Where We Be
The beach at Puerto Villamil on Isabel Island is only
a minute's walk from the packed-sand main street
Island-Hopping in the Galapagos
The black lines show our cruise route, the red lines the island-hopping we did afterwards. We stayed in Puerto
Ayora for three days, then took a water taxi to Puerto Villamil for three days, then took two water taxis (both in
the same day) to Puerto Ayora and San Cristobal. We flew back to mainland Ecuador from San Cristobal.
Lonesome George is the most famous tortoise in
the Galapagos -- the last of his kind from Pinta Island
A twenty-minute walk from town gets you to Charles Darwin Research Station,
where you're guaranteed sightings of Galapagos tortoises and land iguanas
You also get up-close views of land iguanas
like this one at the Charles Darwin Research Station
Our favorite hangout was Isla Grill. Great pizzas and salads!
A convenient supermarket also sits near Puerto Ayora's harbor.
We stayed at Hotel Salinas for $45 per night in the off-season. It has AC, wifi,
hot showers, and a central location. Another good option is nearby Hotel España.
We saw lots of small wildlife, including this finch taking a dust bath and lava lizards aplenty
During our 6-hour layover in Santa Cruz between water taxis, we stored our luggage at the water taxi office
and went for a pleasant walk to Tortuga Bay. We began by following Av. Charles Binford west out of town.
We came to the protected cove of Tortuga Bay, a curved stretch of sand with mangrove trees offering shade
from the hot sun. You could hear the surf pounding just beyond the opuntia cactus forest in the distance.
Las Grietas offers a scenic swimming hole with a mix of saltwater and chilly mountain freshwater.
We found the snorkeling sub-par when we visited, but it's still pretty.  Finch Bay Hotel along the
way offers a nice stop for a cool drink by the pool. The hotel is situated on a lovely beach.
We stayed at Brisas del Mar for $40 per night. It's two blocks from
the town center and has AC, hot showers, wifi, and immaculate rooms.
The beach at Puerto Villamil is gorgeous and seems to go on forever
The Iguana Bar at the end of this walkway is a great place for a drink
At the far end of town is Beto's Beach Bar. We stopped here on our cruise and were glad to
return for drinks and a grilled shrimp lunch. The beach just keeps going and going beyond here.
We took an extended walk along Puerto Villamil's beach and
came across sandpipers, lava gulls, and the occasional marine iguana
The "malecon" or waterfront is nicely manicured and includes this circular walkway
around a sea lion "kindergarten" where pups play all day (at least in March)
Most of the restaurants are casual, with fixed lunch menus
offering the best value. Anything seafood is a reliable bet.
Island-hopping in the Galapagos is fun. The pace is slower and you have more
time to enjoy the sunsets and smell the roses (not to mention the sea lions).
We stayed the first night in Hostal Albatross ($20) but it was too rustic for our taste
and lacked AC. A better fit for us was Hotel Mar Azul ($40), which included AC.
Looking back towards town from Beto's Beach Bar
A must-do day trip is Los Tuneles, which combines an exciting boat ride through big waves with hiking and
snorkeling around the natural arches shown above. We got to snorkel with green sea turtles -- and penguins!
View in the other direction at midday -- siesta time -- when the streets are deserted
View of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno from the Galapagos Interpretation Center on the outskirts of town
View from a balcony at Hostal Albatross in the center of town
This sea lion makes himself at home on a bench along the waterfront
This gift shop on the edge of town is painted with a mural
of all the animals you can see above and below the water
As the sun sets the sea lions nap. There are hundreds more of them
on a nearby beach, and they can make quite the racket at night.
Each afternoon the sea lions move in and take over the waterfront
High-speed water taxis get you between the main tourist islands of Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal.
Each leg costs ~$25 and takes about 2 hours. During the ride we saw dolphins and manta rays doing flips!
It IS possible to see the Galapagos on the cheap
and without ever taking a cruise. We spent our
first week on a yacht seeing the Galapagos the
traditional way and our second week island-
hopping on our own, so we can provide some
guidance on both approaches.  To get the most
out of your island-hopping adventure, the key is
to add DAY TRIPS. We note some of the best day
trips for each island below.

We stayed three nights each on three different
islands -- Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal.
You can also stay on Floreana (Santa Maria) but
lodging options are more limited. Basic lodging
(not in high season) cost us about $40 per night
with air conditioning, which we felt was a must.
Rooms without AC were $10 less, dorms even
cheaper. We didn't pre-book but found lodging
upon arrival. Expect to pay more for food than
you would in mainland Ecuador; we averaged
$20 per meal for two for both lunch and dinner.
Pups playing in the pool. They love to chase each other's tails.
These sea lion pups seem quite curious about this great blue heron
Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz (Days 7-9)
Santa Cruz has the most tourist infrastructure of
the three islands we visited, and the main town
of Puerto Ayora offers plenty of sights close at
hand. Within walking distance are 1) the Charles
Darwin Research Station for tortoises and land
iguanas, 2) Las Grietas, an appealing swimming
channel tucked between cliffs, and 3) Tortuga
Bay, a gorgeous beach where you can spot
marine iguanas, turtles, and rays.

You can also take a bus to Rancho Primicias to
see tortoises in their natural habitat and hike
inside a lava tube. A boat ride will get you to the
lovely beaches of Las Bachas and Cerro Dragon
in northern Santa Cruz for a chance to see land
iguanas and lots of birdlife. We did each of
these activities as part of our cruise, but they're
equally doable as day trips from Puerto Ayora.
Other popular day trips ($50 to $100 per person)
include visits to Seymour Island and Floreana
Island.
The three shaded piers on Puerto Ayora's harbor offer fun places to stroll and see wildlife.
We saw sea lions, marine iguanas, Sally lightfoot crabs, and golden rays right from the pier.
Puerto Ayora offers a convenient base for exploring Isla Santa Cruz and other nearby islands
[Not my photos]
[Not my photos]
The road turned into stairs leading to a check-in station. From there it was half an hour
to the beach along a paved path. The first beach was wide and long with pounding surf.
Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island
This was our favorite island stay of the three
islands we visited. Puerto Villamil on Isabela
Island offers a laid-back vibe along with some
great day trips to interesting destinations. The
main street is composed of packed sand, which
we loved, and a beautiful beach is right next
door. Restaurants are basic but the fish and
shrimp couldn't be fresher.

A must-do day trip is to Las Tintoreras, an islet
chock-full of marine iguanas and Sally lightfoot
crabs, with good chances of seeing blue-footed
boobies, penguins, sea lions, and white-tipped
sharks. Local ferries go there each day for
about $5 per person.

The other day trip we highly recommend is to
Los Tuneles (~$60 per person), which combines
an exciting boat ride with hiking and snorkeling
near natural rock arches. We swam with green
sea turtles, penguins, and white-tipped sharks.
This is as busy as Puerto Villamil gets! Casual
open-air eateries line the wide sandy streets.
[Not my photos]
Marine iguanas rest on the stairs!
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the island of San
Cristobal is sea lion central. It's fun just to walk
around the small town enjoying all the wildlife.
The Galapagos Interpretation Center on the
outskirts of town is worth a visit, and there are
tempting day trips to El Junco & China Beach
(a combo trip), Kicker Rock, and Española.

Note that while there are less photos of wildlife
on this page, that's only because we saw so
much wildlife during our cruise that we throttled
back on seeing even more during our island
stays. But there's plenty to see, especially if you
take advantage of the day trips on offer.

To get to and from the Galapagos, we flew into
Baltra (next to Santa Cruz Island) and out of San
Cristobal. This saved on some backtracking.