Things to Do in Galapagos: 16 Experiences, from Local Guides

The best things to do in Galapagos depend on which island you sleep on. Santa Cruz has the tortoises and the day boats, Isabela has the volcano and the best snorkeling near town, and a yacht reaches the uninhabited islands. Some of this is free and needs no guide. Most park sites do need one, so the table shows which is which.

Entry fees and rules change, so treat the free visits and the Las Grietas fee as a guide and check when you arrive. All of this comes after the $200 park fee and the $20 Transit Control Card, which our guide to the Galápagos trip cost explains.

On Santa Cruz

Most visitors start here, in Puerto Ayora. You can walk to three of these from your hotel.

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station

The breeding program here brought several tortoise populations back from near extinction, and you can see the young ones up close. It is a flat, easy walk from town, and a good first stop on the afternoon you arrive.

Walk to Tortuga Bay

A paved trail through cactus forest takes about 45 minutes and ends at a long white beach where marine iguanas nest. The surf is strong on the main beach, so swim at Playa Mansa, the calm lagoon at the far end. Go early: it is quieter before 11 am, and the sun is softer.

Swim at Las Grietas

A deep, clear channel of still water between two lava walls, a short water taxi and walk from the Puerto Ayora dock. Recent visitors report a fee of about $10, and groups may be limited by time slot. Our Santa Cruz bay tour already stops here.

See giant tortoises in the highlands

This is the visit people remember most. Giant tortoises walk free through the green pastures of the highlands, where it is cooler than the coast. Nearby you can walk through a lava tunnel, formed when the outside of a lava flow hardened while the molten rock kept moving.

Watch the Puerto Ayora fish market

Sea lions and pelicans wait beside the counter on the waterfront while the catch is cleaned. It takes ten minutes and costs nothing, and children love it.

Spend an afternoon at El Garrapatero

A quieter beach on the east side of the island, a drive from town, and part of day 2 on our 7 day tour. Come here when you want sand without the walk to Tortuga Bay.

Take the Santa Cruz bay tour

A short boat trip around the bay with snorkeling, sea lions and a stop at Las Grietas. It is one of the easiest ways to try snorkeling, and it is day 3 of our 4 day Santa Cruz tour.

By boat from Santa Cruz

Take a yacht to an uninhabited island

Depending on the permits the National Park assigns, you sail one to two and a half hours to Bartolomé, Santa Fe, North Seymour or South Plaza. Bartolomé has the famous view of Pinnacle Rock, North Seymour has nesting blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds, and South Plaza has a sea lion colony. Our Santa Fe day tour starts at $165. The earlier you book, the better your choice of island.

Snorkel at Pinzón

Our Pinzón tour starts at $170 and has some of the best snorkeling you can reach in a day: sea turtles, whitetip reef sharks and playful sea lions, followed by a quiet beach. Read our Galápagos snorkeling guide before you choose.

Take a day trip to Floreana

Floreana Island is a long boat day, and it suits you if the history pulls you more than the snorkeling. It has a small town, a sea lion colony and the story of the 1930s settlers behind the film Eden.

On Isabela

Isabela is the largest island, about two hours by speedboat from Santa Cruz. Puerto Villamil is a small beach town with sand streets, and two nights here is the minimum we would suggest.

Snorkel Los Túneles

Collapsed lava has formed arches and channels in clear, shallow water, with sea turtles, reef sharks and rays, and seahorses if you look closely. On the way you pass blue-footed boobies nesting at Cabo Rosa. From June to November the water is cool, so ask us for a wetsuit.

See the sharks at Las Tintoreras

A short boat ride from town reaches a lava islet where whitetip reef sharks rest in a narrow channel and marine iguanas cover the rocks. Our Tintoreras tour starts at $75.

Hike Sierra Negra

About 18 km and six hours on gentle ground, along the rim of one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world and on to the red cones of Volcán Chico. Bring closed shoes and two liters of water. From June to November the drizzle can wet the trail.

Walk the lagoons and the Wall of Tears

Flamingos feed in the lagoons behind town, and the giant tortoise breeding center is a short walk further on. The Wall of Tears was built by prisoners in the 1940s, and it is worth the trip for the story.

Swim at Concha Perla

A calm bay near the Puerto Villamil dock, reached by a boardwalk, with sea lions and sometimes penguins. It is the place to go if you skip the volcano.

On San Cristóbal

Dive or snorkel Kicker Rock

Kicker Rock is a split volcanic rock off the coast of San Cristóbal, and it is the island's best-known boat trip. Our set tours stay on Santa Cruz and Isabela, so ask us if you want San Cristóbal on your route. To put these in order, see our Galápagos itinerary for 4, 5, 7 or 14 days.

Most of this list in a week, with hotels and guides

7 Day Galapagos Tour from Quito

Santa Cruz, Isabela and a Yacht Day

• 7 days
• Medium effort

From $1,279 per person

View itinerary

How to plan your days

With four days, stay on Santa Cruz and add one boat day. With five, go to Isabela if you want a quieter base. With a week, do both and add the yacht day, which is how our 7 day tour runs. Our Galápagos tours from Quito compare all three.

If you want hotels and meals sorted in one price, read our page on all inclusive Galápagos trips. The season changes what you will see, and the best time to visit the Galápagos goes month by month. Traveling with others? We have notes on kids and on older travelers.

Keep two meters from the animals, stay on marked trails and take nothing with you. Those are the park rules, and the guides take them seriously.

Things to do in Galápagos: questions we get