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May 7, 2025
I remember being captivated and inspired by friends' photos from this enchanting archipelago over the years. I remember seeing incredible photos of Blue Footed Boobies, Giant Galapagos Sea Turtles and Hammerhead Sharks. We'll we saw them all in this increbible place.
Most people fly into either Baltra Island and then take a ferry to Santa Cruz Island and an hour taxi to the main town of Puerto Ayora. The other popular option is to fly into San Cristobal. We chose to fly into the former and out from the latter. It was a nice way to see all three main islands while not having to double back to Baltra to fly out.
The town of Puerto Ayora is lively and touristy crammed with souvenir shops ("Get your 'I love Boobies' t-shirts here!") and restaurants. This is the main hub for ferries to the other islands and day trips so it is often bustling with tourists getting on and off ferries. Be watchful for the sealions who are often underfoot as they lounge on the docks and benches around town.
Dinner at The Rock restaurant - delicious, but be prepared to spend a bit, especially if alochol is invovled.
A NOTE ON LIVE ABOARD BOATS/TOURS
Depending on your length of stay and budget, doing a tour on a live-aboard boat is a very popular option. Indeed, it is really the only way to see some of the remote outter islands that cannot be reached by a day trip from Santa Cruz or San Cristobal. Prices for these tours vary based on number of days and the quality of the boat (acccommodations, food, etc.), but suffice it to say none of them are cheap and you pay a premium if you purchase your live aboard tour before arriving in the Galapagos.
Since we were doing at the tail end of low season we opted to roll the dice and try and get one of the last minute "deals" once we got to Puerto Ayora. Alas, there weren't really any last minute deals for a family of 5 - typically there are 1-3 births available for these last minute deals and the ones that were avialable where still greater than our budget would allow.
Now to each his own - and keep in mind that we didn't do a live aboard so I can't really say for sure - but for us we thought it was highly likely that the kids would tear eachother apart being in such close quarters for that many days and might get bored with long stretches on the water once the novelty wore off. In addition, when we looked at where the tours went, we felt we could really see and do everything on our Galapagos bucket list without venturing out to the remoter islands. I think the only thing we didn't get to see were the flightless cormorants, but you can apparently see them on a day trip to Espanola Island as well.
In the end, for us, we don't regret not doing the livaboard and we don't feel we missed out on anything, but if you have the time and money, it's something to consider.
A visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Aroya is a must do if you have kids or if you love the theory of evoluton. Founded in 1964, it plays a crucial role in preserving the unique biodiversity of the Galapagos archipelago and supporting sustainable development in the region. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the port, but you'll get to see plenty of wildlife along the way and the path once you enter the park is serene and passes several other points of interest including a conservation center and the Playa Estation - a secluded little beach for swimming.
Scorpion fish - a staple on the local restaurant menu
Black tip reef sharks from the pier
Playa de la Estacion
Underwater wheel barrow races
And do yourselves a favor and stop for a bite to eat at Bowl: Acai Cafe Bar for some delicious (but pricey) food.
The walk to Tortuga Bay is spectacular. You ascend to the top of a lava cliff and then walk about a mile or so along a beautiful brick pathway that spills out into a wide, pristine beach. Note: the first section of that beach is sometimes prohibited for swimming due to strong riptides, but if you take the nice, albeit long, stroll down the beach and through a small forest you will come out to another part of the beach that is calm, no waves, and is open for delightful swimming, with no restrictions. Just be mindful of the ever present marine iguanas - both on land and in the ocean - and the other various creatures like hermit crabs and the ubiquitous fire engine red Sally Lightfoot crabs.
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