Explore Ecuador &
Galapagos

Travel Ecuador

San Cristobal

Area: 137 826 acres /

Highest point: 2 394 ft (730 meter)

San Cristobal is one of the “oldest” islands in the archipelago. The capital, Puerto Baquerizo, has an airport. Some cruises therefore depart from San Cristobal instead of Santa Cruz. But Puerto Baquerizo, with its 8000 inhabitants, is actually more of a large fishing village: in addition to tourism, people live there from livestock farming, sugar cane and fishing.

On the quay you are already greeted by the loud calls of the sea lions. Near the city you will find sally lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, frigate birds and other typical Galapagos animals.

Information center “Centro de Interpretacion”
In the town there is a modern information center “Centro de Interpretaci? N”, where you can get a good view of the interesting evolution, history and the unique flora and fauna of the island.

Frigatebird Hil
Located 1.5 km south of the city is Frigatebird Hill. You can easily walk there. From this hill you have a beautiful view over the bay and the city, between the majestically flying frigate birds.

Crater lake El Junco
The crater lake El Junco can be found in the highlands in the southwest of the island. This lake, a 45 minute drive from Puerto Baquerizo, is 700 meters high and offers a beautiful view over the ocean. It is one of the archipelago’s few permanent freshwater lakes. A number of endemic plants grow there and you will see many birds. Unfortunately, the surrounding farms are still releasing their livestock, which is sometimes found near the crater.

Los Galapagos
To the northwest is the Los Galapagos Turtle Sanctuary, where you can view giant tortoises in their natural habitat;

Punta Pitt
Punta Pitt, in the far east of the island, has a 1.4 km hiking trail along the beach and then up past interesting volcanic formations. This is the only place on the archipelago where you can walk among the blue-footed, red-legged and masked gannets. The red leg only lives here and on Espa? Ola Island. There is enough food here so that these birds can peacefully share the same area alongside the frigate birds.

Isla Lobos
The small island of Isla Lobos is 1 hour by boat from the port of Puerto Baquerizo. It gets its name from the sea lions that bask here. You can swim nicely among the curious sea lions. You will also find blue-footed boobies and frigate birds.

Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock)
A little more to the northeast lies the island of Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock). Ships often sail here, passing between the narrow passage as an extra when visiting Punta Pitt or Isla Lobos.

Cerro Brujo and Turtle Bay
On the northeast side of the island are the sites Cerro Brujo and Turtle Bay. Cerro Brujo is a volcano crater with interesting lava formations that used to be used for salt production. The residents of Puerto Baquerizo used this salt to brine meat, cod and turtle meat. In Turtle Bay you will find flamingos and sea turtles.

PHOTO GALLERY

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WHY TRAVEL WITH EXPLORE ECUADOR?

Tom, guide in EcuadorI’m Tom from Belgium and I’ll make sure your trip to Ecuador or cruise in Galapagos goes as smoothly and pleasantly as possible. I have been living in Ecuador for a decade and have been working in tourism for 8 years now. Before that, I obtained my guides diploma in Ecuador. Traveling and discovering new places is my passion.
Together with the local travel agency Descubre-Ecuador, we offer tailor-made tours in Galapagos and on the Ecuadorian mainland. Over the years, Descubre-Ecuador has built a reliable partnership with the best hotels and the best nature guides in Ecuador. Our small-scale way of working ensures easy accessibility and a lot of flexibility when traveling.
Customer satisfaction is the essence for us. And even in those rare moments of unforeseen difficult circumstances, we make sure that we are there to make sure your trip runs smoothly.
Explore Ecuador and Galapagos!

WHY TRAVEL TO ECUADOR?

Indian woman from SalasacasIn South America, Ecuador is one of the smaller countries, but the country is hugely diverse in terms of geography, climate and population. You can visit the Andes, the Amazon rainforest as well as the tropical coast without taking extremely long domestic flights or transfers. And then you have the Galapagos Islands, a once in a lifetime experience. The diversity of flora and fauna per square mile is enormous. Ecuador is South America in a nutshell. Moreover, the country is relatively safe and little visited. The national currency is the USD and you have a wide choice of direct flights to Quito and Guayaquil from Europe and the United States.

WAAROM REIZEN MET ONTDEK-ECUADOR?

Tom - guide in EcuadorIk ben Tom uit België en zorg ervoor dat jullie reis naar Ecuador of cruise in Galapagos zo vlot en aangenaam mogelijk kan verlopen. Ik woon al een tiental jaren in Ecuador en werk nu 8 jaren in toerisme. Daarvoor heb ik in Ecuador mijn gidsen-diploma behaald. Reizen en nieuwe plaatsen ontdekken is mijn passie. Samen met het lokale reiskantoor Descubre-Ecuador, bieden we reizen op maat in Galapagos en op het Ecuadoriaanse vasteland aan. Descubre-Ecuador heeft door de jaren heen een betrouwbare samenwerking opgebouwd met de beste hotels en de beste natuurgidsen van Ecuador. Onze kleinschalige manier van werken zorgt voor een vlotte bereikbaarheid en veel flexibiliteit bij het reizen. De tevredenheid van de klant is voor ons de essentie. En ook op die zeldzame momenten van onvoorziene moeilijke omstandigheden zorgen we dat we er zijn om jullie reis toch perfect te laten verlopen. Ontdek Ecuador en Galapagos!