Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal Stays
What a multi-day trip from Puerto Ayora looks like
Nobody sells one standard multi-day trip out of Puerto Ayora. Longer visits are built by the traveller from inhabited islands, fast boats and day tours, or bought as a package from a licensed agency that writes its own itinerary. This page covers the do-it-yourself version.
Plan A: two nights each on three islands
Start on Santa Cruz, where Puerto Ayora has the research station, Tortuga Bay and the highland reserves. Move on to Isabela and its town, Puerto Villamil, where the reasons to stay are the Tintoreras islet, the Los Humedales wetlands and Sierra Negra. Finish on San Cristóbal at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
Each hop is a lancha, a small speedboat. Isabela is about 2 hours from Puerto Ayora and San Cristóbal about 2 to 2.5 hours. Tickets cost USD 25 to 35. People report departures near 7 am and 2 pm, with some older sources giving 3 pm, so ask at the dock. Get there 30 minutes early because luggage is inspected. The open sea can make the ride rough, and seasickness tablets help. Visitors who are not Ecuadorian pay about USD 10 more for Isabela.
Plan B: Santa Cruz plus one island
If time is short, choose Santa Cruz and either Isabela or San Cristóbal. With only four or five days, one crossing leaves more time to look around than two.
Plan C: a highland stay around a cruise
Before or after a cruise, a few nights up near Santa Rosa give you the El Chato and Rancho Primicias reserves on the same road. They are 30 to 45 minutes from the harbour, they open roughly 8 am to 5:30 pm, and entry is about USD 10 with a guide.
Questions to ask a multi-day operator
- Who are the guides, and are they licensed by the park?
- Do the quoted prices include park fees, boat tickets and meals?
- What happens if the sea is too rough to sail or the park closes a site?
Operators set their own itineraries, so each answer will differ.
Arriving and paperwork
Most flights land on Baltra. From the airport, a bus carries you to the Itabaca Channel for about USD 5 in around 10 minutes, a ferry costs about USD 1, and a public bus (USD 2.50 to 5) or taxi (USD 20 to 30) completes the trip to Puerto Ayora in 1 to 1.25 hours.
Entry to the park costs most foreign adults USD 200 in cash at the airport. The Transit Control Card, about USD 20, is issued in Quito or Guayaquil before you leave the mainland. Fresh produce, seeds, unpasteurised dairy and live animals may not be brought in, and baggage is checked twice.
Read the UK’s Ecuador advice before booking. The islands are not in the mainland areas it advises against.
Read more: day trips from Puerto Ayora covers single-day boat outings, the Galápagos Islands guide covers the archipelago, and the Galápagos 7 day itinerary sets out a longer trip.
Sources: the governing council and the Park Directorate . Look at rooms on Booking.com .