This island is centered in the middle of the archipelago and also where most of the Islands have chosen to inhabit mainly around Puerto Ayora, the economic capital of the islands, while the total inhabitants on all adjacent islands is currently standing at 17,000 with 50% living on Santa Cruz. It is also the major island that travelers will visit and begin their tours from also in Puerto Ayora. While on the island it is well worth a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station nestled in Academy Bay which also has shopping facilities.

While on the island and further inland the visitors can also take advantage of guided tours showing farming settlements in Santa Rosa and Bellavista as well as viewing the different vegetation forms in comparison to the coastal exteriors. See also excursions from Santa Cruz.

The Darwin Research station where you may witness various collections of giant tortoise subspecies are reared including the young for further breeding programs.

The station is also a good introduction to the visitor in providing all types of information on the life and history of the islands with very helpful staff. It is open From Monday to Friday, from 06:00 to 18:00.

The cliffs also has underneath a series of nestled homes belonging to the red billed tropic birds and swallowtail gulls so do check this area out.

Also wandering around the island are several blue-footed boobies and an overabundance of land iguanas. There are also a few sea lions who have been pensioned off from the rest of society through old age and are surplus to mating the requirements of younger females.

San Cristóbal is the most easternly island and oldest, the main town is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Capital province of the whole Archipelago.

There are daily buses that journey to the islands interior from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to El Progreso (7 km, 20 minutes, US$0.30), from here you can hike for almost 3 hours to El Junco lake, the largest area of fresh water contained on any of the islands.

You can also take regular collection trucks to El Progreso, around US $2 or you may decide to hire one in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for about US $16 onto El Junco.

For around $38 you may also continue onto Puerto Chino with wild beaches on the adjacent side of San Cristóbal passing tortoise reserves nearing completion. Leaving El Progreso is another route that takes you to La Soledad which has various Vegetation leading to the coastline.

To the Northwest and a 3 1/2 hour walk lies Galapaguera which has areas of wild tortoises roaming randomly around and well worth visiting while in the Northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno has on Isla Lobos a colony of sea lions to view.

One thing to watch out for while hiking around the island is rubbing up or brushing against poisonous Cactus called large-spined Opuntia and Manzanillo, similar family of the poison ivy which can both cause serious skin inflammations and body reactions so, be careful!

Finally check out Kicker Rock or León Dormido crater which can be reached by smaller boats and there you'll find in the cliffs more nests which are home to Both blue-footed and masked boobies.

The island has also the longest inhibitors if anywhere in Galapagos and is famous for a series of magazine articles and books published about the Galapagos affair in the 1930s, including one by Margaret Wittmer who was involved during the love scandals and who died recently aged 95. The main landmarks of note are Devil's Crown, a volcano submerged below the waters with a set of pointed peaks which to the eye emerge as a jagged crown. The area is surrounded by a host of different marine life including sharks, turtles and fish varieties.

At the Northern end of the island lies Punta Cormorant with the landing point on a green colored sand tinted by olivine crystals combined with magnesium and iron deposits. Follow the trail to a lake filled with pink flamingoes to the coastline named Flour beach due to its finite white particles.

The Western remote side of the island also has a beach worth viewing and is very tranquil called Black beach and has a small settlement of people. More about Floreana Island.

Isabela Island posses the largest body of land in all the archipelago and houses 6 major volcanoes with lava flows emanating from them.

The names of the 6 volcanoes are Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf. Living around the volcanoes of which 5 are highly active lives an isolated unique giant tortoise subspecies.

The main area of the population inhabiting the island are located in Puerto Villamil, Southern coastline and houses around 3,000 resident. The area is surrounded by many lagoons, flamingoes and common stilts.

Southwest of Villamil by dinghy you can also view the penguins along rocky shores. You can view further clusters of penguins also in Elizabeth Bay. The major site on the island is the crater spanning 3 miles in radius and the largest one in the world but to view the giant tortoise inhabiting the volcanoes circumference it will take a day to climb unless you go via horseback or pick up truck.

Alcedo Volcano again with its own giant tortoises can also be hiked and is accessed via a landing sight east of Isabela.
Urbina Bay located at the footings of the Volcano was also subjected to major plate uplifts in 1954 forcing the coastline to bloat out a further 1 km and occurred so rapidly that thousands of fish and lobsters were left marooned on what is now the shore.

Finally, Tagus cove on the west coastline is also worth visiting and was an anchorage area for many shipping vessels dating back to the 1800s and today still shows visible signs of its history in a series of ships names still visibly painted on the cliffs. To the Northern end of Tagus Cove is an area teeming in mangroves suitable for swimming with an adjacent beautifully sheltered beach. More about Isabela.

Although 700,000 years in physical age Fernandina is the youngest evolved island. The best route from the landing site is Northeast to Punta Espinosa is via a sanded area towards an abundance of large colonies of marine Iguanas. The Iguanas mainly burrow holes in the sand to create quickly made nests. Snorkeling is also predominant in the bay area.

Also known as James island, Santiago lies to the northwest of Santa Cruz. The landscape is fairly baron but perfect for goats who were imported in the 1800s. In most parts the lands are volcanic in appearance with a series of pinnacles and cliffs that dominate the early evening skylines and are home to many marine birds who nest conveniently beneath the cliff faces.

The main landing area is in James Bay, west of the island as is Espumilla Beach where you may amble through the trail to a lake with flamingoes, stilts and pintail ducks. There is also a feeding area for flamingoes and nests so do investigate fully.

Finally, on the northwest side of the island you will find an ex-pirate hang out during the 17th to 18th centuries called Buccaneer Cove while to the eastern side adjacent to Bartolomé island is Sullivan Bay with a trail which leads you through a series of lava fields formed at the end of the 19th century, the landscape is literally from another planet and most alien in nature.

From the eastern side of Santiago lies the most photographed and viewed island and attributable through its panoramic views from the summit of Pinnacle rock, a small island inside Sullivan Bay. The other landing site drops you off a beach where snorkeling is popular amongst the penguins.

South of Santiago lies Rábida. Snorkeling and swimming are also popular here while the main trail leads to a major sea water lagoon and mangroves where brown pelicans have made their homes while flamingoes have also been known to frequent the area.

For those interested in geological evolution the island is infamous for housing the widest diversity of rocks formed through vulcanization.

This island opposite Santiago's southeastern point is accessible for smaller boats only and is infamous for its fragmented lava fields and general volcanic lunar landscape. The name given to the island refers to its sombrero (hat) shape.

A ten hour sail from Puerto Ayora through the night makes this island accessible mainly through longer cruises or luxury ships that have ample food for a few days. Darwin bay is a major area for visitors to sail into a narrow entrance into a lagoon where you will anchor to watch large colonies of breeding frigates and mangroves on the eastern side while the most interesting area is a breath taking walk through Prince Philip's steps.

Puerto Ayora | Puerto Baquerizo Moreno | Isabela | Floreana

Galapagos overview | Galapagos classification | Galapagos Geology | Galapagos climate | Galapagos History | Galapagos Evolution & conservation | Galapagos General advice | Galapagos Scuba diving | Galapagos Travel F.A.Q. | Galapagos Island cruises | Booking a cruise to the Galapagos Islands | Recommended boats to the Galapagos Islands | Galapagos wildlife | Write a review about the Galapagos Islands