor. Ten eruptions have occurred between 1797 and 1982. The 1982 eruption saw fountains of lava emanating from vents before rising over the rim.
2Activities
oLos TúnelesSNORKELING
Around a 30- to 40-minute boat ride from Puerto Villamil is this outstanding spot for snorkeling, formed by convoluted lava formations standing between mangroves and the open sea. Look out for white-tipped sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, sea lions, turtles and even sea horses in the shallows. Tour operators in Puerto Villamil run daily five-hour trips here for around $75.
Punta GarcíaBIRDWATCHING
A few kilometers north of the landing for Alcedo is Punta García, which consists mainly of very rough aa lava (a sharp, jagged lava); there are no proper trails, but you can land. This is one of the few places where you can see the endemic flightless cormorant without having to take the long passage around to the west side (note that sightings are not guaranteed).
Punta AlbemarleBIRDWATCHING
At Isabela’s northern tip is Punta Albemarle, which was a US radar base during WWII. There are no trails at the site, which is known for its flightless cormorants. Further west are several points where flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins and other seabirds can be seen, but there are no visitor sites. You must view the birds from your boat.
Punta Vicente RocaSNORKELING
At the west end of the northern arm of Isabela is the small, old Volcán Ecuador, which comes down almost to the sea. Punta Vicente Roca, at the volcano’s base, is a rocky point with a good snorkeling and diving area, but there is no official landing site.
Punta TortugaBIRDWATCHING
The first official visitor-landing site on the western side of Isabela is this mangrove-surrounded beach at the base of Volcán Darwin. Although there is no trail, you can land on the beach and explore the mangroves for the mangrove finch – it’s present here but not always easy to see. This finch is found only on Islas Isabela and Fernandina.
Urbina BayBIRDWATCHING, WALKING
This bay lies around the middle of the western shore of Isabela and is a flat area formed by an uplift from the sea in 1954. Evidence of the uplift includes a coral reef on the land. Flightless cormorants, pelicans, giant tortoises and land and marine iguanas can be observed on land, and rays and turtles can be seen in the bay. A wet landing onto a beach brings you to a 1km trail that leads to the corals. There is a good view of Volcán Alcedo.
Elizabeth BayWILDLIFE WATCHING
Near where the western shoreline of Isabela bends sharply toward the lower arm of the island, there’s a visitor site that’s known for its marine life. Elizabeth Bay is best visited by a panga ride, as there are no landing sites. Marine turtles and rays can usually be seen in the water, and various seabirds and shorebirds are often present. Islas Mariela, at the entrance of the bay, are frequented by penguins.
Punta MorenoBIRDWATCHING
West of Elizabeth Bay is Punta Moreno, where you can make a dry landing onto a lava flow and some brackish pools. Flamingos, white-cheeked pintails and common gallinules are sometimes seen, and various pioneer plants and insects are found in the area.
Puerto Villamil
%05 / Pop 2600
Puerto Villamil (on the southeastern corner of Isla Isabela) embodies the archetypal end of the road – in a good way, the kind that lures weary city folks to pick up and move halfway around the world. Backed by a lagoon where flamingos and marine iguanas live, and situated on a beautiful white-sand beach, it’s a sleepy village of sandy roads and small homes. However, overdevelopment threatens, and there’s been something of a mini building boom over the past several years.
Undoubtedly, when General José Villamil moved here in 1832 with hopes of organizing a model community made up mostly of whalers, he found the location as beguiling as do today’s visitors. Unfortunately, the draftees’ peaceful inclinations proved to be more utopian than real, and they ended up destroying the colony. Villamil later introduced cows, horses and donkeys, which quickly reproduced, threatening the island’s delicate ecosystem.
Arriving at the passenger muelle (pier), it’s a 1km walk (or $2 taxi ride) to the town center. Avenida Antonio Gil is the main street where many hotels, restaurants and the central plaza are. The beachfront (malecón) is just one block south.
1Sights
Muro de las LágrimasHISTORIC SITE
Some 7km west of Puerto Villamil is the Muro de las Lágrimas (Wall of Tears), a 100m-long wall of lava rocks built by convicts under harsh and abusive conditions. The penal colony closed in 1959, but the wall stands as a monument to an infamous chapter in the island’s history. The best way out here is by bike, as there are other intriguing stops (mangroves, beaches, overlooks) along the way. Bring water and sun protection, as there’s little shade on the way. A taxi here costs around $10.
Pozo VillamilWILDLIFE RESERVE
(htrail 6am-6pm)
Behind and to the west of the village is this lagoon, known for its marine iguanas and migrant birds, especially waders – more than 20 species have been reported here. A trail a little over 1km long begins just past the Iguana Crossing Hotel. The wooden boardwalk takes you over the lagoon, passing through mangroves and dense vegetation, eventually ending in the Centro de Crianza de Tortugas (Giant Tortoise Breeding Center).
Volunteers here can explain the work being done to help restore the population of this species on Isabela. Pickups from town ($1) can drop you at the entrance on the road to the highlands. After the breeding center, keep walking up the main road (north 400m) to reach a small lagoon where pink flamingos are commonly spotted.
Iglesia Cristo SalvadorCHURCH
(Las Fragatas)
Looming above the central square, this church boasts uniquely Galápagos iconography. Note the stained-glass windows of native wildlife (marine iguana, booby, penguin, flamingo), while the mural beside the altar shows Jesus ascending above Puerto Villamil while frigate birds, a marine iguana and blue-footed boobies look on. A giant tortoise keeps a watchful eye from the pulpit.
Pozo SalinasLAGOON
Around the corner from the main square, this small lagoon has a boardwalk along the edge, which makes a fine viewing spot for taking in the pink flamingos and stilts that sometimes feed here.
2Activities
Snorkeling
There are several outstanding snorkeling sights near Puerto Villamil. Aside from Los Túneles and Los Tintoreras, you can snorkel in the small bay around Concha de Perla, where penguins are sometimes spotted. It’s accessible by a boardwalk through the mangroves near the port.
oLos TintorerasSNORKELING
A five-minute boat ride from town is the wonderful Los Tintoreras snorkeling spot, a small volcanic island with marine iguanas, penguins, boobies and other birdlife, rays, marine turtles and the occasional white-tipped reef shark. It’s especially fun to swim through the narrow fissures in the rocks, which are like underwater hallways decorated with plant and coral life. Tour operators charge $40 for the 2½-hour outing.
Surfing
There are a handful of good surf breaks for experienced surfers near town, some only reached by boat. Stop by Isabela Discovery (%05-252-9303; jacibruns@hotmail.com; Av Conocarpus; h9am-7pm or by appointment) to rent a board.
Biking
Several operators in town hire bikes. The beaches east of town and the Muro de Lágrimas are popular biking destinations.
TTours
Many accommodations offer tours, as do a few agencies. Some standard trips are half-day Sierra Negra tours (walking $35, by horse $60), Los Túneles snorkeling ($60) and Los Tintoreras snorkeling ($25).
4Sleeping
Some of the best beachfront hotels and guesthouses in the Galápagos can be found in Puerto Villamil. Further from the shore, there are several modest properties tucked among the town’s sleepy streets.
4Beachfront
Brisas del MarGUESTHOUSE$
(%05-301-6800; Av Conocarpus; r per person with fan/air-con $15/20)
A few blocks from the central plaza, this good-value cheapie has bright, tile-floored rooms with sizeable windows, hot water and TVs (with one channel only). You can lounge in the shaded hammocks in the backyard.
Caleta IguanaHOSTEL$$
(Casa Rosada; %05-252-9405; claudiahodari@gmail.com; Av Antonio Gil; per person $40)
Lay your head here for quick access to a lively, laid-back social scene. The beachfront bar, Casa Rosada, has hammocks, bonfires, live music and a sea-facing deck. It’s on the beach at the western edge of town.
Isabela Beach HouseGUESTHOUSE$$$
(%05-252-9303; theisabelabeachhouse@gmail.com; Av Vía Al Embarcadero; r from $99; W) S
This small beachfront house has a handful of bright and attractive rooms with an all-wood design, and the two upstairs rooms open onto a shared balcony with delightful ocean views. The owners offer a range of tours, and also rent out a full house next door. It’s a welcoming, ecofriendly spot with solar panels on the roof.
Hotel AlbemarleHOTEL$$$
(%02-252-9489; www.hotelalbemarle.com; Malecón; r incl breakfast from $220; aiWs)
Hotel Albemarle occupies a prime stretch of beachfront property in the center of Puerto Villamil. This two-story Mediterranean-style villa has stylish rooms with high ceilings and upmarket stone bathrooms (featuring dual sinks), plus some nice added touches like in-room water coolers and TVs with DVD players (with free movies to rent). The priciest rooms have balconies with ocean views.
Iguana Crossing Boutique HotelLUXURY HOTEL$$$
(%05-252-9484; www.iguanacrossing.com.ec; Av Antonio Gil; r incl breakfast $278-531; aiWs)
Isabela’s most upscale hotel has attractive rooms with lovely wooden decks (overlooking either the lagoon or the ocean). Think glossy design-magazine furnishings and taste throughout; there’s a pool, a hot tub and a restaurant that serves some of the best food on the island. It’s located across the sandy street from the beach at the edge of town.
La Casa de MaritaINN$$$
(%05-252-9301; www.casamaritagalapagos.com; s/d incl breakfast from $110/125, r with seaview from $170; aiW)
This beautiful property, the last to occupy beachfront space on the way to the harbor, has attractively decorated rooms, each trimmed with artwork and boasting a unique color scheme (some also have kitchenettes). The Casa de Marita also has an upstairs restaurant with views and a lovely seafront patio with hammocks and lounge chairs overlooking the surf.
Volcano HotelHOTEL$$$
(%098-831-8842; www.neotropicexpeditions.com; cnr Avs Antonio Gil & Los Flamingos; r incl breakfast $129-243; W)
Set in an attractive building with wood and stone details, this well-located hotel offers clean, bright and airy rooms and a kitchen for guests. The best rooms have sea views.
La Casita de la PlayaHOTEL$$$
(%05-252-9103; www.neotropicexpeditions.com; Malecón; r incl breakfast $130-188; W)
On the beach near the town center, this white adobe building with orange accents has tidy red, tile-floored rooms. The best rooms have ocean views; some have only internal windows (meaning they’re very poor value). There are lounge chairs and a hammock on the small palm-fringed lawn facing the sea.
Sierra NegraHOTEL$$$
(%05-252-9046; Malecón; d from $150; aW)
Directly on the beach only a few blocks from the central square, this unadorned and modern building’s lack of character is more than compensated for by the large windows in the oceanfront rooms. Pop them open for front-row sunset views. Large beds and quality showers.
4In Town
La Posada del CaminanteHOSTEL$
(%05-252-9407; www.posadadelcaminante.com; Cormoran; r per person $20-25; W)
One of the best-value budget options (cash-only) is this friendly family-run place a few blocks behind Poza Salinas and west of the intersection of Avenidas 16 de Marzo and Cormoran. A handful of rooms surround a narrow courtyard with several hammocks; there are bananas and other fruit for the picking.
Coral Blanco HotelHOSTERÍA$$
(%05-252-9125; www.coralblanco.com.ec; Av Antonio Gil; s/d per person incl breakfast $40; aW)
Features small, basic rooms a few blocks from the central plaza and across the road from the beach. All manner of tours offered.
Wooden HouseLODGE$$$
(%05-252-9235; www.thewoodenhouselodge.com; Av Vía Al Embarcadero; r incl breakfast $105-140; aiWs)
Located off the dusty road between the pier and town, this meticulously all-wood (almost Balinese-like) home is an excellent choice if beachfront location isn’t a priority. Besides the tastefully decorated, cozy rooms with rainwater showerheads, it has a palm-fringed front garden set with hammocks and a small pool.
La Laguna de GalápagosHOTEL$$$
(%02-244-0241; www.lalagunagalapagoshotel.com; Av Los Flamingos; s/d $61/102)
Overlooking the Pozo Salinas lagoon, this place has pleasant rooms with tall ceilings, contemporary furnishings and modern bathrooms. The best rooms have large balconies overlooking the lagoon. There’s a top-floor terrace with a hot tub heated by solar panels.
Hotel San VicenteHOTEL$$$
(%02-244-0241; www.hotelsanvicentegalapagos.com; cnr Escalecias & Cormoran; r $91-153; aW)
This efficiently run hotel is found several blocks north of the central plaza (far from the beach). There are big, bright white stucco rooms and an attractive front yard with a hot tub.
4Out of Town
Campo DuroCAMPGROUND$$$
(%05-545-3045, 05-301-6604; www.campoduroecolodge.com.ec; per person incl breakfast $60)
Campo Duro is a full-service campsite run by Puerto Ayora’s Red Mangrove. Rates include transport to and from Puerto Villamil.
5Eating
There are several restaurants located along Avenida Antonio Gil. Seafood mains here run from $10 to $20.
Shawerma HotMIDDLE EASTERN$
(Av Antonio Gil; mains $7-12; h10am-11pm; v)
A short stroll east of the main square, a rustic, thatch-roofed hut whips up tasty chicken shawermas, falafel wraps and salchipapas (potatoes and sausage).
Panaderia FragatasBAKERY$
(Av Antonio Gil; snacks $1; h6:30-10am & 4:30-7:30pm)
Just past the main plaza, you’ll find a tiny bakery selling banana bread, orejas (big cookies) and other treats.
Restaurante El CafetalECUADORIAN, INTERNATIONAL$$
(%05-301-6775; Las Fragatas; mains $8-16; h24hr)
This contemporary little spot on the central plaza has creative, carefully prepared dishes with a changing menu of hits including ceviches (there’s also a vegetarian version), grilled fish, chicken with mushrooms and cazuela (seafood stew). You can also stop in for good desserts and espresso drinks.
oCoco SurfSEAFOOD$$$
(%05-252-9465; Avs Antonio Gil & 16 de Marzo; mains $15-24; hnoon-9:30pm)
This sidewalk cafe serves up some of the tastiest seafood dishes in all of the Galápagos, and you’ll hardly notice the high price points once the live band starts jamming out to jazzy island tunes. The tuna tartare and patanachos mar y terra (appetizer platter with an assortment of seafood and meat) are highly recommended.
OasisSEAFOOD$$$
(%05-252-9054; cnr Cormoran & Escalecias; mains $15-35; hdinner by appointment)
Esmeraldas native Geanny Bennett Valencia cooks up some of the best dishes in town. Mouth-watering encocados (coconut stews) are the favorite, served in versions like camarones (shrimp), langosta (lobster) or pescado (fish). The catch: the restaurant only opens by reservation; call ahead or stop by during the day.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Casa RosadaBAR
(%05-252-9405; claudiahodari@gmail.com; Av Antonio Gil; h6:30am-midnight)
The highlight of Isabela’s nightlife is this laid-back, dig-your-feet-in-the-sand beach bar next door to Caleta Iguana Hotel & Surf Camp. A youthful crowd gathers around the outdoor tables (or the firepit as night falls), listening to tropical grooves or diving in the sand during regular volleyball games. It also has food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus occasional live music.
Iguana Point BarBAR
(%05-301-6801; Málecon; h4-7pm & 8pm-2am)
This is an atmospheric and fun place for a bite and sunset drinks. It’s close to the main square, right on the málecon.
8Information
There is no ATM that accepts foreign cards, so bring all the cash you’ll need.
A few lavanderías (laundries) on the main street do wash and dry.
8Getting There & Away
Isabela’s volcanoes dominate the westward view during passages to the western part of Isla Santa Cruz, but the island itself is not frequently visited by smaller boats – only a handful of live-aboard cruises navigate its shores. This is because most of the best visitor sites are on the west side of the island, reached only after a long passage (over 200km) from Santa Cruz. Independent travelers who wish to visit Isabela for a series of day tours can take speedboats or flights from Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to Puerto Villamil.
AIR
Emetebe (%in Guayaquil 04-230-1277; www.emetebe.com.ec; cnr Av Antonio Gil & Las Fragatas; h8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) and Fly Galápagos connect Isabela to San Cristóbal and Baltra. One-way flights cost $135 ($270 return). You must pay a $10 fee on arrival at the airport in Puerto Villamil.
BOAT
There are daily 6am boats to Santa Cruz ($30, 2¼ hours) from Puerto Villamil. From Santa Cruz, boats leave at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased at the dock or from Transmartisa (%05-252-9066; www.transmartisa.com.ec; cnr Av Antonio Gil & Las Fragatas), near the main plaza. When arriving at the passenger pier east of town you have to pay a $5 fee.
8Getting Around
The entirety of Puerto Villamil can be walked in about an hour. Taxis can be hailed around the main square; fare to the airport or harbor is $5.
Isla Fernandina (Narborough)
Even by Galápagos standards, Fernandina is unique. It’s home to thousands of lethargic marine iguanas, and for the volcanically minded, it’s the island on which you’re most likely to witness an eruption – the most recent was in September 2017. At 642 sq km, Fernandina is the third largest, as well as the westernmost and youngest, of the main islands. Unlike other parts of the Galápagos, no introduced species have taken root here – the island’s endemic residents include a contingent of marine iguanas, Galápagos penguins, sea lions and flightless cormorants.
The one visitor site at Punta Espinoza, just across from Tagus Cove on Isabela, is a memorable one. Marine iguanas, too many to count, can be seen sunning themselves on the black-lava formations, a dramatic sight that looks like a museum diorama on dinosaurs come to life. Flightless cormorants nest nearby, hawks soar overhead and Galápagos penguins, turtles and sea lions sometimes frolic in an admirable display of multispecies tolerance in the lagoon near the landing.
A dry landing brings you to two trails: a 250m trail to the point and a 750m trail to recently formed lava fields. Here you can see various pioneer plants, such as the Brachycereus cactus as well as pahoehoe and aa lava formations. Several movies, most famously Master and Commander, filmed scenes here in front of a now-iconic white-mangrove tree.
Isla Santiago (San Salvador or James)
Once a hideout for British buccaneers and one of the stops on Darwin’s itinerary, Isla San Santiago is the fourth largest of the islands. Its terrain of rough lava fields is an example of the island’s challenging beauty. It’s a frequent stop on boat tours because of its variety of wildlife and there are several interesting visitor sites, including Puerto Egas, named after the owner of what was once the country’s only salt mine.
Sullivan Bay is on Santiago’s east coast. Here, a huge, black, century-old lava flow has solidified into a sheet that reaches to the edge of the sea. A dry landing enables visitors to step onto the flow and follow a trail of white posts in a 2km circuit on the lava. Volcanology or geology junkies will rejoice at the sight of uneroded volcanic formations such as pahoehoe lava, lava bubbles and tree-trunk molds in the surface.
One of the most popular sites in all the islands is Puerto Egas (on James Bay), on James Bay on the west side of Isla Santiago. It was named after Dario Egas, the owner of a salt mine on the island that was once, as a result of presidential patronage, the only producer of salt in all the country. Here, there is a long, flat, black-lava shoreline where eroded shapes form lava pools, caves and inlets that house a great variety of wildlife. This is a fabulous place to see colonies of marine iguanas basking in the sun. The tide pools contain hundreds of red Sally Lightfoot crabs, which attract hunting herons of all the commonly found species.
The inlets are favorite haunts of the Galápagos fur seals, and this is really a great opportunity to snorkel with these surprisingly agile animals as well as with many species of tropical fish, moray eels, sharks and octopuses.
Just behind the black-lava shoreline is Sugarloaf Volcano, which can be reached via a 2km path. Lava lizards, Darwin’s finches and Galápagos doves are often seen on this path. It peters out near the top of the 395m summit, but from here the views are stupendous. There is an extinct crater in which feral goats are often seen (wild goats are a major problem on Santiago), and Galápagos hawks often hover a few meters above the top of the volcano. North of the volcano is a crater where the salt mine used to be; its remains can be visited by walking along a 3km trail from the coast.
At the north end of James Bay, about 5km from Puerto Egas, is the brown-sand Espumilla Beach, which can be reached with a wet landing. The swimming is good here, and by the small lagoon behind the beach you can see various wading birds including, at times, flamingos. A 2km trail leads inland through transitional vegetation, where there are various finches and the Galápagos flycatcher.
At the northwestern end of Santiago, another site that is normally visited by boat is Buccaneer Cove, so called because it was a popular place for 17th- and 18th-century buccaneers to careen their vessels. The cliffs and pinnacles, which are used as nesting areas by several species of seabirds, are the main attraction these days.
Around Isla Santiago
Isla Bartolomé
Panoramic views and frisky penguins make this tiny island, just off Sullivan Bay on Isla Santiago, a common stop for boat tours. A path from a jetty (for a dry landing) leads up to the wind-whipped 114m summit of the island, where the dramatic views make it de rigueur for group photos. This trail leads through a wild and unearthly looking lava landscape, where a wooden boardwalk and stairs have been built to aid visitors and to protect the trail from erosion.
The other visitor site is a small, sandy beach in a cove (wet landing), from where you can don your snorkeling gear and swim with the speedy Galápagos penguins that frequent this cove. Marine turtles and a gaudy variety of tropical fish are also frequently seen.
The best way to photograph the penguins on Bartolomé is by taking a panga ride close to the rocks on either side of the cove, particularly around the aptly named Pinnacle Rock, which is to the right of the cove from the seaward side. You can often get within a few meters of these fascinating birds – this is the closest point to Puerto Ayora where you can do so. Other penguin colonies are on the western side of Isla Isabela.
From the beach, a 100m trail leads across the narrowest part of Bartolomé to another sandy beach on the opposite side of the island. Marine turtles may nest here between January and March.
Isla Sombrero Chino
This tiny island, just off the southeastern tip of Isla Santiago, is less than a quarter of 1 sq km in size and is a fairly recent volcanic cone. The accuracy of its descriptive name, translated as ‘Chinese Hat,’ is best appreciated from the north. There is a small sea-lion cove on the northern shore, where you can anchor and land at the visitor site. Opposite Sombrero Chino, on the rocky shoreline of nearby Isla Santiago, penguins are often seen.
A 400m trail goes around the cove, where there are snorkeling and swimming opportunities, and through a sea-lion colony. Marine iguanas scurry everywhere.
Isla Rábida (Jervis)
This approximately 5-sq-km island, also known as Jervis, lies 5km south of Isla Santiago. There is a wet landing onto a dark-red beach, where sea lions haul out and pelicans nest. A 750m trail offers good views of the island’s 367m volcanic peak, which is covered with palo santo trees and prickly pear cacti. There’s a great snorkeling spot at the end of the trail.
Southern Islands
Isla Floreana (Santa María or Charles)
This, the sixth largest of the islands, is known as much for the mysterious history of its first residents – a small contingent of European settlers who became entangled in power struggles, peculiar disappearances and alleged murders – as it is for its intensely pink flamingos and top-flight snorkeling sites.
Many Santa Cruz tour operators sell Floreana as a day trip. If you’re considering this, know that on a day trip, almost none of your money goes to the community, and you will be subjected to over four hours of exhausting speedboat travel. Instead it’s well worth staying overnight, as the village of Puerto Velasco Ibarra has appealing lodging options, and this is a fascinating area to explore for those willing to make the effort.
Tiny Puerto Velasco Ibarra, the only settlement on Floreana, is set on a black-sand beach on a sheltered bay. Travelers find it quite peaceful and a perfect ending to an action-filled trip around the islands. This is the Galápagos of 40 years ago, of narrow dirt lanes, car-free living and wildlife-watching without the crowds.
1Sights & Activities
Post Office BayHISTORIC SITE
Most groups spend several perfunctory minutes on the north coast at Post Office Bay, where scraps of wood covered in graffiti surround a a few gone-to-seed barrels. Although a functioning mailbox for American and British whalers from the late 18th century, these days it’s tourists who leave postcards, hoping they will find their way, like a message in a bottle. Actually, it’s more prosaic than that: visitors are asked to grab a few to post when they return to their home countries.
About 300m behind the barrels is a lava cave that can be descended with the aid of a short rope and flashlight. The path is slippery and involves sloshing through some chilly water. Nearby is a pleasant swimming beach and the remains of a canning factory; a wet landing is necessary.
oDevil’s CrownSNORKELING
This ragged semicircle of rocks, poking up out of the ocean a few hundred meters from Punta Cormorant, is one of the most outstanding marine sites in all of the Galápagos. A strong current sweeps snorkelers briskly past thousands of bright tropical fish, a small coral formation, sea lions, marine turtles and the occasional shark. A panga ride around the semisubmerged volcanic cone will give views of red-billed tropicbirds, pelicans, herons and lava gulls nesting on the rocks.
LagoonBIRDWATCHING
Between the two beaches you’ll find a lagoon where several dozen flamingos are normally seen. This is also a good place to watch for other wading birds such as black-necked stilts, oystercatchers, willets and whimbrels. You must stop at the wooden rail on the edge of the lagoon – be sure to bring binoculars and your longest zoom lens, otherwise the flamingos will just be indistinct blurs on the horizon. White-cheeked pintail ducks are often seen in the lagoon and Galápagos hawks wheel overhead. It’s an especially dramatic tableau when the dark shadows, cast from the setting sun, suggest a stillness that has lasted for eons.
4Sleeping & Eating
Floreana is a regular stop on southerly cruise routes, so most visitors here sleep on the ship. For independent travelers there are a handful of accommodations options in the town of Puerto Velasco Ibarra.
The eating options on Floreana are limited to a few restaurants in Puerto Velasco Ibarra.
8Getting There & Away
Most people visit Floreana as part of a live-aboard cruise. It’s possible to get there independently by speedboat from Puerto Ayora ($30, 1¾ hours), but service runs irregularly and timetables change frequently. Check with an operator in Puerto Ayora to see if any boats have scheduled transfers to Floreana at any point during your stay in the Galápagos – it’s best to do this at the beginning of your trip so you can plan accordingly.
Isla Española (Hood)
Certainly one of the more dramatically beautiful islands in the Galápagos, the 61-sq-km Española is also the most southerly. Because it’s about 90km southeast of Santa Cruz, captains of some of the smaller boats may be reluctant to go this far.
Española is especially worth visiting from late March to December because it has the only colony of the waved albatross, one of the most spectacular Galápagos seabirds, plus swallow-tailed gulls, oystercatchers, three species of finches and the Hood mockingbird, which is found nowhere else in the world.
The opuntia cactus and giant tortoise population, virtually extinct in the 1960s due to introduced goats and hunting, have rebounded thanks to an aggressive restoration program – tortoises rely on the cacti for food, water and protection.
A wet landing at Punta Suárez, on the western end of the island, leads to a rocky 2km-long trail that takes visitors through masked and blue-footed booby colonies, a beach full of marine iguanas and, maybe most uniquely, a waved albatross colony (late March to early December, when much of the world’s albatross population comes here to breed). Even at a few months old, these enormous birds are spectacular to behold, their long, curved yellow beak, fluffy molting hair and aware eyes make them seem more vulnerable than they are. Equally breathtaking are the views from the wave-battered cliffs to the south – blow holes in the rocky shore below shoot water high into the air. Seabirds, especially the red-billed tropicbirds, perform their aerial acrobatics and their clumsy take offs and landings.
Other birds to look out for are the Hood mockingbird, swallow-tailed gulls and oystercatchers. There are three species of finches: large cactus, small ground, and warbler. They’re all part of the Darwin’s finch family and may hop along after you hoping to get at some of your fresh water. The large cactus finch is found on few other islands.
Reached with a wet landing at the northeast end of Isla Española is Gardner Bay, a beautiful white-sand beach with good swimming and a large sea-lion colony. It’s a little like walking through a minefield (albeit one that moves occasionally), and it’s certainly a good idea to give the large male bulls a wide berth lest they interpret your curiosity as a challenge to their dominance. Marine iguanas and Sally Lightfoot crabs can be found on the rocks at the eastern end of the beach. An island a short distance offshore provides good, but sometimes rough, snorkeling and scuba diving – there’s one rock that often has white-tipped reef sharks basking under it, and hammerheads, marine turtles, rays, sea stars and red-lipped batfish are often seen.
Northern Islands
Isla Genovesa (Tower)
Whatever you call it – Isla Genovesa, Tower Island or even Booby Island – lovers of the sometimes goofy- and cuddly-looking booby won’t want to miss this. Watch your feet, since it’s quite easy to miss a fluffy little baby booby or a camouflaged iguana while you’re scanning the horizon for distant sperm whales or the hard-to-sight Galápagos owl.
The most northeastern of the Galápagos Islands, Isla Genovesa covers only 14 sq km and is the only regularly visited island that lies entirely north of the equator (the northernmost part of Isabela pokes above the line). Therefore, this often creates an opportunity for a little shipboard humorous advice to ‘hold tight as we pass over the bump.’ Because it’s an outlying island, Isla Genovesa is infrequently included on shorter itineraries.
Genovesa is the best place to see a red-footed booby colony, and it provides visitors with the opportunity to visit colonies of great frigate birds, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies and many thousands of storm petrels. Other bird attractions include Galápagos doves and short-eared owls. Sea lions and fur seals are present, and there’s the chance to snorkel with groups of hammerhead sharks. The island is fairly flat and round, with a large, almost landlocked cove named Darwin Bay on the south side.
There are two visitor sites, both on Darwin Bay. Prince Philip’s Steps take you up a steep and rocky path to the top of 25m-high cliffs, and nesting red-footed and masked boobies are often found right on the narrow path.
At the top of the cliffs, the 1km-long trail leads inland, past dry-forest vegetation and various seabird colonies to a cracked expanse of lava, where thousands of storm petrels make their nests and wheel overhead. Short-eared owls are sometimes seen here.
The second visitor site, Darwin Bay Beach, is a coral beach that passes through red-footed booby colonies and several tide pools, and ends at a viewpoint over the cliffs.
Islas Marchena (Bindloe) & Pinta (Abington)
Isla Marchena, at 130 sq km, is the seventh-largest island in the archipelago and the largest to have no official visitor sites. There are some good scuba-diving sites, however, so you may get to see the island up close if on a dive trip. The 343m-high volcano in the middle of the island was very active during 1991 – ask your guide about its current degree of activity.
Isla Pinta is the original home of the tortoise Lonesome George, the sole surviving member of a subspecies decimated by whalers and pirates. Just two centuries ago, the tortoises numbered an estimated 5000 to 10,000. In 2010, 39 tortoises of a hybrid species (they were sterilized, as repopulation is not the goal) raised in captivity were released into the wild on Pinta.
Marchena is further north than any of the bigger islands. There are landing sites, but both islands have no visitor sites, and researchers require a permit to visit.
Isla Wolf (Wenman) & Isla Darwin (Culpepper)
The northernmost islands are the twin islands of Isla Wolf and Isla Darwin, about 100km northwest of the rest of the archipelago. They are seldom visited except on scuba-diving trips (no snorkeling at either). Both have nearly vertical cliffs that make landing difficult. Frigates, boobies, tropicbirds and gulls nest on these islands by the thousands. Isla Darwin was first visited in 1964, when a helicopter expedition landed on the summit.
Understand the Galápagos Islands
History
The Galápagos archipelago was discovered by accident in 1535, when Tomás de Berlanga, the first Bishop of Panama, drifted off course while sailing from Panama to Peru. The bishop reported his discovery to King Charles V of Spain and included in his report a description of the giant Galápagos tortoises, from which the islands received their name, and an amusing note about the islands’ birds that any visitor today can appreciate: ‘…so silly that they didn’t know how to flee and many were caught by hand.’
It is possible that the indigenous inhabitants of South America were aware of the islands’ existence before 1535, but there are no definite records of this, and the islands don’t appear on a world map until 1570, when they are identified as the ‘island of the tortoises.’ In 1953 Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl discovered pottery shards that he thought to be pre-Columbian, but the evidence seems inconclusive. The first rough charts of the archipelago were made by buccaneers in the late 17th century, and scientific exploration began in the late 18th century.
For more than three centuries after their discovery, the Galápagos were used as a base by a succession of buccaneers, sealers and whalers. The islands provided sheltered anchorage, firewood, water and an abundance of fresh food in the form of the giant Galápagos tortoises, which were caught by the thousands and stacked, alive, in the ships’ holds. More than 100,000 are estimated to have been taken between 1811 and 1844. The tortoises could survive for a year or more and thus provided fresh meat for the sailors long after they had left the islands. The fur seal population was also decimated, with thousands killed for their valuable pelts.
The first resident of the islands was Patrick Watkins, an Irishman who was marooned on Isla Santa María in 1807 and spent two years living there, growing vegetables and trading his produce for rum with passing boats. The story goes that he managed to remain drunk for most of his stay, then stole a ship’s boat and set out for Guayaquil accompanied by five slaves. No one knows what happened to the slaves – only Watkins reached the mainland.
Ecuador officially claimed the Galápagos Archipelago in 1832 and General Villamil was named the first governor – basically in charge of a single colony of ex-rebel soldiers on Floreana. For roughly one century thereafter, the islands were inhabited by only a few settlers and were used as penal colonies, the last of which, on Isla Isabela, was closed in 1959.
The Galápagos’ most famous visitor was Charles Darwin, who arrived in 1835 aboard the British naval vessel the Beagle. Darwin stayed for five weeks, 19 days of which were spent on four of the larger islands, making notes and collecting specimens that provided important evidence for his theory of evolution. It was not until decades later that he formulated and published his evidence. He spent the most time on Isla San Salvador observing and, for that matter, eating tortoises. Darwin devoted as much of his attention to geology and botany as he did to the animals and marine life of the Galápagos.
Some islands were declared wildlife sanctuaries in 1934, and 97% of the archipelago officially became a national park in 1959. Organized tourism began in the late 1960s and in 1986 the government formed the Marine Resources Reserve.
CHARLES DARWIN: THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH
In the general public’s mind, the life and work of Charles Darwin is so closely connected with the Galápagos Islands that many people assume he spent a significant amount of time here. They also assume that the inspiration for ideas he sketches out in the Origin of Species came to him in a ‘Eureka!’ moment while touring the islands. Neither assumption is true.
Darwin spent only five weeks in the Galápagos, at first primarily interested in geology rather than biology. His later observations of pigeons and the methods of dog breeders in England were both much more influential than the finches that have become poster children for the shorthand of evolutionary theory.
Darwin lived in London for five years after he returned from the Galápagos, and then retreated to an estate in the countryside. From then on he hardly traveled and was confined to a sedentary lifestyle, in part because of chronic health concerns.
From an early age he was inspired more by free-thinking religious figures than secular atheists and was never motivated to disprove the role of a divine figure. After he spent 22 years trying to prove his theory, he renounced Christianity in his middle age and described himself as an agnostic.
Originally sent to Cambridge to be a clergyman, Darwin instead became inspired by the botany lessons of his mentor, JS Henslow. He collected beetles as a hobby and formed a club organized around the eating of animals that were unknown to the European kitchen. It was only after his uncle Josiah Wedgwood intervened that Darwin’s father allowed him to go on a voyage at the age of 22. Darwin slept in a hammock on the Beagle, rode on top of Galápagos turtles and, in what is a violation of modern-day park rules, dined on their meat.
From 1831 to 1836, the Beagle’s task was to survey the South American coastline and chart harbors for the British navy, stopping in Brazil, the Falklands, Argentina and Chile before the Galápagos. Darwin returned with more than 1500 specimens, though for many of those from the Galápagos he neglected to label where each was found.
By the time the boat reached Bahía, Brazil, in 1836, Darwin was ready to return, writing in his journal, ‘I loathe, I abhor the sea and all ships which sail on it.’ In 1859 the Origin of Species sold out on its first day in print. Only 1% of the book refers to the Galápagos Islands.
Geology
The oldest of the islands visible today were formed roughly four to five million years ago by underwater volcanoes erupting and rising above the ocean’s surface (the islands were never connected to the mainland). The Galápagos region is volcanically very active – more than 50 eruptions have been recorded since their discovery in 1535. The most recent was the February 2009 Volcán La Cumbre eruption on Fernandina, overall probably the most active island. Thus, the formation of the islands is an ongoing process; geologically speaking, the archipelago is quite young.
Geologists generally agree that two relatively new geological theories explain the islands’ formation. The theory of plate tectonics holds that the earth’s crust consists of several rigid plates that, over geological time, move relative to one another over the surface of the earth. The Galápagos lie on the northern edge of the Nazca Plate, close to its junction with the Cocos Plate. These two plates are spreading apart at a rate of about 1km every 14,000 years, which is pretty fast by plate-tectonic standards.
The hot-spot theory states that deep within the earth (below the moving tectonic plates) are certain superheated areas that remain stationary. At frequent intervals (measured in geological time), the heat from these hot spots increases enough to melt the earth’s crust. This produces a volcanic eruption of sufficient magnitude to cause molten lava to rise above the ocean floor and, eventually, above the ocean’s surface.
The Galápagos are moving slowly to the southeast over a stationary hot spot, so it makes sense that the southeastern islands were formed first and the northwestern islands were formed most recently. The most ancient rocks yet discovered on the islands are about 3.25 million years old and come from Isla Española in the southeast. In comparison, the oldest rocks on the islands of Isla Fernandina and Isla Isabela are less than 750,000 years old. The northwestern islands are still in the process of formation and contain active volcanoes, particularly Isabela and Fernandina. In addition to the gradual southeastern drift of the Nazca Plate, the northern drift of the Cocos Plate complicates the matter, meaning the islands do not get uniformly older from northwest to southeast.
Most of the Galápagos are surrounded by very deep ocean. Less than 20km off the coasts of the western islands, the ocean is over 3000m deep. When visitors cruise around the islands, they can see only about the top third of the volcanoes – the rest is underwater. Some of the oldest volcanoes in the area are, in fact, completely underwater. The Carnegie Ridge, a submerged mountain range stretching to the east of the Galápagos, includes the remnants of previous volcanic islands, some of which were as much as nine million years old. These have been completely eroded away; they now lie 2000m beneath the ocean’s surface and stretch about half the distance between the Galápagos and the mainland.
Most of the volcanic rock forming the Galápagos Islands is basalt. Molten basalt is more fluid than other types of volcanic rock, so when an eruption occurs, basalt tends to erupt in the form of lava flows rather than in the form of explosions. Hence, the Galápagos Islands have gently rounded shield volcanoes rather than the cone-shaped variety that most people associate with volcanic formations.
EVOLUTION IN ACTION
When the Galápagos Islands were formed, they were barren volcanic islands, devoid of all life. Because the islands were never connected to the mainland, it’s most likely that all species now present must have somehow crossed 1000km of open ocean. Those that could fly or swim long distances had the best chance of reaching the islands, but other methods of colonization were also possible.
Small mammals, land birds and reptiles, as well as plants and insects, may have been ferried across on floating vegetation. For those animals that survived the trip, plant seeds or insect eggs and larvae may have been brought over in their stomachs, or attached to the feathers or feet of birds.
When the first migrating species arrived millions of years ago, they found there were few other species to compete with. Some animals were able to survive, breed and produce offspring. The young were the same species as their parents, but some had subtle differences.
A classic Galápagos example of this is a bird that produces a chick with a bill that is slightly different from those of its parents or siblings. In the different environment of the islands, some chicks with slightly different bills are more able to take advantage of the surroundings. These birds are said to be better adapted and are more likely to survive and raise a brood of their own.
These better-adapted survivors may pass on favorable genetic traits (in this case, a slightly better-adapted bill) to their offspring, and thus, over many generations, certain favorable traits are selected ‘for’ and other less-favorable traits are selected ‘against’. Eventually, the difference between the original colonizers and their distant descendants is so great that the descendants can be considered a different species altogether. This is the essence of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
With a variety of islands and habitats, various types of bills could confer adaptive advantages to birds in different ecological niches. One ancestral species could therefore give rise to several modern species, which is called adaptive radiation. This explains the presence in the Galápagos of 13 similar, endemic species of finches called ‘Darwin’s finches.’
For many years, evolutionary biologists puzzled over how so many unique species could have evolved in the Galápagos over the relatively short period of about four million years (the age of the oldest islands). The answer was provided by geologists and oceanographers who found nine-million-year-old remnants of islands under the ocean to the east of the existing islands. Presumably, the ancestors of the present wildlife once lived on these lost islands, and therefore had at least nine million years to evolve – a span of time that evolutionary biologists find feasible.
Ecology & Environment
Every plant and animal species in the Galápagos arrived from somewhere else after journeying hundreds to thousands of kilometers on fortuitous wind, air and sea currents, mostly from South America and the Caribbean. Some flora and fauna arrived later less naturally, brought by settlers and others visiting the islands by ships and planes. There are no large terrestrial mammals, though the islands’ wildlife is fascinating.
Concern about the islands’ environment is not new. Even as early as the beginning of the 1900s, several scientific organizations were already alarmed. In 1934 the Ecuadorian government set aside some of the islands as wildlife sanctuaries, but it was not until 1959, the centenary of the publication of the Origin of Species, that the Galápagos were officially declared a national park (Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site in 1978). The construction of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Isla Santa Cruz began soon after, and the station began operating in 1964 as an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to conservation. The Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS) began operating in 1968 and is the key institution of the Ecuadorian government responsible for the park. Both entities work together to manage the islands. In 1986 the Ecuadorian government granted more protection to the islands by creating the 133,000 sq km Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve. A law that was passed in 1998 enables the park and reserve to protect and conserve the islands and surrounding ocean; it also encourages educational and scientific research while allowing sustainable development of the islands as an Ecuadorian province.
Invasive Species
The introduction of domestic animals on every one of the main islands, except Fernandina, is one of the major challenges the archipelago faces. Feral goats and pigs and introduced rats decimated (or caused the extinction of) native species in just a few years – the goats themselves are thought to be responsible for the extinction of four to five species. It took over 127 years to eliminate the feral pig population on the island of San Salvador.
Cattle, cats, dogs, donkeys, frogs and rats are other threats to the survival of endemic flora and fauna; hundreds of insect species have been introduced, including a wasp species feared to be the cause of a declining number of caterpillar larvae, an important food for finches. Nearly 800 plant species have been introduced to the islands; blackberry is considered one of the worst because it reduces biodiversity by as much as 50%.
Overfishing
A major problem in all the world’s seas, overfishing is a continuing source of tension in the islands. There have been periodic protests, and several quite serious incidents, organized by fishers unhappy with the restrictions on various fisheries – the protests are primarily over the fishing of sea cucumbers and lobster, two of the more lucrative catches. Coastal no-take zones have been established and large-scale commercial fishing has been banned since 1998; however, the laws are regularly flouted by both Ecuadorian and foreign-flagged ships. Most damaging are the longliners (hundreds or thousands of baited hooks hanging from a single line that’s often miles long).
Although sea-cucumber fishing became illegal back in 1994, hundreds of thousands are exported illegally every year, chiefly for their purported aphrodisiac properties. Other illegal fishing activities include taking shark fins for shark-fin soup, killing sea lions for bait, and overfishing lobster to feed tourists and locals.
Only ‘artisanal’ fishing in small boats is permitted. However, this regulation has been controversially interpreted to allow sport fishing for tourists. Encouraged for a short time, then banned in 2005, it is once again permitted – although the handful of licensed operators is highly regulated.
Other Issues
Some islanders see the national park as a barrier to making a living in agriculture. They argue that if more food is cultivated locally, less food will need to be imported, resulting in a far cheaper cost of living for residents (with fewer concomitant environmental costs). Thus, there’s an effort to promote the production of high-quality, organic foodstuffs in the islands. Of course, agriculture leads to habitat loss and the alteration of landscapes. An added complication is scarce water resources – springs have mostly run dry, coastal groundwater can be polluted and the little water there is to be found in the highlands is difficult to direct efficiently.
After an Ecuadorian oil tanker ran aground near Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal in 2001, the government, along with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), worked to modernize and rebuild the main fuel depot facility on Baltra so that it meets the highest environmental standards. More recently, in partnership with the UN and some of the world’s largest utilities, the Ecuadorian government has pledged to wean the islands off fossil fuels completely by 2020 through the use of solar and wind power; a large-scale wind-turbine project already exists on San Cristóbal.
Certain species, most notably Galápagos penguins, green sea turtles and marine iguanas (the only sea-going lizard in the world), are vulnerable to the rising sea temperatures and sea levels associated with global warming. Increasingly protracted and severe El Niño years (when devastating rainfall pummels South America) – 1998 was the worst in a half-century – have disrupted various Galápagos ecosystems.
Conservation Efforts
More than 50% of flora and fauna species are threatened or endangered (no Galápagos bird species has been declared extinct), including the Floreana mockingbird and the Galápagos petrel. Despite these alarming numbers, more than 95% of the species inhabiting the islands before human contact still exist and the only wild extinct species are the giant land tortoise of Pinta and San Salvador land iguanas. Large-scale culling of non-native and invasive species through hunting, breeding and repatriation programs, nest protection, protective fencing and reforestation are some of the primary strategies of conservationists working in the islands.
Tour operator Metropolitan Touring’s Fundacion Galápagos (www.metropolitantouring.com/informacion-general-de-galapagos/fundacion-galapagos) partnered with various corporations and travel companies to build a recycling plant in Puerto Ayora, and now every home in the islands is supposed to have three color-coded bins for recycling. The foundation also runs volunteer coastal clean-up programs and pays local fishermen to collect trash at sea.
There are various solutions to the problems facing the Galápagos Islands. These include an emphasis on sustainable tourism over the extraction of limited underwater and underground resources, because the extractions could alter the environment irreparably. One extreme view is to prohibit all colonization and tourism – an option that appeals to few. Many colonists – there are around 30,000 full-time residents – act responsibly and actively oppose the disruptive and threatening behavior of some. They also provide the labor for the booming tourism industry.
That being said, the government periodically expels Ecuadorian nationals living in the islands who don’t have residency or work permits. There are only three ways Ecuadorians are able to establish permanent residency in the Galápagos: they lived there for five years prior to 1998 or, from that point on, they were born there or married another permanent resident. Many find this strategy discriminatory, asking, ‘why not reduce the number of relatively wealthy tourists allowed, instead?’ However, the tourism industry is important for Ecuador’s economy, accounting for over $200 million a year – a quarter of which ends up in local coffers. The majority of stakeholders believe the best solution to be a combination of environmental education for residents and visitors and a program of responsible and sustainable tourism, which may necessarily involve measures to reduce or cap tourist visits.
PARK RULES
Regulations regarding cruising itineraries were overhauled in early 2012. This was done in an attempt to reduce the number of stops at the most-visited sites; to reduce the total number of visitors; and to relieve pressure on the Baltra airport.
By law, tour boats must be accompanied by certified naturalist guides that have been trained by the National Park Service. However, in reality, guides on less-expensive boats may lack any kind of certification and there is only a limited number of Naturalist III Guides (the most qualified, usually multilingual, university-educated biologists intent on preserving and explaining wildlife).
Visitors to the islands are restricted to the official visitor sites (70 land and 79 marine sites). Important park rules protect wildlife and the environment, and they’re mostly a matter of courtesy and common sense: don’t feed or touch the animals; don’t litter; don’t remove any natural object (living or not); don’t bring pets; and don’t buy objects made from plants or animals. You are not allowed to enter the visitor sites after dark or without a qualified guide, and a guide will accompany every boat. On all shore trips, the guide will be there to answer your questions and also to ensure that you follow park rules.
Tourism
Until the mid-1960s, few tourists visited the islands, other than tycoons and princes on their private yachts or the extremely intrepid who were willing to bed down with livestock on a cargo ship. After the research station opened and charter flights began operating, organized tourism was inaugurated with a trickle of a little over 1000 visitors a year. This figure soon increased dramatically. By 1971 there were six small boats and one large cruise ship operating in the islands. In less than two decades the number of visitors had increased tenfold; back in the early 1990s an estimated 60,000 visited annually. Current figures indicate that around 203,000 tourists visited the islands in 2013, including foreign visitors (132,000) and Ecuadorian residents (72,000). There are around 85 boats (with sleeping accommodations) carrying four to 96 passengers; the majority carry fewer than 20.
While this is good for the economy of Ecuador, environmental problems have resulted. The Ecuadorian government and environmental organizations are aware of these issues and are working to reverse, or at the very least halt, the direction of development (including stopping the building of high-rises and reducing cruise-ship demand) to protect the flora, fauna and people of the Galápagos.
READING LIST
A Floreana by Margret Wittmer
A Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut
A Galápagos: World’s End by William Beebe
A My Father’s Island by Johanna Angermeyer
A The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner
A The Galapagos Affair by John Treherne
A Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
A Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
8Survival Guide
FEES & TAXES
The Galápagos national park fee is $100. It must be paid in cash at one of the airports after you arrive, or in advance through a pre-booked tour. You will not be allowed to leave the airport until you pay. In addition, a transit control fee of $20 must be paid at the Instituto Nacional Galápagos window next to the ticket counter in either the Quito or Guayaquil airports; the charge is already included in the price of many prearranged boat tours. When flying to Isla Isabela, tourists must pay a $10 fee on arrival.
MONEY
Compared to the mainland, you get much less bang for your buck in the Gålapagos. Cash is preferred for most transactions – many restaurants and shops don’t accept cards and some accommodations may not, either.
A Bring cash with you from the mainland in case your credit card isn’t accepted or the ATMs run out of bills.
A ATMs can be found in Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno only – make withdrawals before heading to Isabela or Floreana.
A Small bills are best – $5s and $10s are ideal; most places won’t take any over $20.
A MasterCard and Visa are the most accepted credit cards, few businesses take American Express; note that some establishments may charge a 5% to 10% fee.
A Traveler’s checks aren’t widely accepted, so stick to cash and credit cards.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Flights from the mainland arrive at two airports: Isla Baltra just north of Santa Cruz, and Isla San Cristóbal. There are almost an equal number of flights to Baltra and San Cristóbal.
The three airlines flying to the Galápagos Islands are Tame (www.tame.com.ec), Avianca (www.avianca.com) and LAN (www.latam.com). All operate two morning flights daily from Quito via Guayaquil to the Isla Baltra airport (two hours), which is just over an hour away from Puerto Ayora by public transportation. They also provide one or two daily morning flights to the San Cristóbal airport (1½ hours). Return flights are in the early afternoons of the same days.
Round-trip flights from Guayaquil start at $400, and round trips from Quito start around $490; the latter trips include a layover in Guayaquil, although you don’t have to get off the plane. It’s also possible to fly from Quito and return to Guayaquil or vice versa; it’s often more convenient to fly into Baltra and out of San Cristóbal (or vice versa). If you’re booked on a boat through an agency, it will likely make the arrangements for you. There is a limit of 20kg for checked luggage (per person) on the flight to the Galápagos.
GETTING AROUND
Most people get around the islands by organized boat tour, but it’s very easy to visit the inhabited islands independently. Islas Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana all have accommodations and daily inter-island boat service (one way $30). There are also pricier inter-island flights between Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Isabela.
Air
Emetebe (%05-252-4978; Av Darwin) and Fly Galápagos (%05-301-6579; www.flygalapagos.net; cnr Hernandez & Villamil) offer daily flights on five-passenger aircraft between Baltra (Santa Cruz) and Isla Isabela (35 minutes), between Baltra and San Cristóbal (35 minutes), and between San Cristóbal and Isla Isabela (45 minutes). On average, fares are around $150 one way; you’ll pay a little extra if you’re over the 11kg baggage limit per person.
Boat
Private speedboats known as lanchas offer daily passenger ferry services between Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal; Santa Cruz and Isabela; and Santa Cruz and Floreana. Each one-way route takes approximately 2½ hours. Fares are $30 on any passage and are purchased either the day before departure, or the day of, from agencies near the port in each town. On arrival to the port, it’s customary to take a small water taxi directly from the speedboat to the passenger dock ($1, paid directly to the boat driver).