Galapagos Island Hopping: A taste of Santa Cruz and San Cristobal
Bite-sized trip
✓ Visit a farm with giant tortoises
✓ Join a food tour and learn to make ceviche
✓ Stay in simple hotels in the harbour towns
We recommend mixing up at least two Galapagos bite-sized trips for a more diverse experience
Day 1 – Arrival at Santa Cruz, Galapagos
If you’re flying from Guayaquil in Ecuador, it’s just a three hour flight to the famous Galapagos Islands. These islands are a paradise for wildlife spotting, but also surprisingly more inhabited than you might expect. Each island has its own charm, and three of them are inhabited: Isla Isabela, Isla Santa Cruz, and Isla San Cristobal. You could easily spend a week on each of the islands, but for a teasing taster, this trip visits two of them.
Once you arrive at the airport, you’ll be met by your driver. First, you will take the bus together to the Itabaca Channel, and cross to the nearby island of Santa Cruz, which is home to around 24,000 people. Here, you’ll get in your driver’s car and he’ll take you through the highlands to the centre of Puerto Ayora. Along the way, you’ll visit a local farm where you’ll meet giant tortoises that live here in the wild. These mighty creatures walk around freely but come to the farm to eat. After lunch, continue to your hotel in Puerto Ayora. Here you will meet a local guide who will explain your program for the next few days. Then, you’ll head into Puerto Ayaroa with your guide on a food tour to sample the local delicacies.
A stay at the Galapagos is pricey because it’s a protected area, there is a limited number of places to stay and everything is imported. For this trip we have chosen simple hotels that are more basic than the hotels you will have experienced during the rest of your Ecuador trip. The hotels are small-scale, have friendly owners and are within walking distance of the harbour.
Day 2 – The waters around Santa Cruz
Today is free for you to explore independently. Enjoy a short morning walk to Tortuga Bay, an idyllic beach where you’ll find loads of iguanas bathing in the sun. Don’t forget to take your snorkel, you have a good chance of spotting a number of reef sharks. If you’re a diving enthusiasts check out Gordon Rocks. You might come across hammerhead sharks, turtles, manta rays, and barracudas. It’s easy to arrange a dive on the spot. Just make sure you bring your diving certificate.
Day 3 – Santa Cruz – San Cristobal
After a leisurely morning, make your way to the pier for the 1.30pm ferry to San Cristobal. The journey can be choppy so you may want to take precautions against sea sickness. In the port of San Cristobal, our local contact will be waiting to take you to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon you have time to walk along the boulevard where you can watch the sea lions that sleep there. If you prefer to relax yourself, go to one of the nearby beaches. Later today you’ll also learn how to make ceviche at Playa Mann. Your teacher used to sell this local delicacy at the harbour, but now she’s opened her own restaurant. Her fish dish is famous across the region.
Day 4 – Free day on San Cristobal
We haven’t planned any activities for you today. But there are plenty of things to do. You can snorkel with sea lions at Playa Lobita or we can arrange a snorkelling tour for you to an uninhabited island. Hike to the Cerro Tijeretas to spot the famous frigate birds, or take a half-day tour to the highlands of San Cristobal. We recommend ending the day with a cold beer at the local brewery.
Day 5 – Departure from San Cristobal
Make the most of your last morning before an afternoon flight. Enjoy the last views of the amazing landscape and keep your eyes peeled on the road to the airport because you never know when an animal might pop up. Top tip: Make sure to stop by the shops and grab a Galapagos stamp for your passport. It’s a fun memento that proves you were really there.
Tip: diving with hammerhead sharks
If you have a diving certification the Galapagos can offer a seriously special dive experience. With its isolated location, lack of predators, and volcanic origins, the underwater life here is truly unique. You can expect to swim alongside schools of hammerhead sharks, dolphins, Galapagos sharks, and mantas. Day tours are usually organized from Puerto Ayora. While these excursions can be a bit pricey, they might just be one the most amazing diving experiences of your life. There are plenty of dive schools on the island where you can arrange this during your stay.
Accommodation
