Galapagos

Freetimetravellers

19 Mar 2025 — 7 min read

Part 1 of: 22 days Galapagos Amazon Forest Cusco

Part 2 Peru

London Heathrow – Bogota – Guayaquil – St. Cristobal – Guayaquil – Lima – Cusco – Lima -Bogota – London Heathrow

Airline: Avianca – tickets bought through Opodo, to order vegan meals I had to call Avianca but it was very easy, the meals were very simple, nothing fancy :). Overall, no problems, nice and easy.

Before the journey we booked:

Amazon visit with some small local company

Machu Pichu entry https://reservas.machupicchu.gob.pe

train tickets to get to Machu Pichu http://www.perurail.com

Galapagos ferries: https://book-ec.com/ferry/

and our accomodation through booking.com

Day 1 LHR Airport

Day 2

Guayaquil, Ecuador – a very nice airport for a short break. Since the next flight was within the same country, we were able to go outside for a walk.

San Cristobal, Galapagos

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of Galápagos Province, Ecuador. It is located on the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the archipelago, and is the capital of San Cristóbal Canton. Wikipedia

There are two small beaches in the town: Playa de Oro – full of sea lions, and Playa Mann – a nice but crowded beach right next to the Interpretation Center and the path to Cerro Tijeretas.

We visited the Interpretation Centre (visitor center), went up to Mirador Cerro Tijeretas, then down to Muelle Tijeretas, and ended up at Punta Carola.

Punta Carola

Mirador Cerro Tijeretas and Muelle Tijeretas

The place we booked for our stay was simply amazing – quiet, beautiful, and surrounded by plants and trees. It takes only a few minutes to get to the town by car. The rooms and facilities (kitchen, drinking water, coffee, fruits) are excellent, and the hosts are the nicest people you can imagine. They provide free pick-up from the airport and will help with anything you might need.

https://www.facebook.com/Cucuve-Eco-Hostal

We did not rent a car, and catching a "taxi" is not a problem. Everyone who owns a car will take you wherever you want and charge the same fare as everyone else. The white taxis waiting in the port area are a little more expensive.

Day 3

Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado – no entrance fee, you can get there by car

La Galapaguera is a breeding centre for giant Galapagos tortoises. Unlike other similar facilities, this recovery center preserves semi-natural conditions, allowing young tortoises to hatch without the need for incubators. The breeding centres increase the survival rate of new hatchlings in the wild. The tortoises are kept at the center for the first years of their lives and it is possible to see babies, young ones and adults at the centre.

the giant tortoises of San Cristobal (Geochelone chathamensis)

Puerto Chino the most beautiful beach (15 mins walk from Galapaguera)

Day 4 & 5

We booked Galapagos Ferry to St Cruz, it’s quite a long journey and not much fun as the boats are ridiculously noisy! You still need to pay some small fee to the taxi boat which takes you from the pier to the boat – just remember to have some change….