San Cristobal Galapagos: Snorkelling with Sharks & Sea Lions
Bite-sized trip
✓ Snorkel with Galapagos sharks at Kicker Rock
✓ Swim among the sea lions at La Loberia Beach
✓ Stay in a simple hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
We recommend mixing up at least two Galapagos bite-sized trips for a more diverse experience
Day 1 – Arrival at Isla San Cristobal, 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. This bite-sized trip focuses on the island of San Cristobel but we recommend combining it with one of the other islands for a diverse experience
After a 3-hour flight from Guayaquil, or a 2.5-hour speedboat ride from Santa Cruz, you arrive on San Cristobal. After settling into your simple hotel in Galapagos’ capital city, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, it’s time for something you might not expect. You’ll learn to make ceviche a la Galapagos, a local delicacy of fish. A few years ago, your host was selling ceviche at the harbour, and now she also teaches travellers. It’s a small, intimate experience with a true local touch. After the class you can spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, where sea lions laze on the sand and dart playfully through the waves.
Day 2 – Snorkelling with sharks and sea lions
Today, prepare for a special and memorable snorkelling experience … with Galapagos sharks. You’ll board a small boat and head out of the harbour to Kicker Rock or Isla Lobos. Once you’re in the water, you’ll be surrounded by schools of Galapagos sharks, and playful sea lions. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a hammerhead at Kicker Rock. Afterwards, you’ll relax on the boat with a light lunch before having the rest of the day to explore the island however you like. If you have a diving certification and would rather dive at Kicker Rock, you can easily arrange this locally at one of the many dive schools on the island.
Day 3 – Snorkelling or head into the highlands
We have nothing planned for you today so you can spend it however you like. You could snorkel with sea lions at Playa Lobita and hike up to Cerro Tijeretas, where you’ll spot frigate birds, famous for the bright red-neck pouches they inflate. If you’re all snorkelled out, a half-day tour to the highlands of San Cristóbal is well worth it. You’ll visit Lake Junco, a breeding centre for giant tortoises, and Puerto Chino, one of the island’s most stunning beaches surrounded by mangroves. Let us know if you want to add this to your trip.
Day 4 – Departure from San Cristobal
San Cristobal is likely to be your final stop in the Galápagos. Most trips start in Santa Cruz and finish here. Over the last few days, you’ve probably seen more wildlife than ever before. With incredible memories, photos and videos, you’ll fly back to the mainland. If you’re not ready to leave and want to explore more of the remote Galapagos islands, check out our 5-day Galapagos Cruise.
Accommodation
For this bite-sized trip we offer the following options
San Cristobal Galapagos: Snorkelling with Sharks & Sea Lions - Hotel with pool
If you love this Galapagos trip but you’d prefer to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool, then we can arrange this for you. Stroll along the seafront promenade and experience a little more comfort after spending your days exploring the wildlife-rich San Cristobal.
The program is as follows:
Day 1 – Arrival, transfers, meet & greet and ceviche workshop
Day 2 – Snorkeling at Kicker Rock (with light lunch)
Day 3 – Free day – optional guided visit to the highlands or snorkeling at an uninhabited island
Day 4 – Departure, transfers to the airport
Highlands tour
On this private tour, you’ll explore the interior of San Cristobal and stroll the sands of one of the most beautiful beaches of the inhabited Galapagos Islands. First, you will visit El Junco Lagoon, a large freshwater lake, formed within a volcanic crater, where you’ll experience incredible panoramic views and spot a wide variety of birds flying ahead. Next, you’ll head to the secluded white-sand beach of Puerto Chino, known for its turquoise waters and relaxed atmosphere, before ending the tour learning all about the giant tortoises at the breeding center of San Cristobal – La Galapaguera.
Snorkelling in Isla Espanola
For more underwater adventures, we can arrange an additional snorkelling tour at Isla Española, where you can swim amongst the huge variety of marine life including eage rays, hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, turtles and even manta rays. The journey over to Isla Española is around 2 hours each way, so this is a full day on the water. If you’re visiting between April and December, you also have a high chance of spotting the famous albatross colony.
