Heading to the Galapagos in January and I know zero people personally who have been there! We are planning our own itinerary and will be there 7 days... what should I not miss??
Hi Leah, I'm not sure if this is allowed (Travel Massive team, sorry if it's not!) but my responsible travel company offers a package trip to the Galapagos that is 7 days long, family friendly, and can be customized upon request. If it's helpful for you to consider this, please reach out to me and I'll be more than happy to assist! We include carbon removals with each booking, and our locally-owned partner is also a woman-owned company!
I started writing a blog post for the Galapagos but never got around to finishing it. I was there a long time ago so I won't give advice on places to eat as this can change pretty quickly. But I can help with things to see and do.
I assume you are island hopping if you are planning your own itinerary? All 3 of the main islands are totally worth visiting and all offer unique experiences. 7 days is probably going to be a bit on the rushed side but should be doable. Otherwise you might want to try decide on 2 of the islands instead.
These were my highlights for each island. But there is more to do than just these things.
Santa Cruz - Las Grietas rock pool. I hear this gets busy these days so a good idea to go early. Tortuga beach is a nice walk from Puerto Ayora and there is a smaller, sheltered bay at the end of the beach which is good for swimming. Day trip to Isla Floreana.
Isla Isabela - Hike up the active Cerro Azul volcano. See the iguana breeding ground and reef sharks on Tintoreras. Morning swims with the young sea lions in Concha de Perla. Apart from the sea lions that usually come say hi, you can see rays, turtles and plenty of other sea life here.
San Cristobal - Day trip out to Léon Dormido (Kicker Rock) to snorkel through the rock channels and hopefully see some hammerhead sharks. Puerto Chino is a remote beach frequented by sea lions. The headland has a great lookout. I have never seen so many green sea turtles in one spot before. Sunsets at Playa Mann.
Some animals are only found on certain islands so it helps to have a think about anything you really want to see. Marine iguanas and sea lions are absolutely everywhere so you don't need to worry about not seeing them.
I know I've only skimmed over all these things so feel free to ask any questions about any of the spots. I've also posted photos of these and plenty of other things on the Made to Wander app where you can see exactly where everything is.
This is exactly what I was hoping for - thank you so much! Do you remember any place you stayed that you would recommend? Flying into San Cristobal, then interisland flight to Isabela, then "ferry" to Santa Cruz where we are flying out of. Thanks again for the activity recommendations!
No problem at all. I was backpacking at the time and was more concerned about keeping costs down rather than staying anywhere nice. So we just looked out for locals at the ports renting rooms out or walked around a little to see what was available. They were all clean and comfortable but nothing special. Back then there were only a few places on booking.com across all the islands and Airbnb hadn't made it out there yet. You can find plenty online now.
Like somebody else said, I would stay close to the port on each island. Not only does it make it easy to jump on a boat for a day trip or to get to another island, but it's nice to be able to walk to a restaurant for dinner and things like that.
Haha, the "ferry" is/was a fairly small boat to be crossing the open ocean. I'm guessing you've seen pictures of it?
It's such an incredible place. I'd go back in a heartbeat!
Hi Leah, wide range of hotels can be found on Santa Cruz Island and San Cristóbal Island, and several boats operate out of harbors on those islands as well. Be sure to book a hotel that's located near the harbor, so you can be close to the boat's boarding spot for day trips. It's up to you to choose between cruise and hotel.
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Heading to the Galapagos in January and I know zero people personally who have been there! We are planning our own itinerary and will be there 7 days... what should I not miss??
Any help appreciated!
Hi Leah, I'm not sure if this is allowed (Travel Massive team, sorry if it's not!) but my responsible travel company offers a package trip to the Galapagos that is 7 days long, family friendly, and can be customized upon request. If it's helpful for you to consider this, please reach out to me and I'll be more than happy to assist! We include carbon removals with each booking, and our locally-owned partner is also a woman-owned company!
www.yugenearthside.com/trip/7-days-galapagos-islands-land-based
I started writing a blog post for the Galapagos but never got around to finishing it. I was there a long time ago so I won't give advice on places to eat as this can change pretty quickly. But I can help with things to see and do.
I assume you are island hopping if you are planning your own itinerary? All 3 of the main islands are totally worth visiting and all offer unique experiences. 7 days is probably going to be a bit on the rushed side but should be doable. Otherwise you might want to try decide on 2 of the islands instead.
These were my highlights for each island. But there is more to do than just these things.
Santa Cruz - Las Grietas rock pool. I hear this gets busy these days so a good idea to go early. Tortuga beach is a nice walk from Puerto Ayora and there is a smaller, sheltered bay at the end of the beach which is good for swimming. Day trip to Isla Floreana.
Isla Isabela - Hike up the active Cerro Azul volcano. See the iguana breeding ground and reef sharks on Tintoreras. Morning swims with the young sea lions in Concha de Perla. Apart from the sea lions that usually come say hi, you can see rays, turtles and plenty of other sea life here.
San Cristobal - Day trip out to Léon Dormido (Kicker Rock) to snorkel through the rock channels and hopefully see some hammerhead sharks. Puerto Chino is a remote beach frequented by sea lions. The headland has a great lookout. I have never seen so many green sea turtles in one spot before. Sunsets at Playa Mann.
Some animals are only found on certain islands so it helps to have a think about anything you really want to see. Marine iguanas and sea lions are absolutely everywhere so you don't need to worry about not seeing them.
I know I've only skimmed over all these things so feel free to ask any questions about any of the spots. I've also posted photos of these and plenty of other things on the Made to Wander app where you can see exactly where everything is.
This is exactly what I was hoping for - thank you so much! Do you remember any place you stayed that you would recommend? Flying into San Cristobal, then interisland flight to Isabela, then "ferry" to Santa Cruz where we are flying out of. Thanks again for the activity recommendations!
No problem at all. I was backpacking at the time and was more concerned about keeping costs down rather than staying anywhere nice. So we just looked out for locals at the ports renting rooms out or walked around a little to see what was available. They were all clean and comfortable but nothing special. Back then there were only a few places on booking.com across all the islands and Airbnb hadn't made it out there yet. You can find plenty online now.
Like somebody else said, I would stay close to the port on each island. Not only does it make it easy to jump on a boat for a day trip or to get to another island, but it's nice to be able to walk to a restaurant for dinner and things like that.
Haha, the "ferry" is/was a fairly small boat to be crossing the open ocean. I'm guessing you've seen pictures of it?
It's such an incredible place. I'd go back in a heartbeat!
Hi Leah, wide range of hotels can be found on Santa Cruz Island and San Cristóbal Island, and several boats operate out of harbors on those islands as well. Be sure to book a hotel that's located near the harbor, so you can be close to the boat's boarding spot for day trips. It's up to you to choose between cruise and hotel.
Thank you so much!
You're most welcome.