Puerto Ayora makes a great base for visitors opting for land-based or independent Galapagos adventure tours and travel, as many of the visitor sites of the island are nearby and accessible with or without a guide. The most popular activities on Santa Cruz are swimming, surfing, shopping and wildlife observation.
The island of San Cristobal is relatively accessible from Santa Cruz and, in comparison with the other islands, is highly developed. San Cristobal has an airport and has the capital of the Galapagos islands province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Other notable attractions on the island include El Junco (the only freshwater lake in the Galapagos), Cerro Brujo (a beach known for its exotic wildlife, home to creatures like sea lions and the famous marine iguanas), Leon Dormido (a rock structure in the shape of a sleeping lion) and Punta Pit (one of the only place in the islands where it’s possible to see all three booby species).
The largest Galapagos island is Isabela, and visitors come here to view the five active volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf are the volcanoes on this island. Five of the six volcanoes are still active (the exception is Ecuador) making it one of the most volcanically active places on earth. These volcanoes continue to shape the island. A few of the giant volcanic calderas are open to visitors and tour groups and visits to the island’s famous steam vents make for an unforgettable experience. Wildlife living on and around Isabela include the flightless cormorant, the frigate bird, the blue-footed booby, Galapagos Penguins, pelicans, land and marine iguanas, giant tortoises, sea turtles and giant rays.
Fernandina is one of the most active islands of the Galapagos. Most visitors come for Punta Espinosa, where hundreds of Marine Iguanas lay out on the lava rocks and periodically dive into the waters to catch lunch and cool off. You’ll also find the Galapagos penguin, the flightless cormorant and a variety of sea lions here.
The island of San Salvador is known for it’s unearthly looking lava flows and rock formations. On the corner of James Bay is the black sand and lava beach of Puerto Egas. Trails leading away from the shore lead to lava caves, rock formations and inlets where visitors may stumble upon snoozing sea lions, lizards or nesting birds.
Many of the smaller islands can be accessed by boat. The islands of Genovesa, Española, Seymour, Sombrero Chino, Rabida and Bartolome are all open to tourists.
The island of Genovesa has two visitor sites. The first is called Prince Philip’s Steps, which is a series of cliffs where birds like boobies, gulls, swallows, frigate birds and petrels like to nest. The other site is Darwin Bay, which is an area covered with mangroves and tide pools where sea lions can often be spotted.
Española is the oldest of the islands and is specifically known for its abundance of Waved Albatrosses. Many visitors to Bartolome will immediately recognize the 115 meter Pinnacle Rock formation that has appeared in a number of Hollywood films.
The island of Rabida offers the rare red-sand beach, with walking trails that make for beautiful views over the water. The smaller Sombrero Chino, which supposedly looks like Chinese hat, is home to sea lions, marine iguanas and lava lizards. Finally, the island of Seymour is a birder’s paradise, and many visitors come here specifically to see rare avian mating, courtship and nesting rituals.
Both Daphnes, along with the islands of Pinta, Marchena, Darwin and Wolf are currently closed to tourists, and only scientists and researchers with the proper papers can land there, though snorkeling and diving are allowed off of Darwin and Wolf. Whales are often spotted here. The island of Baltra is accessible, but the only reason you’ll want to go there is to travel through its airport.
