The beaches of the Galapagos dazzle any tourist and compete with the beaches of the Caribbean. I have had the opportunity to get to know them one by one and that is why I have my Top 8 of the favorite beaches in the Galapagos.

Some of the beaches in the Galapagos can be visited on your own and are easily accessible. Other beaches, on the other hand, can only be visited on a daily tour or navigable cruise.
 

 

My favorite beaches in the Galapagos Islands:

1. Cerro Brujo Beach
2. Tortuga Bay Beach
3. Isabela Beach
4. Las Bachas Beach
5. Punta Carola Beach
6. Playa Escondida
7. Rosa Blanca Bay
8. Sullivan Bay

 

1) Cerro Brujo Beach

---

Cerro Brujo Beach is one of the beaches I visited on my third trip to the Galapagos and on my first trip to San Cristobal. The only way to visit Cerro Brujo Beach is on a tour to Kicker Rock and the vessel would need to include this beach on its itinerary.

Small dunes form on this white sand beach, combining with the calm, turquoise water and the imposing Cerro Brujo.

 
 

San Cristobal Island Hotels and Hostals

 

2) Tortuga Bay Beach

---

Without any doubt, this is the most famous beach on the Galapagos and the most popular among travelers to Santa Cruz Island.
You can reach Tortuga Bay Beach by foot and access as well as signage is easy. It’ll take 45 minutes on the trail until you reach Playa Brava. Then, you need to take a right and after 10 minutes walking along the beach, you’ll reach Tortuga Bay. Its white sand and calm waters make it a natural swimming pool for children and adults alike.

 
 

Santa Cruz Island Hotels and Hostals

 

3) Isabela Island

---

The entire island of Isabela is considered one of the best Galapagos beaches. From the moment you land on the dock you’ll find a beautiful beach and, upon entering the center of town, you’ll find kilometers of beach where you can sunbathe, relax and watch a beautiful sunset over the Galapagos.

I recommend you rent a bicycle and on the route to the wall of tear (muro de lágrimas), you can enjoy these beaches: el Faro, la playita, playa del amor y los esteros.

 
 

Isabela Island Hotels and Hostals

 

4) Las Bachas Beach

---

This is one of the most coveted beaches on Santa Cruz Island, and not just because of its white sand and calm waters. Close to the beach you’ll find pools that form during the rainy season that are home to flamingos.

There are two ways to visit this beach, either on a cruise or a day tour from North Seymour Island. The vessel should have this beach on its itinerary, though. This beach is also an ideal place to snorkel.

 
 

5) Punta Carola Beach

---

On the majority of beaches in San Cristobal, you’ll have to share the sand and ocean with sea lions.
Near to the accommodation area, you can reach the beach on foot and, if you have time, you can walk through the trail that takes you to Cerro Tijeritas, which connects with the Punta Carola beach.

When there are swells, it’s a great spot to surf and you can also snorkel alongside young sea lions.

 
 

6) Playa Escondida

---

Part of Santa Cruz Island, it was one of the first places where I saw baby sharks swimming along the shore.

The only way to visit Playa Escondida is on an artesanal fishing tour to Santa Fe Island. Part of the itinerary on this tour combines snorkeling on Santa Fe Island and a landing on Playa Escondida where you’ll have time to relax and observe marine iguana colonies.

 
 

7) Rosa Blanca Bay

---

Rosa Blanca Bay is another of the beaches on San Cristobal Island, however, you can only reach this bay on the famous Tour 360. As part of the tour, you’ll snorkel in the Rosa Blanca Bay. During dry season, when the water is colder, marine life is phenomenal. That is, you’ll see many Tintonera Sharks, sea turtles, Manta rays and many fish, similar to the Cabo Rosa Tunnels tour.

 
 

8) Sullivan Bay

---

Sullivan Bay is located on Santiago Island. In this place, you can observe incredible lava pahoehoe formations, a product of a volcanic eruption in 1903. To reach Sullivan Bay, you have to go on a sailing cruise or on day tour to Bartolomé or Chinese Hat. The draw to Sullivan Bay, especially during dry season, is that you can observe penguins and go on a small tour along a marked trail to see the lava pahoehoe.

 
 

Bucket List: Galapagos Beach

A few beaches in the Galapagos that I intend to visit on future trips are: Red beach in Rabida (Playa roja) – only accessible by cruise, Golden beach on Bartolomé (Playa dorada) – only accessible by day tour and Las Palmitas Beach on Santa Cruz – only accessible by day tour.

There are other famous beach in the Galapagos like: Playa negra, Playa Garrapatero, Playa los Alemanes, Playa La Loberia, Playa playa mann, Playa Puerto Chino, Playa Ochoa, Playa Puerto Grande, Playa bahía Sardina, Playa Manglesito. However, as I mentioned earlier, I still need to visit a few remaining beaches on the Galapagos.
 
 

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS VIDEO – PLAYLIST

---

---