The Galápagos Islands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Galápagos Islands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Bahía Tortuga
Bahía Tortuga, 3 km (2 miles) southwest of Puerto Ayora, has a long, white-sand beach where marine iguanas sometimes strut along the water's edge. There are no facilities along the water, but if you walk from town (take the road to Bellavista and turn left past the bank), you'll pass a soda-and-beer stand at the top of a lava-rock staircase. Marine turtles drag their bulky shells up onto the beach to lay their eggs between November and February. The baby turtles are moved to protected locations when they hatch in June and July.
Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, Ecuador -
2. Bellavista
Near the small village of Bellavista you can explore amazing underground lava tubes. The mile-long tunnels, tall enough to walk through, were created when flowing lava cooled more quickly on the surface than below, forming a crust that enclosed an underground labyrinth. To reach the tunnels from Puerto Ayora, head north on the road to Bellavista, turn east at the cross street, and walk about a mile until you find a farm with a sign that announces "los túneles." A small fee is collected by the owner, who also provides flashlights.
Ecuador -
3. Charles Darwin Research Station
Follow the main road east from Puerto Ayora to the expansive grounds of the Charles Darwin Research Station and its visitor center, which has an informative exhibit explaining the basics of Galápagos geology, ecology, and weather patterns. Self-guided trails lead to the station's zoo-like giant tortoise pens, where you can see the only tortoises you're likely to encounter during your visit. Your admission is included in the $100 entry fee you paid upon landing in the islands. When the sun beats down on you, it gets quite hot here; bring a hat and water.
Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, 200350, Ecuador05-252–6146Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 7–6 -
4. National Park Tortoise Reserve
Nature Preserve/Wildlife RefugeThe unattended National Park Tortoise Reserve is one of the few places in the archipelago where you can view giant Galápagos turtles in the wild. An unmarked track leads to the reserve from Santa Rosa. Along the way, keep alert for Galápagos hawks, Darwin finches, and short-eared owls. In Santa Rosa a small restaurant across from the church sometimes rents horses that you are allowed to ride inside the reserve.
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5. Puerto Villamil
Sleepy Puerto Villamil, founded in 1897 as a center for extracting lime, is the focus of Isabela's tourist trade—nearby are several lagoons where flamingos and migratory birds can be viewed up close, as well as beaches with large populations of herons, egrets, and other birds.
Ecuador -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Rancho Primicias
Next to the national park is this privately-owned nature preserve where several dozen giant tortoises roam freely. If you're on a cruise or package tour, you're likely to come here. If you're traveling independently, add this to your list of Santa Cruz sites, and combine it with a visit to the neighboring national park. It's great fun to walk around here and get moderately close to these incredible creatures, and this is among the best places to take photos of and with them. You could spend 15 minutes here taking quick snaps or an hour or more walking the grounds in awe. There's an open-air café where you can sit for tea, coffee, and small snack like empanadas, as well as a souvenir shop. You'll be offer rubber boots to wear; take them or you'll sink right into the mud.
Next to the national park, about 10 minutes' drive off the main road., EcuadorNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Daily 8--5 -
7. San Cristóbal Interpretation Center
Visitor CenterA visitor center just outside Puerto Baquerizo Moreno explains the natural processes that have made the Galápagos such a unique place, delineates efforts to protect and preserve the islands, and serves as an education center for park personnel and naturalist guides. The three exhibits inside are Natural History, with illustrations of natural events and information on how different species arrived at the islands; Human History, covering events related to the discovery and colonization of the islands; and Conservation and Development, an introduction to the struggles of the ecosystems and preservation efforts under way. After viewing the exhibits, take a walk along winding paths leading from the Interpretation Center to Playa Punta Carola (about 35 minutes), a favorite of surfers, or on to Mann Beach for a swim and to Frigate Bird Hill, a nesting place for frigate birds. Along the way are plants, lava lizards, and other animals endemic to this area.
2 km (1 miles) southwest of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galápagos, 200150, EcuadorSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
8. Santa Rosa
Scenic DriveThe road to Santa Rosa, 13 km (8 miles) beyond Bellavista, is lined with giant elephant grass, avocado and papaya trees, and boughs of yellow trumpet vines, all of which are in marked contrast to the dry, cactus-spotted lowlands. About 2 km (1 mile) beyond Santa Rosa, look for a pair of giant sinkholes called Los Gemelos (the Twins), one on either side of the road.
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9. Santo Tomás
Town/VillageIsabela's other community is Santo Tomás, 18 km (11 miles) northwest of Puerto Villamil.
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10. Volcán Alcedo
VolcanoA more ambitious trek, requiring adequate planning and equipment, is 1,100-meter (3,600-foot) Volcán Alcedo. The site can be reached only by boat, after which a 10-km (6-mile) trail climbs over rough terrain. You cannot traipse around the island without a guide, and you'll need one here. Your rewards are stunning views and a chance to see the archipelago's largest population of Galápagos tortoises.
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11. Volcán Sierra Negra
VolcanoThe island's signature excursion is a guided 9-km (5½-mile) trek ascending the 1,370-meter (4,488-foot) Volcán Sierra Negra. The volcano's crater—roughly 10 km (6 miles) in diameter—is the second-largest in the world. The volcano erupted in October 2005, but, thankfully, the event threatened none of the island's population, human or animal. Seismologists keep close watch on any untoward activity and will suspend excursions if needed.
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