The Galapagos Islands
This archipelago of islands in the Pacific Ocean was first discovered in the 1500s. It only gained popularity when Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution after studying life on these islands. After a hundred years of discovery and slaughtering of turtles for oil, seals for fur, the government of Ecuador has turned Galapagos into an Ecological reserve and Park. This means that as a visitor one’s right of way is second to every creature here. This also means that Galapagos is the perfect place to observe and study the balance and evolution in its ecosystem.
When we first floated the idea of visiting Ecuador, we knew there was no way we would miss the Galapagos. Looking at the prices of cruises and tours we were a bit apprehensive.
We chose a land-based tour and spent a fortune for the tour which we booked through Inca holidays and Geo tours Galapagos. I must say the organization was great. This said, now that we have been, it is definitely possible to plan your trip on your own and save a lot of money too. Almost all on-shore and off-shore excursions need to be done with a certified guide and naturalist but you can book them individually and I will cover this through the blog.
Before we start let’s figure out if the Galapagos islands are for you?
- Do you love birds?
- Love marine life?
- Obsessed with the ecosystem and evolution?
Answered a ‘No’ to all of these? Galapagos may not be for you!
- Do you travel for perfectly curated experiences?
- Do you expect consistency in every experience?
Answered a ‘Yes’ to these then Galapagos is definitely NOT for you.
The Galapagos is not a luxury tropical island getaway…
The Galapagos Islands are raw, pure nature, nothing predictable, no guarantees and every visitor may have a totally different experience because that is what Mother Nature is about.
When we first landed in Baltra airport, we took a public bus, then a canal ferry and then a land transfer on a 42 km road to Puerto Ayora, the town of Santa Cruz we were totally confused and disoriented. Different climates and micro-environments every few kilometers.
We finally reached a beach town which was pretty commercial, with a hipster vibe but paradoxically also had sting rays and baby white-tipped reef sharks swimming about the main harbor. And all I could think was, “Where are my Margaritas?”
We were totally thrown off and wondered if we had made the right decision.
As we learned to appreciate the first island and explored its pristine beaches, we were thrown onto a vomit inducing 2-hour boat ride to the neighbouring San Cristobal island, an even smaller and way cuter island.
Slowly it all began to make sense. You cannot compare the Galapagos to anywhere else, because of what you will witness here. The path of evolution, a relationship between man and wild after years of struggle. This is not a tropical beach getaway, it is an equatorial arid, coastal town, protected by its government for a very important reason.
The smelly sea lions with their strange ‘old man cough’ sounds and barks, the frigate birds, blue-footed boobies marine iguanas, nature’s bounty. I wish I could do more justice in words but I truly cannot.
Land-based tours versus Cruise tours
If, like me, you get sick at sea, staying on land is the only option for you. For land-based tours, you can choose to stay at any of the inhabited islands. We stayed on Santa Cruz for 3 nights and San Cristobal for 2.
There are 4 inhabited islands Santa Cruz the most populated, San Cristobal my favorite, and Isabela and Floreana which we never got to. You can choose to be here for up to 20 days or like us at least 5 nights and 6 days.
The cruises are great for bird watchers and snorkelers as they get passengers on to the uninhabited islands early in the morning to the nesting sites and also get you to most sites nice and early. However, most of the “cruisers” who came onto the islands on their inflatable shore excursion boats were a bit older (read 50 and above) and you will basically be ‘stuck’ so as to speak with the same bunch for the whole duration of your trip. If you get my drift, great…. moving along.
Getting to the Galapagos
Fly into Baltra or San Cristobal. At your boarding city in Ecuador, you have to buy a 20 dollar entry voucher.
When you land in Baltra / San Cristobal, you have to pay another 100 dollars in fees for the National park per person.
We landed in Baltra and took a Lobito / Airport bus which takes you to a canal.
You can buy bus tickets as you land when you pay park fees. The bus/Lobito will takes you to a canal where you get onto a ferry boat and then your private transfer or taxi will pick you up. If you are not doing a tour then your hotel can arrange this for you.
Santa Cruz
As we made our way towards the town Puerto Ayora we stopped with our guide at El Chato farm where we had lunch and walked around the farm to watch Giant tortoises. (all the tour offices in the town offer this excursion)
STAY:
The nicest hotel here is the Finch bay hotel but it was sold out so we chose IKALA Hotel. And we were not disappointed. This spanking new property has a gorgeous pool, terrace restaurant for breakfast and dinner (no lunch) and great service. The room we had was a massive twin room and they joined the beds.
Just letting you know here ‘double room’ means twin room. So, if you want one big bed you need a ‘matrimonial room’.
Anyway, the hotel was bang in the middle of all the action and was super convenient. You could borrow their cycles and go about the town. There are a ton of hostel options for lower budgets.
- Hike to Tortuga Bay
This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Pristine white sand beaches and blue sparkling water. The hike/ walk to the bay is fairly flat on a paved path surrounded by the enchanting Opuntias. Getting to the first beach called Playa Brava which takes 45 minutes but you can’t swim here at all, but you will meet loads of Marine iguanas. Walk across the beach to the right (another 20-30 mins) and get to the second beach and bay called Playa Mansa.
You can rent a kayak here (rent for 20 dollars an hour) and explore the bay, snorkel with turtles and mantas, and reef sharks too. We enjoyed the day exploring the mangroves, sitting in the still waters and also got the worst sunburn of my life. It gets hot by mid-day so be smart and go early in the morning. Carry water, snacks and everything you need because you will get nothing there. Definitely, carry snorkeling gear too.
There is a water taxi (apparently) that can take you back from this beach but confirm the timings as we missed one and then had to wait 2 hours for the next which did not turn up and ended up painfully hiking back and passing out with dehydration.
- Las Grietas
I am so sad that we did not see this. You can take a water taxi from the pier and then walk 10 minutes to this insane creation of lava formations. But I saw pictures on other peoples phones and I am going to keep it at number 2 even though we did not go.
- Eat at the street food lane, Los Kioskos
On the day we reached Santa Cruz looking at the stupid prices and quality of food we were super disappointed. Then we discovered this cute street where they set out chairs and tables and you can eat anything from pizza or fresh seafood with salad, fries, rice and your choice of sauces. There are over a dozen stalls so choose the one that is crowded and where you can see the fresh fish being prepared for you.
- Watch the marine life from the harbour
This was so crazy… on our day at Tortuga, we bumped into a local girl who screamed from another kayak to go check out the harbour that night. That night leaning over the railings we saw baby reef sharks, stingrays, sea lions playing and it was just such an incredible sight.
5. El Chato tortoise farm
A privately-owned reserve with hundreds of tortoises bigger than you can imagine casually strolling about, lying in the muddy ponds. Our tour organised to see this on the way in from Baltra to Puerto Ayora. You can book a day tour from a travel agency on the main street too.
The lunch here was delicious with fresh fish and the famous Ecuadorian Ají de tamate de Arbol which I discovered here and had 2 times a day every day in Ecuador.
A surprise here was the lava tunnels on this property that you can walk through, provided you are not claustrophobic as you have to crawl through to get out the other end.
- Go diving: some of the famous dive spots are close to Santa Cruz.
North Seymour is really popular as a dive area to spot reef sharks, turtles, sea lions, mantas and tuna. The sea can be pretty choppy and the visibility can really be awful somedays so if you are keen to dive these areas plan more than a couple of days to increase your chances of sightings.
- Excursion to Bartolome
If you are not a diver this is the island you must visit from Santa Cruz, with its iconic T shaped coast, this island is great for hikers, bird watchers and also for snorkeling from the white sand beaches.
GOING SOLO:
If you chose not to book a whole package tour walk up and down the main street and you will find a ton of travel companies. All the tours are honestly the same. The islands are highly regulated and prices will also be similar.
If you at this point still feel like a cruise, look for the signboards as you walk about, agencies always have spots left that they need to fill up and you can get on a cruise at up to 40 percent off.
After 3 nights in Santa Cruz, we made our way at 6:30 AM to the port to take the transfer to San Cristobal, a 2-hour ride in a not so fancy boat, with a very intense sea… Dramamine to the rescue.
San Cristobal
This island is sooo different from the first. It is small, quaint and the entire town runs along the seaside with sea lions literally everywhere.
STAY
Golden Bay Hotel
Sigh…If Ikala was good this one just was spectacular. Pristine white rooms with a view of the bay full of sea lions just trying to go on with life. Sunsets views from the restaurant and our room. We got upgraded to the suite and man was it gorgeous!
The restaurant has a farm-to-table and sea-to-plate concept. All locally sourced and fresh produce. No meat or beef as that is not local. The seafood and vegetarian options were plenty with local and homely recipes.
One of the best breakfasts I have had with fruit bowls full of edible flowers and the best granola. The bar is really pretty and the service is impeccable. I could not fault this place even if I tried.
Things to do in San Cristobal
1. Dive Kicker rock or at least go snorkelling
Kicker rock is one of the holy grail spots for any diver. The largest shoals of fish surrounding you, hammerheads, mantas, turtles, sea lions, my mind was blown. The current is haaaaard and the diving is intermediate to advanced. The snorkelling group also saw a lot of stuff. Go with only Chalo tours, their catamaran, staff, lunch, instructors were some of the best I have ever dived with.
2. Tijereta Bay and the Charles Darwin Centre
Even though these are different sites, you will do them together. The Charles Darwin centre is an experience to understand the evolution of the Galapagos itself, from its discovery, near destruction, folk tales, geography, natural history to how far they have come it is a must visit.
After this, a hike takes you up to the viewing platform from where you can spot the rocky bay and kicker rock in the distance. As you walk along, spot hundreds of different species of lizards, birds, hummingbirds, frigate birds. Then walk down the path towards the left to a beautiful beach that has sea lions hanging around playing, swimming and watch the gorgeous sunset with the lighthouse marking the bay.
3. Midori for sushi and cocktails
Just what we needed, a break from the local food and some beautifully curated cocktails. This spot is beautiful with a sea view, an amazing cocktail selection, and the freshest sushi rolls.
4. Punta Carola beach
From the Tijereta Bay walk down the path towards the left to a beautiful beach that has sea lions hanging around playing, swimming and watch the gorgeous sunset with the lighthouse marking the bay.
5. Buy souvenirs
The cheapest (and cutest) souvenirs of Galapagos were at this town, walk along the main street and duck into the cute little stores full with stuffed hammerhead sharks, silly tees and things you can take home for friends that I promise you won’t find anywhere.
6. Hang out the bar at Muyu at Golden Bay Hotel and watch the sunset with the sea lions.
Golden bay is the place to be and the bar is stunning. One of the few places in the Galapagos that had a massive selection of imported alcohol from single malts to Irish coffee.
7. Enjoy a fabulous meal at Muyu with locally caught fresh fish and organic vegetables
Delicious!! pricey but totally worth it.
The airport on San Cristobal is adorable and you can fly out of it back to the mainland. So I highly recommend using it either on the way in or out, or even for both coming in and out if you are doing 3 islands. It is bang in the middle of the island so it is easy to get to, unlike the Baltra island that connects to Santa Cruz.
Isabela Island
We had no time to go, but whoever I met raved about the quaint little gorgeous town on Isabela, so if you can add 2 days here too.
When to go
There are 2 seasons wet season and dry season. The wet season starts in December and ends in May. The dry season starts the end of May.
The best time to visit is actually May-June as the weather is good, water is slightly warmer (but you still need a 5mm wetsuit to dive…argh!).
Currency
The currency in all of Ecuador is the US Dollar. You can withdraw cash easily and all cards are accepted most places barring street vendors. Sometimes, card machines wouldn’t work so better carry cash.
Safety
Being a regulated area, the islands are super safe. When you go to the beaches you will have to leave your stuff on the shore as you go into the water so limit what you carry every day. We took a small water safe pack for our phones when we went kayaking but I’m certain had we left bags on the beach no one would have touched it.
Our guide told us not to take anything with us to Las Greitas but since we never made it there I can’t advise you but always listen to the local.
Getting around
Walking around towns is easy, you can take hotel cycles or rent them to explore the islands. To get on the uninhabited islands you will have to book tours with licensed naturalists and operators. Water taxis are available at the harbor and go to and from the most popular spots. Inter-island connection is via speedboats and you must buy tickets in advance. Tickets are available at the piers or through the travel agents in the main streets of the towns. Another way to go from island to island is the small aircraft of Galapagos air but tickets are super pricey.
