Island hopping through the main Galapagos Islands
Summary
Spend a week lying on world class beaches, island hopping and seeing wildlife that often feels straight from a David Attenborough documentary. The Galapagos Islands are a world famous nature reserve around a thousand miles from the mainland, but don’t let that put you off – this wonderful experience is far more accessible than you would think
If you combine this trip around the main Galapagos Islands with Scuba diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos, this truly becomes the trip of a lifetime
highlights
#1 Island hopping from one white-sand paradise to the next. Jumping on the ferries is easy to do and gives a real feeling of adventure when arriving in some of the super remote towns
#2 Swim and play with sea lions - they are EVERYWHERE! Lazing around or playing in rock pools
#3 World class beaches - must try Tortuga Bay where you can enjoy the beautiful white sand alongside a bunch of Marine Iguanas
#4 Up close with Pelicans that seem to be ever present across the islands
#5 Swim with baby sharks - in the shallow waters right off the beach shore
#6 See the Giant Tortoises at the Reserve on Isla Santa Cruz. Some of these wonderful animals are 170 years old
#7 Cycling and hiking in the national parks. The one next to Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela is worth checking out and has a lovely cycle along the beach
Travel Tips
- Head off on your own – you’ll probably read that the easiest way to see the islands is on a cruise, and that may well be the case. But my advice would be head off on your own for the island hoping adventure, which is far easier to do than you would think. You’ll get to see the sea lions, pelicans, blue footed boobies and marine iguanas – they are everywhere! Plus you’ll be able to spend time at some of the world class beaches, see the tortoises, go for some hikes and cycle around parts of the islands
- MUST visit Tortuga Bay Beach – stunning white sand beach and bring your snorkelling gear as just off the shore in the shallows by the rock pools were around 20 baby sharks. Its a bit of a walk from town, but well worth it
- The Galapagos Islands are expensive – kind of feels like you’re constantly paying cash out for something or other. Be prepared to pay a premium for accommodation and food. Also be prepared for what feels like random entrance fees eg for getting to the airport, for entering a non-descript road, for landing on a new island, for just about everything . . .
- Haggle over tour prices – as always, try to do some of the stuff on your own – hire a bike or hire a taxi. Its a safe place to do so. That being said, if you fancy going on a tour, you can haggle very easily over price. Especially if you are flexible on time and want to go on a cruise
- Kiosko de Renato – in Puerto Ayora be sure to check out the Kiosko de Renato area for a street of seafood restaurants and the groups of Pelicans who hang out by the mini docks waiting for a morsel of fish from the fisherman gutting the fish
- Ferries – the ferries between the islands can be a mixed bag and often cramped. Its a price worth paying for being in paradise, but be prepared
- The Isabella Beach House – the one place we would recommend for accommodation was The Isabella Beach House on Isla Isabella. Decent bedrooms, nice sunset views and what seemed to be an ever present young sea lion playing in the shallows nearby
- Combine with a diving trip – island hopping around the main Galapagos Islands makes sense especially for those who will travel to the Galapagos for scuba diving. You’ll already have spent around a week on a diving tour, so it makes for a good contrast to go and see the islands on your own
Experiences nearby
The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences
Similar island adventures around the world
Score Detail
Background - how many times have you asked someone what a travel experience was like and the response was "amazing" or "awesome"? That response is nice to know, but it makes it hard to differentiate that experience compared to others. That is exactly what these scores are trying to do - differentiate the experience by giving a score out of 10 based on 6 categories and then giving an overall experience score
This overall experience score is calculated by: take the highest of the "Culture" or "Nature" score (1-10) + "Fun factor" (1-10) + "Avoiding the crowds" (1-10) + highest of the "Unique" or "World Famous score" (1-10). Then convert into a score out of 100
Extra detail - the logic being that I find all of the 6 individual scores important, but I don't want to mark an experience down just because it doesn't cover both "Culture" and "Nature", or because it isn't both "World Famous" and "Unique". Take the examples of Safari in The Serengeti and walking through Rome - they both appeal at opposite ends of the nature / culture spectrum, and you can have a fantastic time without needing to appeal to both sides. So, their overall scores aren't penalized for their lack of one or the other, and I've done the same for "World Famous" vs "Unique". But . . . I do think that the "Fun factor" of an experience is important, irrelevant of other factors, and so is "Avoiding the Crowds" (or where there are crowds that add to the experience). So, both of these scores are standalone