The Galapagos Islands, which are located more than a thousand kilometers from the coastline of Ecuador, are popular travel destinations for private tours and also group tours. One of the world’s top tourist destinations is the nearly mythological islands immortalized by Charles Darwin. Are you among the fortunate people traveling here? Make the best of your time by going on a private tour of the Galapagos!
When it’s time to depart, you can do so with the assurance that your professional guide helped you on this private tour to explore the Galapagos archipelago to the utmost. Here are some of the top destinations in the Galapagos Islands.
San Cristobal
The Galapagos archipelago’s furthest southeast is where San Cristobal is situated. It is now one of two arrival hubs for the islands, along with the provincial capital Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, thanks to a recently renovated airfield. You will also get the opportunity to go to the 1998-opened interpretation center in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This is a very educational website that was created to provide visitors with an outline of the Galapagos’ human and natural history as well as its future goals.
San Cristobal is really a diversified island that has one of the islands’ rare year-round freshwater lakes. Approximately 45 minutes from Puerto Baquerizo, at an elevation of 700 meters, is El Junco Lagoon. Another well-liked destination is Playa Ochoa, which has a variety of bird species, including the endangered Chatham mockingbird, and excellent snorkeling options.
Santa Cruz
Due in part to the airport situated on a nearby island of Baltra, Santa Cruz is the second-largest landmass in the Galapagos and is one of the primary tourist destinations. The town of Puerto Ayora is where you will find the Charles Darwin Research Station and the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park Service. Almost all cruises will make a stop here.
As you ascend in elevation throughout all seven of the Galapagos’ vegetation zones, the scenery on Santa Cruz begins to shift. As you travel into the highlands of Santa Cruz the vegetation becomes lusher and lusher. The higher altitudes have more humidity and sustain a much greater variety of plant life. These highlands are also home to a giant tortoise reserve (on a private farm), as well as some of the largest lava tubes in the Galapagos.
Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)
This vertical rock rises up to a height of about 500 feet directly out of the water off the north side of San Cristobal. It will resemble a boot as you get closer to San Cristobal, earning it the nickname “Kicker Rock.” You can see blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, and gorgeous frigate birds as you get closer and circle around to the north face.
Genovesa (Tower Island)
Some of the most amazing bird watching in the Galapagos may be found in Genovesa, which is situated in the far northeast of the archipelago. Most tours include a stop at Darwin Bay and Prince Philip’s Steps. The plethora of species, such as swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, frigate birds, and tropic birds, may be viewed beautifully at both locations.
The sky occasionally appears to be overrun with birds. In the branches of the low-lying plants, Red-footed Boobies, like frigate birds, build their nests. September through July is the breeding season. In addition to the wildlife, Genovesa is a fantastic location for snorkeling. A variety of marine life inhabits the rocky outcroppings and the sandy bottom of the bay, which is bordered by small cliffs.
Fernandina
The Galapagos’ westernmost island, Fernandina, is within a short distance from Isabela. With its major crater measuring around 6.5 kilometers in width, Fernandina, one of the Galapagos Islands’ youngest islands, continues to be one of the most volcanically active islands. It lacks the diverse vegetation that other islands like Santa Cruz or San Cristobal do due to its youth and lack of precipitation. Only a select collection of creatures, most notably the flightless cormorant, are able to thrive here because of this. The major destination is Punta Espinoza, where the black lava flows, blue ocean, and green mangroves provide a striking contrast. The largest sea iguana colony in the Galapagos is also found on the island.
Darwin
One of the smaller islands in the archipelago, Darwin Island is unsurprisingly named after Charles Darwin. Darwin’s main draw is the abundance of marine life in the vicinity despite its small size of about one square kilometer and lack of dry landing areas. Darwin, one of the most popular places to scuba dive in the Galapagos, is situated northwest of all the large islands.
Isabela
The largest island in the Galapagos, Isabela, was created by uniting six lava flows. Isabela, an island in the western part of the archipelago, is around 100 kilometers long from north to south.
Tagus Cove and Urvina Bay, a well-liked stop for ships that travel to Fernandina and the west side of Isabela, are located on its western coast. You may see Darwin Lake, a saltwater lagoon, on a quick walk along Tagus Cove through walls covered with graffiti from the 1800s. You will undoubtedly see a variety of finches on this trek, such as the woodpecker finch. You are also going to be able to glimpse both Darwin & Wolf Volcano after you reach the hike’s summit. Galapagos Penguins, blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas can all be seen on a quick boat ride along Tagus Cove’s cliffs.
Urbina Bay
A 5-kilometer portion of Urbina Bay, on the west part of Isabela, was raised by around 4 meters during a geological occurrence in 1954, leaving marine life trapped above the ocean. Urbina Bay is situated south of Tagus Cove. You can also take a boat tour through sizable mangroves and look for giant turtles from Urbina Bay.
Bartolome
The majestic Pinnacle Rock, among the most well-known sightseeing tours attraction in the Galapagos, can be found near Bartolome. A trip to Bartolome will also include climbing a flight of stairs to a vantage point from which one can see Pinnacle Rock across a martian landscape. Beautiful white sandy beaches, sea lions, and Galapagos Penguins can be found at the base of this rock. From January to March, sea turtles will come to the southern side of this island to deposit their eggs.
North Seymour
North Seymour was elevated by subsurface seismic activity, similar to what happened to many other Galapagos islands. One of the most popular islands in the Galapagos, it may be reached via day trips from Puerto Ayora in addition to regular cruises thanks to its proximity to Baltra. The main nesting area for majestic frigate birds can be found in North Seymour, where you can also see the males flaunting their enormous red pouches in an effort to attract females. Additionally, there are numerous land iguanas and sea lions in this area.
Espanola
The most endemic species within Archipelago may be found in Espanola, the southern part of the Galapagos. The well-known waved albatross breeding grounds, which provide for almost the entire global population, are located on Punta Suarez (breeding takes place from April to November). Along the paths, you can see colonies of Blue-footed and Nazca boobies that are nesting. On this gorgeous length of white sand beaches on Espanola’s east coast is Gardner Bay, a lovely area to unwind among the sea lions. Just a few hundred meters offshore, near Tortuga Rock, is a fantastic snorkeling location where you may see a variety of schools of fish.
Rabida
Rabida, which is close to Santiago, is renowned for its breathtaking scenery and the unusually red hue of the dirt. The soil on this island, which is composed of iron-rich lava, has undergone oxidation to produce this tint. A little pond of brackish water surrounded by opuntia cacti and Palo Santo trees, which also historically functioned as a gathering site for flamingos, can be found a short distance from the beach. Despite the absence of flamingos from this lagoon, Rabida is home to a wide variety of bird species, including nine different kinds of finches, and brown pelicans.
Santa Fe
Instead of being produced by volcanic eruptions, Santa Fe Island was uplifted as a result of subsurface seismic activity. One of the most stunning coves in the islands is on Santa Fe Island, which is 17 nautical miles off Santa Cruz’s southern shore. This cove, which is sheltered by a long arm of stones jutting out from the beach and is home to a variety of marine life, is a terrific area to swim and snorkel.
Many Santa Fe tours also involve a climb to the top of a faraway cliff where visitors can look for the island’s unique land iguanas, which can grow to be above five feet long. In order to defend against the land iguanas, the opuntia cactus, which towers over 30 feet tall, is another thing you’ll notice.
