The amazing world of Ecuador - where are the Galapagos Islands? Galapagos: the lost world of the Galapagos Islands population.
Named after the species of aquatic turtle that lives here, the Galapagos Islands are located in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, almost 1,000 km west of mainland Ecuador. The archipelago of volcanic origin (by the way, very recent by geological standards) consists of 13 large islands and 6 smaller islands, and let Wikipedia count the smallest details. We are interested in its main tourist islands, all of them with Caribbean-Spanish names that excite the traveler’s imagination: Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, San Salvador, Santa Maria and Hispaniola.
Isabela
Isabela (Albemarle) is the largest island of the archipelago. It is decorated with many picturesque lagoons, inhabited by flamingos, pelicans, frigate birds, hawks, cormorants and penguins, and the coastal waters abound with sharks, killer whales and other marine life.
Attractions: Urbina Bay - large colorful iguanas, penguins and the largest colony of giant turtles live there, the town of Punta Morena impresses with the diversity of flora in the mangroves, Wolf Volcano - the highest point of the Galapagos Islands, Sierra Negra Volcano - one of the largest craters in world (diameter 10 km.)
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) is the second largest and most populous island of the archipelago. It is here that the largest city in the Galapagos is located - Puerto Ayora, which is a tourist center with a well-developed infrastructure (which is rare in this region). Sights: scientific research station named after. Charles Darwin (its most important task is to control the reproduction of turtles, of which there are 11 species on the island), twin craters located at one of the highest points of the island (unusual vegetation grows in the space between the craters and many rare species of birds live). In addition, the island’s numerous bays are interesting, each of which is unique in its own way.
Fernandina
Fernandina (Narborough) is the third largest island, located in the westernmost part of the archipelago. Interesting places on the island are the La Cumbre volcano, Punta Espinosa (the world's largest colony of marine iguanas, as well as pelicans and flightless cormorants), Urbina Bay is famous for its beautiful coral reef, and Elizabeth Bay is home to penguins and pelicans.
Nature of the Galapagos Islands
San Salvador
San Salvador (Santiago, James) is a small island, the entire coastal zone of which is black rocks of volcanic origin. The capital of the archipelago, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, and the airport are located on the island of San Cristobal (Chatham). All the vegetation zones of the Galapagos are represented here - from low-growing desert to luxurious pampa, in addition, this is the only island in the archipelago on which there is an inexhaustible source of fresh water (a lake in the crater of the El Junco volcano). The island is home to giant turtles, fur seals, gannets and frigate birds. And in the town of Punta Pitt there are beaches ideal for snorkeling, diving or just swimming.
Santa Maria
Santa Maria (Floreana, Charles) is an island located in the southern part of the archipelago. Its main attraction is Devil's Crown, an extinct volcano crater divided into three prongs and partially submerged in water. The surrounding area of the crater is ideal for diving. In addition, in the coastal waters of the island there are sperm whales, killer whales and dolphins, and in the Gulf of Sharks, which washes the shores of the town of Punto Cormoran, there are both relatively harmless reef sharks and whale sharks. Turtles lay their eggs in the white sands of this beach from December to May, and pink flamingos and a variety of water and land birds live here.
Espanola
Hispaniola (Hood) is a medium-sized island in the south of the archipelago. This is the only place in the world where wavy albatrosses nest. The local beaches are favored by sea lions, seals, iguanas and mockingbirds.
How to get there
From Quito, you can get to the Galapagos Islands using Aerolineas Galapagos flights with a landing in Guayaquil. The flight duration from Quito to the Galapagos is 3 hours, from Guayaquil to the Galapagos - 1.5 hours.
Search for flights to Quito (the closest airport to the Galapagos Islands)
Weather in the Galapagos Islands
The weather in the Galapagos Islands is determined by the nature of ocean currents and winds. There are two main seasons: the rainy season (December-April) and the dry season (July-October). From December to June it is hottest; from July to November the temperature drops slightly. The average annual temperature is around +24 °C.
Life on the Galapagos Islands
National Parks of the Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands National Park is Ecuador's first and largest park. The main inhabitants of this unique place are giant turtles, gannets, cormorans, albatrosses and marine iguanas.
Currently, about 90% of the archipelago is protected, so tourists must adhere to strict visiting rules. Firstly, you should only walk on permitted trails (there are a total of 62 permitted sites and trails between them). Secondly, all visitors must be accompanied by a guide from the park service. It is also prohibited to carry out any actions that could harm wildlife, from loud sounds to lighting fires.
Paid (currently the cost is about 100 USD for adults and 50 USD for children). Payment is made only on the spot, directly upon arrival in the Galapagos, and only in cash. Prices on the page are for April 2019.
are an archipelago consisting of five large islands located very close to the equator and 972 kilometers west of mainland Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean. They are considered true miracle of nature peace. Main islands of the archipelagoIsabella, Fernandina, San Cristobal, San Salvador and Santa Cruz.In addition to the five large islands, there are also 8 other smaller islands and about forty islets and small rocks.The capital of the province is Puerto Baguerizo Moreno, a small city located on San Cristobal Island.However, the largest city in the archipelago is Puerto Ayora, which is located on the island of Santa Cruz.The total area of the island is about 8,000 square kilometers.
Galapagos Archipelago is one of the provinces of Ecuador and its population is about 40,000 people.The Galapagos Islands became famous thanks to the famous scientist Charles Darwin, who visited the islands in the 19th century during a voyage that inspired him to create the theory of evolution and natural selection.
The diversity of the animal world is impressive, and the fauna of the islands is also striking in beauty. All this arose and exists without the presence of humans, so all living creatures are practically not afraid of humans.The isolation of the islands, which are far from the continental coast of Ecuador, is the main reason for this unique evolutionary process.
The inability of large predators to evolve on the islands has allowed many species of wildlife to thrive on these islands. That's why Galapagos are home to a large number of endemic and unique animals such as sea lions, native penguins, Galapagos tortoises, Galapagos green turtles, dolphins, Vampire finch, marine iguanas, lava lizards, whales, sharks, etc. There is also a large variety of seabirds such as frigatebirds, flamingos and albatrosses. Plants of Galapagos also surprising in its diversity; a wide variety of endemic trees, tree ferns, and other types of shrubs and flowers grow on the islands. The archipelago has some rare species of cotton, tomatoes, peppers, guavas and orchids. underwater life the Galapagos Islands are also very beautiful. The surrounding waters are home to many species of fish, animals and aquatic plants, which is why the Galapagos Islands are considered one of the.
An important factor in the development of living creatures is climate.The Galapagos archipelago has an unusually dry climate for the tropics.There are only two seasons and sea water temperatures range from 16ºC (61°F) to 28ºC (82°F).This temperature is ideal for endemic animal species.
Galapagos Islands. Flamingo
Fortunately, due to the remoteness of the islands from the continent and active sea communications, the wildlife here is practically unaffected and remains the same as it was once found by Charles Darwin.
Tourists arrive to the Galapagos Islands mainly by plane. The Galapagos is probably the only place on Earth where you can... dive underwater together with a penguin or swim among the sea lions. The Galapagos Islands are one of the planet's most precious treasures and one of the last refuges wildlife in the world.
These wonderful islands were formed about 5 million years ago as a result of volcanic eruptions. Several islands of the Galapagos archipelago have active volcanoes, the most active on the islands of Fernandina and Isabella. Volcanic activity resulting from the interaction between three tectonic plates, the Pacific Plate, the Nazca Plate and the Cocos Plate. Due to this constant geological activity, the volcanoes in the Galapagos Islands are among the most active volcanoes in the world.
It is believed that the first people who arrived on the islands were Indians from the Chimu tribe, and then the Incas, who ruled Peru and all of South America until the beginning of the 16th century. Europeans discovered the islands in 1535 by accident when Fray Thomas de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, was traveling on a ship to Peru. Finding themselves completely calm, they were carried away by the current to these islands, where they were unable to find fresh water and replenish supplies. Moisture was extracted from prickly pear cacti. The islands were not named at that time, but actually “golopago” is a type of horse saddle and since the shells of some types of turtles are very similar to them, this is where the name of the islands came from. Before this, the archipelago was known as Witch Islands for some reason, maybe because they are damn beautiful. 
However, the first map of the islands is considered to be one compiled by Abraham Ortelius in 1570. On this map the islands appeared with the name "Insulae de los Galopegos". Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Galapagos was mainly used by pirates as a base for their fishing. In the 19th century, sailors arrived on the islands in search of whales. This barbaric exploitation of the archipelago has brought seals and sperm whales to the brink of extinction.
The first scientific explorations of the islands were made in 1835 by Charles Darwin, who arrived on the islands aboard the ship Beagle.This work was used by Darwin as evidence for his theory of evolution, which was published in his famous work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.Darwin noticed that the anatomy of the mockingbird differed between different islands, and the same happened with turtles (there are fourteen different species of turtles in the archipelago).When Darwin returned to England, he analyzed these differences and noticed that they were associated with different processes of adaptation, which are one of the main pillars of the theory of evolution.
In 1892, the Galapagos was officially named “Archipelago de Colon” in honor of Christopher Columbus.In 1934, Ecuador created the first law to protect the Galapagos Islands.During World War II, the Ecuadorian government allowed the United States to establish a naval base in Baltra, one of the Galapagos Islands.The islands were declared a national reserve in 1959 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, and in the same year a fund was created to ensure the preservation of the ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands and underwater world Around them.
In 1978, the islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2001, the water area around the archipelago was declared a marine reserve.However, despite all the measures to preserve the unique nature of the Galapagos Islands, there are still many threats to the ecosystem of the archipelago, such as the introduction of alien species of plants and animals. Such as cats, wild goats, cattle, and plants such as avocados, citrus fruits and they have become a threat to the survival of native plant species.
One of the main dangers in the Galapagos Islands are black rats, which devour mainly the eggs in the nests of Galapagos tortoises, one of the most representative species and one of the rarest. Cattle are an even bigger problem because goats, cows and donkeys eat the island's vegetation, which is the staple food of many native animal species. The same problem occurs in the sea, as non-native fish species have been bred in the sea around the islands, threatening the existence of endemic fish species. Illegal fishing, as well as the growing number of tourists who visit the Galapagos every year, also pose a certain danger. Due to these threats, UNESCO decided in 2007 that the islands were included in the list of World Heritage Sites that are in danger of extinction. Huge efforts must be made to ensure that this wonderful and unique ecosystem, one of seven wonders of nature, would not be lost forever.
The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador. I didn’t know about this when I was going to South America for the first time. Jungles - yes, volcanoes - yes, but I could not imagine that those same Darwinian Galapagos, where hundred-year-old tortoises live, would be so close to the capital of Ecuador and even closer to the second most populous city of Guayaquil.
How to get from the airport to populated areas
The airport is located on the uninhabited island of Baltra. From there, a free bus takes tourists to the ferry, which takes them to Santa Cruz, where there is a taxi to Puerto Ayora.
It’s also convenient to buy a tour on the mainland, then they will meet you and take you to the hotel and attractions. For the first time in my life I was greeted with a sign “Daria Ofitserova”. A taciturn, tanned man led us to the bus, where all the passengers on the plane were packed, including an American couple with a child and four suitcases, tourists in Ecuadorian hats, a group of schoolchildren, Indians and me - a lady in a pink resort jumpsuit.
From plane to bus, from bus to ferry. Swim for a minute, everyone put on vests, paid a dollar, took off their vests, and went out to Santa Cruz. 
Without waiting for personal transport, I walked to the buses, ready to get on any one the conductor showed me. But no: he got behind the wheel of a pickup truck - this is the most popular form of transport here: even policemen drive pickup trucks - and off we went.
By train
No way by train.
By bus
You can't get there by bus either.
By car
By car only if flying.
By ferry
You can only get to the Galapagos Islands by plane; you can move from island to island by ship.
There are tours with a program for several days: you fly to the Galapagos and sail on a small yacht or large liner from attraction to attraction. The price of tours starts from 300 USD per day, depending on the comfort class (economy, tourist, first or luxury) and the duration of the trip (usually from 3 to 12 days). Prices for en tours can be compared by. 
You can plan the program yourself. Then, upon arrival, you check into a hotel and choose tours from agencies on the islands every day. Day trips cost from 50 to 200 USD (the cheapest are by car around the island, the most expensive are boat rental and diving). You won’t be able to see remote islands where there is no point in going in one day, but you will save money.
Clue:
Galapagos Islands - the time is now
Hour difference:
Moscow 9
Kazan 9
Samara 10
Ekaterinburg 11
Novosibirsk 13
Vladivostok 16
When is the season? When is the best time to go
It is always warm here, but there are two seasons depending on ocean currents:
- June to November - dry and cool,
- from December to May - warm and humid.
In summer and autumn, the air and water have an average temperature of +20 °C, the wind blows, but it seems that the indigenous islanders have little idea that in Russia -20 °C can be called cool. So I boldly declare: you can go during the Galapagos “cool” season, unless you are tormented by thoughts of +30 °C in July in central Russia.
Winter and spring are warm and rainy seasons. Air and water temperature +25 °C. Despite the rains, winter is the most tourist time. Warm showers are not so bad, and if you're lucky, there won't be any at all.
Let me summarize: you can go to the Galapagos anytime - the equator, it’s always warm, prices depend little on the season.
Galapagos Islands in summer
Summer in the Galapagos is cooler, in my opinion, than winter. The Humboldt Current brings cold water to the shores, and this reduces the temperature on land. But the water is saturated with microorganisms, which attracts fish and seabirds, there are more penguins, and albatrosses fly to the island of Hispaniola.
Galapagos Islands in autumn
In autumn, like in summer, it is drier and cooler. Sometimes there is a light rain called Garua, but the marine life is more diverse, so autumn is worth visiting for divers.
The mating season of blue-footed boobies is coming - this is information for amateur ornithologists. For everyone else, blue-footed boobies are simply beautiful, rare birds with blue feet and are a sight to behold in the Galapagos autumn.
Galapagos Islands in spring
As I already said, from December to May it is warmer than from June to November. More sun - it's worth taking care of sunscreen SPF 30+. A bonus of spring in the Galapagos is the blooming and colorful flora, as well as the opportunity to watch turtles lay eggs on the beach.
Galapagos Islands in winter
Going to the Galapagos in winter is ideal. I was there in February and during the promised wet season I never saw rain. I swam in the ocean, as warm as the froth of a cappuccino, and walked around the city in a T-shirt and shorts, forgetting about the Moscow saying “get some ink and cry.”
Clue:
Galapagos Islands - weather by month
Conditional areas. Descriptions and features
There are four inhabited islands:
- Isabela,
- Santa Cruz,
- San Cristobal,
- Floriana.
I would suggest settling in each of them. If you book a sea tour, you won’t have to worry about accommodation; you’ll sleep in a cabin. But traveling by ship is more expensive, so I decided to live on one island and make day trips to others. All that remains is to choose where to settle.
Santa Cruz
The easiest way to settle in the Galapagos is to fly to Baltra, from there take a ferry to Santa Cruz and by car to the largest city in the Galapagos (for a second, 11 thousand inhabitants) - Puerto Ayora. There are many accommodation options: from hostels to luxury hotels. Prices start from 30 USD per night.
As elsewhere in Latin America, not all hotels have a website, so if you have not booked a hotel in advance, you will be able to find somewhere to stay in Puerto Ayora.
In addition to traditional hotels, I would note a specific Latin American lodge - bungalows remote from the city. Boutique hotels in Galapagos are priced comparable to hotels in the city, but it will be difficult to get to the beaches and attractions. But nature!
Isabela
Isabela is the largest island, but you can only get there by sea, first flying to Baltra or San Cristobal. The largest (and only) city is Puerto Villamil.
Accommodation price from 40 USD: hostels, guesthouses, hotels and villas. The cost of housing depends on the number of people in the room, conditions and proximity to the beach - people come to Isabela for the silky sand and bounty views.
San Cristobal
This small island is home to the second airport in the Galapagos. The center of civilization is the city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
Prices for hotels and hostels start from 40 USD, but there are not many accommodation options, so if you want to stay here, you should book in advance.
Floriana
A very small, but still inhabited island. The settlement is a village of 100 inhabitants of Puerto Velasco Ibarra, and there are practically no hotels here.
You can go to the island in one day, but if you want to stay overnight, book your accommodation very, very well in advance.
Personal experience
I ended up living on Santa Cruz in Puerto Ayora. It is similar to any settlement on the seashore: small, with souvenir tents - some or , except that pelicans crash their noses into the water at full speed, and fur seals bask on the piers.
In addition to the central street, there are areas for locals. It’s safe there, I walked alone, looked at schools and the university (how can you study when you have an ocean here?), a church with a turtle and a pelican painted on it - this can only be seen here.
What are the prices for holidays?
In the Galapagos, as I noticed, it is more expensive than in mainland Ecuador. There are many American tourists here, travelers from all over the world, and the locals are not shy about raising prices, citing the uniqueness of the place. On the islands, as throughout Ecuador, the American dollar is in use, but if you can go to the mainland with barely enough money for a ticket, then when going to the islands, stock up on finances. There is a different world here: not just, but a natural attraction that people come to see from everywhere and spare no money for their dream.
How to save money?
Again, plan ahead! A plane ticket from Quito to Galapagos will cost from 150 USD one way (and a foreigner cannot buy a one-way ticket, so it costs 300 USD at once). Guayaquil-Galapagos is cheaper (from 50 USD), but if you buy in advance, there is a chance to find a ticket for only 14 USD. It is better to fly to the airport on Baltra Island. The second airport of the Galapagos - on San Cristobal - is smaller and further away, which means there are few flights there and tickets are more expensive. And one more thing: upon arrival, all non-citizens of Ecuador must pay 100 USD to visit the islands as a world-famous nature reserve.
In my experience, it is cheaper to stay in a hotel on one island and travel to others on one-day tours than to buy a place in a ship’s cabin: the price of a sea tour starts from 300 USD per day, and when living in a hotel, you can pay from 30 USD per night, buy excursions for 50–200 USD and dine for less than 2 USD.
It’s cheaper to go with a group, then you can rent a yacht (1000 USD for a boat for 10 passengers for 4 days!) and book inexpensive hotel rooms for three or four (for comparison, a triple room - from 45 USD, a single room - from 30 USD).
The most expensive things about a trip are plane tickets and excursions. Food is very cheap - lunch in a nice restaurant can cost 2 USD, a taxi around the city can cost 1 USD.
A super-budget option is to go to the islands as a volunteer. I met such people in the Galapagos, but you will have to take care of the volunteer trip very much in advance and set aside at least a month for it. The programs do not pay for travel, so in any case you will have to buy the plane ticket yourself.
Main attractions. What to see
Nature is the main attraction of the islands. Unfrightened animals that walk along the beach and the city, hundred-year-old turtles and strange plants - everything seems to be similar to what you have already seen, but together it drives you crazy.
I went to see nature, but I didn’t expect how it would amaze me so much. It seems to be a country landscape: a green lawn, trees at a distance, but suddenly the pastoral picture turns into a surreal one - a huge turtle crawls out from behind a bush, slowly chewing the grass.
If you consider that the largest city in the Galapagos is inhabited by 11 thousand people, you can imagine what the tourist streets look like. But the islands are unique in everything, and even in small settlements there is something to see.
Puerto Ayora seafront
The street that runs along the ocean in the capital of the Galapagos is called Charles Darwin Avenue. There is the center of civilization, cafes and restaurants, tourist offices.
At the beginning of the street, a fish market opens in the morning - locals sell seafood, and pelicans try to steal fish from the shelves. At the end of the street there is a port from where yachts and ships depart to other islands.
Puerto Villamil seafront
The embankment of Isabela Island differs in atmosphere from the capital - there is also a port, there are animals and birds, but life flows differently - relaxed, unhurried, island-style.
The embankment is called Melecon, where I saw bars with hammocks under coconut trees, fur seals and iguanas.
I categorically do not recommend going to the Galapagos for one day: just getting there from Russia takes a day. The ideal duration of the trip is a week, the minimum is three days. But seeing one island in a day is possible. For example, I would recommend this option:
- Arrive at Baltra Island - the earliest flight arrives at 9.
- Hire a car and drive to Puerto Ayora. It takes about an hour to get there, but along the way you stop at a turtle farm, see the twin craters and lava tunnels.
- Arrive in Puerto Ayora. After lunch, take a taxi to Darwin Station, go on a tour, and then go to the beach and stay there until sunset.
- It always gets dark at the equator at 6, so you return to the city and go to a restaurant in the center to celebrate your first day in the Galapagos.
Top 5
Galapagos - surrealism. You walk along the coastal shopping street in the morning: souvenir stalls on the right, the sea on the left, and then, out of nowhere, a huge winged something flies out and at full speed fits its nose into the water - a pelican. Okay, so be it. I meet with a tourist group, wait for the boat - a regular tour. If it weren’t for the fur seal, who lay down on one of the piers and basked in the sun.
Beaches. Which ones are better
Like everything in the Galapagos, the beaches here are unusual: on the shore there is not only sand, but also black stones of frozen magma. Popular ones are Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz and Puerto Villamil on Isabela.
Tortuga Bay
The largest and most famous beach on Santa Cruz Island and all of the Galapagos. It's a short drive - about 2.5 kilometers from Puerto Ayora.
Here you can see fur seals, turtles and sharks (and swim with them). Among the birds I saw pelicans and flamingos.
Puerto Villamil
The main city on Isabela is Puerto Villamil. The beach is also called. The atmosphere here is heavenly - coconut palms, iguanas running on the white sand, fur seals lying in the shade.
Just like on Tortuga Bay - shores made of frozen magma, you can snorkel.
Other famous beaches
I would highlight the following:
- Gardner on the island of Hispaniola.
- Garrapatero on Santa Cruz,
- Puerto Egas in Santiago,
- Bartolome Island beach,
- Postal beach on the island of Florentina.
Museums. Which ones are worth visiting?
The Galapagos is one large natural museum (it’s not for nothing that every foreigner pays 100 USD upon entry), and it has its own rules: animals are exhibits, they cannot be touched, foreign flora and fauna must not be imported, it will destroy the ecosystem.
Among the places that were most like a museum, I liked the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz and the turtle breeding center on Isabela Island.
Darwin station
Located on Santa Cruz near Puerto Ayora. This is a science center, but they conduct excursions for tourists, tell about the famous Lonesome George turtle and show yellow iguanas, turtles and birds.
I saw a seal playing with a swimming iguana and it was like something out of a National Geographic movie.
Giant Tortoise Breeding Center
On Isabela Island near Puerto Villamil there is a place where turtles are bred.
There you can see turtle eggs, newly hatched babies and giant adults.
Parks
The entire Galapagos Islands is a large park, but there are natural attractions that are definitely worth seeing. Among them are twin craters and lava caves.
Twin Craters
Los Gimelos (from Spanish - twins) are two craters on the way from the airport of Baltra Island to Puerto Ayora. They look like giant potholes on both sides of the main road on St. Croix. Once there was gas in the craters, but it escaped, collapsing the surface of the earth.
Now there is a beautiful forest around with fern trees, which, I heard, grow only in the Galapagos.
Lava caves
The Galapagos are volcanic islands, which means lava once flowed through them.
It formed underground passages, and the strangest thing about these caves is that you can walk through them, like through an underground passage.
Neighboring regions
Neighborhoods of the capital Puerto Ayora:
- Darwin station (10 minutes drive from the center),
- Tortuga Bay beach (2.5 kilometers from the city),
- twin craters, turtle farm and lava caves (located next to each other, half an hour's drive from the coast into the mountainous part of the island).
I wrote about these attractions above.
The surrounding area of Santa Cruz is the islands of Isabela, Floriana and other smaller islands. I will talk about uninhabited islands further.
Nearby Islands
The Galapagos is an archipelago, which means it has many islands. Four inhabited: Santa Cruz, Isabela, Floriana. And more than a hundred uninhabited. Almost everyone has an animal, fish or bird that is not found anywhere else in the world. This is why the islands are worth visiting. Now I will tell you about the most famous ones.
Espanola
Blue-footed boobies are seen in the town of Suarez Point, and albatrosses are seen in Gardner Bay.
Santiago (San Salvador)
Sea lions, turtles, flamingos, dolphins and seals live here. People come here to look at Darwin's finches, which gave the scientist the idea of biological evolution.
To the port of Egas - snorkeling, to Espumia beach - to see crabs and iguanas.
Rabida
Martian landscapes with orange-red sand and brown pelican nests.
Genovesa
People come here to see the Galapagos birds.
The island has two attractions: the Prince Philip Trail with bird's nests on the rocks and Darwin Beach, ideal for diving.
Marchena
There is an active volcano on the island; tourists rarely come here.
People come here to dive.
Fernandina
Third in area, but uninhabited due to volcanic activity, which still exists.
Here you can see Galapagos hawks.
Bartolome
An extinct volcano, one of the most visited uninhabited islands.
It is famous for its landscapes, which were even featured in the film “Master of the Seas” with Russell Crowe.
Food. What to try
The main food in the Galapagos is seafood. They are fresh here - only from the ocean - and are inexpensive. If you can make it yourself, I recommend buying them in the morning at the Puerto Ayora market and experimenting with island cuisine. If you don't dare, go to a restaurant. Food prices here are low. You can have lunch for 2 USD, and a full dinner in a good restaurant on the embankment will cost 15–25 USD.
Local dishes worth trying:
- ceviche - a fish soup also popular on the coast of Ecuador;
- enseboyado - fish soup, but with the addition of onions;
- empanadas - pies with fillings: cheese, potatoes, fish, etc.
In restaurants and cafes, try fish and seafood - fried or baked, served with potatoes, rice or yucca.
It is especially worth mentioning about fruits. They are not local, they are imported from Ecuador, but they are ideal in the heat. You can buy the usual bananas and papaya, exotic guanabana, woody tomato and naranjiya. All fruits are made into fresh juices, and coconuts are sold with straws for drinking coconut milk.
Fruits are sold on the embankments in small tents, and in Puerto Ayora there is a market (from the embankment, turn onto Baltra Avenue and walk straight for ten minutes).
All Galapagos restaurants are located in cities and towns of the inhabited islands: Puerto Ayora, Puerto Villamil, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Puerto Velasco Ibarra.
In Puerto Ayora, tourist restaurants are located on the waterfront. The further you are from it, the cheaper it is, but the less likely it is that they will bring you a menu in English, and the waiters will speak any language other than Spanish.
On the outskirts of Puerto Ayora, which is a 15-20 minute walk from the embankment, which is the center of the city and civilization here, there are many nameless cafes with plastic chairs, where a snack costs 2-4 USD. On Isabela Island, food is a little more expensive.
Lunch on the Puerto Ayora waterfront will cost 10–15 USD, dinner - 15–25 USD. I recommend El Chocolate, Isla Grill and Il Giardinos. On Isabela it is worth lying in a hammock next to the Iguana Point bar. Here you can order beer or fresh juice and relax to the beach-island music.
Restaurants with white tablecloths in expensive hotels. Here you can order good wine and try local dishes beautifully served. But the flavor of the islands, in my opinion, is still in the eateries and street cafes.
Safety. What to watch out for
The islands are safe. There is no need to be afraid of hooligans or scammers here. You can walk in the morning, afternoon, evening and night, alone, alone or in company. Local residents are positive, tourists are their main source of income and they do not want to lose it.
The Galapagos give the impression of absolute security. Neither local residents nor local fauna pose a threat. Animals cannot be touched, so they are proud and self-sufficient and do not intend to attack. Even the sharks here are kind - travel agencies offer the service of swimming with Galapagos sharks.
I was traveling alone. I walked around Puerto Ayora in the evening and at night, the locals not only did not think of making an attempt, but got to know each other and talked. When they found out that I was from Russia - Russian tourists don’t come here often - they asked how long it took me to get there and whether it was cold in Russia.
Things to do
There will definitely be something to do in the Galapagos. In addition to trips to the islands and visiting attractions, you can go snorkeling - they are sold and rented in shops along the coast. You can go diving - on your own or with an instructor, you can swim with sharks, go to the beach to watch the sunrise, or go look at plants, birds and animals in the surrounding area. There are many tourist offices in the port or on the waterfront that organize day excursions, provide a car and a guide.
Extreme Sports
The Galapagos Islands are a legendary destination for divers. Here are a few islands worth scuba diving.
Gordon Rocks
A place where you can swim with hammerhead sharks. For advanced divers, but worth learning to dive with sharks.
North Seymour
There are white and black reef sharks and green sea turtles. The location is convenient - the island is located between two large inhabited islands of Santa Cruz and Isabela.
Bartolomeo
Here you can find not only fish and sea turtles, but also penguins - they swim in search of food.
Almost the entire coast is a diving area. There are a lot of diving centers near the port of Puerto Ayora where you can rent equipment, arrange transfers and lessons. For example, Academy Bay Diving, Scuba Iguana, Sharkfriends.
A one-day tour to a neighboring island with transport and equipment rental will cost from 140 USD.
If you are afraid to scuba dive, go snorkeling. They can be bought or rented from shops along the coast. Ideal for snorkeling is the bay near Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island. It is called the Pearl Shell - “Concha de Perla”. Here, a hundred meters from the village, you can see fish, crabs and marine iguanas.
I also recommend Punta Espinosa on Ferdinand Island. There you can see not only fish, but also dolphins, and sometimes whales swimming in the distance.
Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift
In the tents on the coast there are a lot of souvenirs with the symbols of the Galapagos, mainly with iguanas and turtles, but they were made either in Ecuador or in China.
A more authentic purchase would be coffee - it grows here on the islands, and locals say its taste is like nothing else. In my opinion this is just good coffee.
The local company also produces jewelry. If you like their design, buy it - it will be a good souvenir.
How to get around the islands
Everyone moves around the islands on foot - the distances are short, or in pickup trucks - for unknown reasons, this type of car is popular here.
A taxi around the city costs 1 USD, around the island - as agreed with the taxi driver. There are no car calling services or a specific place where you can find them. But you can easily catch a taxi on the street.
There is also a rental of bicycles or scooters - about 15 USD per day.
Transport rental
There are no car rental services in the Galapagos. There is simply nowhere to go by car - the number of places that can be reached by land is incomparable to the number of attractions accessible by yacht or ship.
If you want to go from Puerto Ayora to a remote beach or another part of the island, negotiate with a taxi driver: for 10–15 USD he will take you where you need to go and wait a day or half a day.
Galapagos Islands - holidays with children
If you want your children to see iguanas and turtles in the wild rather than on TV, the Galapagos is the perfect place for this. There are picturesque beaches with silky sand and a calm, warm ocean. The kids will definitely love it there.
The disadvantages are the long flight and the need to move between islands by ship; this is not suitable for small children.
