San Cristobal Island, being the capital of the Galapagos, is overshadowed by the Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands. However, after reading these 5 reasons, you will want to visit it in 2025.

Day trip to Kicker Rock – Galapagos tours by ChokoTrip

When people talk about the Galapagos Islands, many tourists think that the only airport that are in the Islands is in Baltra, which is thanks to IATA (sarcasm) because, when we search for flights to Galapagos, the code that appears is GPS but the SCY code, San Cristobal Island airport, is also an option!

Day trip to Punta Pitt – Galapagos tours by ChokoTrip

Something to highlight about San Cristobal Island is that your flight will practically drops you at your hotel’s door. Unlike all the money processing (Taxi USD 25 + Bus Lobito USD 5 + Barge USD 1) and time (Almost 2 hours) to get to your hotel in Santa Cruz, at the San Cristóbal airport you can walk to your destination hotel or take a taxi for only USD 2.

San Cristobal Island Hotels and Hostals

Red-footed boobies

On San Cristobal Island there is a daily tour to Punta Pitt that is located at the northern tip of the island, it is the second best place where there is a high probability to spot the red-footed boobies. If you were impressed by the blue-footed boobies, you’ll love these boobies’ red legs. Apart from that, the area you explore to find them is characterized by impressive volcanic formations that will make you feel like you’re on another planet.

Albatross and its spectacular dance

Another daily tour that only departs from San Cristobal Island, is the Española Island tour. On this tour, you’ll walk to Punta Suarez where you can observe Albatross birds. There is a greater possibility of seeing these peculiar birds between the months of April to December as they perform their mating dance. If you had the chance to see the dance of the blue-footed boobies, the mating dance of the albatross will surely be another favorite.

The imposing Kicker Rock

One of the most emblematic pictures of the Galapagos Islands is that of Kicker rock, Leon Dormido in Spanish, where with a daily tour departing from San Cristobal Island, you can dive or snorkel between these giant rocks. This spot is teeming with marine life and, if you’re lucky, you might even see hammerhead sharks, it all depends on the temperature of the water and the currents.

 



Albatross on Espanola Island

 

Sea lions ‘even in the soup’

What does ‘even in the soup’ mean? Don’t jump to conclusion! In Ecuadorian slang, “hasta en la sopa” or even in the soup is used when you keep bumping into someone everywhere, which is what happens with sea lions in the Galapagos. There are so many, you even spot them in your soup 🙂

One of the advantages of the San Cristóbal Island is that its beaches are very near to the main part of the city and teeming with sea lions. Remember that you must be 2 meters away from them and if you enter the sea, many of the young sea lions like to play and sometimes it seems that they try to attack you but they always deviate from the road, so do not get in panic or try to attack them.

Interpretation Center

If you want to learn first-hand about the history of the Galapagos Islands, the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal Island offers the most comprehensive overview. It’s very easy to reach and, along withe same trail, you can visit the Tijeretas viewpoint to snorkel at the Tijeretas dock or at Punta Carola Beach.

I could continue listing the things that will make you stay on San Cristobal Island for more than 3 days, but then where’s the fun in discovering it for yourself?

INTERACTIVE MAP OF SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND GALAPAGOS

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