Travel to Galapagos Islands. Official Galapagos visitors sites 2

ISABELA (Albermarle)

A favorite of locals, the island of Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos, with many visitor sites. A relatively young island, Isabela was formed by five volcanoes, many of which are still active. Volcán Alcedo is the most popular because of its huge caldera and numerous steam vents. The volcano is also home to a colony of Giant Tortoises. There are also trails around the caldera of the giant Sierra Negra Volcano.

It's sometimes possible to catch a glimpse of the elusive flightless cormorant around Punta Garcia and Punta Albermarle. It is also possible to see other birds like the frigate bird, the blue-footed booby, and Galapagos Penguins. Punta Vicente Roca makes for exceptional snorkeling and Urbina Bay, a flat section formed by uplifting seas, offers visitors the chance to see flightless cormorants, pelicans, iguanas (land and marine), giant tortoises, sea turtles and giant rays.

Another popular site on Isabela is Punta Tortuga, which is a mangrove surrounded beach that is home to the rare mangrove finch. Darwin Lake is a pristine saltwater lagoon on the island, Tagus Cove is home to sea lions. Punta Moreno is also on the island and is a unique lava flow where flamingos and a variety of other bird, plant and insect species make their home

The biggest town on Isabela is Puerto Villamil, a small beach town full of fisherman with a calling center, bank, post office police station and hospital. There aren’t a lot of lodging options here, but there are some ideal camping sites.

FERNANDINA (Narborough)

The western island of Fernandina is one of the youngest of the archipelago, and continues to be one of the most volcanically active. Punta Espinosa is the only one official visitor site here, and has hikes through recently formed lava fields, and wildlife including penguins, sea lions, flightless cormorants, marine iguanas and pelicans.

SANTA MARIA (Floreana or Charles)

When Charles Darwin came to the island in 1835, it was already inhabited by Ecuadorian prisoners. Many species that used to roam Santa Maria, including Giant Turtles, have since disappeared, because of the human activity on the island. The island has also suffered from the introduction of foreign species like rats, mice, wasps and fire ants.

The island’s Post Office Bay offers lava tunnels and the historic post office utilized by 19th century whalers. The Asilo de la Paz is a series of caves once inhabited by early settlers. Punta Cormorant, home to sea lions, flamingos, ducks, hawks and sea turtles is a nice place for snorkeling and swimming. One of the best locations for snorkeling in the entire archipelago is Devil’s Crown, a half submerged volcanic cone. A variety of seabirds, tropical fish and coral species live and grow near the crown.

The main town on the island is Puerto Velasco Ibarra, where visitors will find a few hotels, restaurants and shops. The town is small, with fewer than two hundred residents.

GENOVESA (Douwes or Tower)

The northeastern island of Genovesa has two official visitor sites. The first, Prince Philip’s Steps, consists of a series of cliff trails and rocky paths where visitors can observe red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds, Galapagos swallows, short-eared owls, Galapagos doves, and storm petrels.

The second site is Darwin Bay, where a short trail winds through white sand beaches, mangroves and tide pools. Keep your eyes peeled for red-footed boobies and sea lions.

ESPAÑOLA (Hood)

The oldest of the Islands, Española is known for its abundance of large waved albatross birds. It’s also home to the Christmas Iguana, a type of marine Iguana that turns red and green during the mating season.

There are two visitors’ sites on the island. Punta Suarez is the best and only place in the archipelago to see the Waved Albatross and the distinctive Christmas Iguanas. Gardner Bay is a lovely beach with fine swimming and snorkeling.

BARTOLOMÉ

The island of Bartolomé is best known for the iconic, 115-meter Pinnacle Rock, which visitors can climb for the spectacular views at the top. Because of the erosion danger here, please stick to the wooden boardwalks set up for visitors.

The beaches surrounding Pinnacle Rock also make up a worthy visitor site. Here you may encounter penguins, turtles, sharks and tropical fish, which can all be seen by snorkeling.

SAN SALVADOR (Santiago or James)

Perhaps the most popular visitor site of San Salvador is the black sand and lava beach of Puerto Egas, which is a nice place to relax or snorkel. There are also nearby trails leading to lava pools, and caves where creatures like sea lions, lava lizards, and seabirds like to hang out.

Darwin’s Toilet, a rock formation with shooting bursts of water; Espumilla Beach, a brown sand beach with good swimming; Buccaneer Cove, which is a cliffside nesting ground with unparalleled views; and Sullivan Bay, which is the site of an enormous black lava flow that slides into the sea, are a few of the other popular attractions on San Salvador.

RABIDA

The island of Rabida has distinct dark red beaches where sea lions and pelicans like to hang out. The island also has a lagoon filled with flamingos, and a walking trail that offers excellent views of the island’s sole volcanic peak and the turquoise ocean below.

SOMBRERO CHINO

Sombrero Chico is a tiny island in the apparent shape of a “Chinese Hat” as the name translates. There is a 400-meter trail that winds around the island and passes through white sand beaches and blue water coves. Creatures like sea lions, light foot crabs, marine iguanas and lava lizards make their home here.

SEYMOUR and MOSQUERA

While Mosquera Island is a mere sandy spot in between Baltra and Seymour, Seymour is a bit bigger and often serves as the final destination for boat tours. It can also be visited as a day trip from Puerto Ayora.

The birds love this island, as blue-footed boobies, pelicans, swallowtail gulls and frigate birds all call Seymour home. There are also land and sea iguanas and sea lions here. Snorkelers at Seymour will likely see white-tipped reef sharks, eels, rays and triggerfish.

DARWIN (Culpepper) and WOLF (Wenman)

The outlying Darwin and Wolf Islands can only be accessed through boat and scuba tours. The snorkeling here is amazing. Whales and sharks are commonly spotted in the surrounding waters.

THE DAPHNES

Both Daphne Major and Daphne Minor are only accessible to a limited number of researchers and scientists, but there are opportunities to scuba dive in their surrounding waters.