Day tour to San Cristobal Island with private Land Tour and snorkeling

Duration10h

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish, Spanish

Group sizeUp to 16 travelers

Overview

This tour allows you to get to know the captial of the Galapagos: San Cristobal Island and its beautiful sites in only one day; you will not only get to see tons of sea lions and many sea lions babies, but also many marine birds, marine iguanas, sea turtles, tropical fish, sharks and even more sea lions. Moreover, you will get to see beautiful landscapes with crystal clear turquoise water and the iconic Kicker Rock.
This tour is the perfect combination of land and water, as during the snorkel activity you will get to know the abundant wildlife underwater, while three sites (Punta Carola, Tijeretas and La Loberia) allow you to get to the the most beautiful sites, species and landscapes San Cristobal has to offer on land too.

The tour includes a very good lunch menu too and you will be provided with high quality snorkel equipment and wetsuits.

Please note that the only way to get to San Cristobal is by PUBLIC SPEEDBOAT - of course they are safe but on rough sea it can get choppy!

What's included

Fee charged for the use of the pier in Puerto Ayora
Soda/Pop
Lunch
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Wetsuits (long or short, as preferred)
Guía privado during the entire stay on San Cristobal Island
Fuel surcharge
Lunch menu in one of the local restaurants
Boat ride to San Cristobal round trip on a comfortable and fast speedboat
Transport with a private driver
Mesh bag to store your snorkel equipment and the wetsuit

Propinas (optional)
Water taxis to and from the speedboat ($2 in total)
Alcoholic Beverages

What to expect

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
4h

At Puerto Ayora's pier before your Speedboat you could observe a variety of birds fishing, small sharks or sea lions resting on the public seats.
After the speedboat ride, you will disembark at the pier of San Cristobal Island, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
It is the capital of the archipelago of Galápagos, and it is the place with the most abundante population of sea lions in all of Galapagos - they are literally everywhere; on the streets, on the banks, on the beaches, everywhere.
This is the reason why San Cristobal is the perfect island to see recently born baby sea lions on one of the beaches you will visit during this tour.
Playa Punta Carola
1h 30m

Your private land tour will start with a nice walk of about 25 minutes through endemic and native vegetation, leading you to a stunningly beautiful coral beach where you will be able to observe many recently born sea lions babies, on the beach and playing in the water as well as sally lightfoot crabs, lava herons and pelicans. The order of the different visitor sites can also be the other way around, we always check the tide and organize the tour accordingly, so that you will get the best possible conditions for the snorkeling.
This is the perfect place to take the perfect picture of a baby sea lions and if you like, you can already do the first snorkel activity from this beautiful beach.
Cerro Tijeretas
2h

From Punta Carola, your guide will accompany you on an even trail (stones and sand - about 25 minutes wakling time) to "Las Tijeretas", passing by different spectacular view points, where besides the many frigate birds (that is where the name of this place comes from, as their tales are shaped as a scissors - tijeretas in Spanish) and swallow tailed gulls as well as nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas you get a stunning view of the unique landscape made out of a beautiful cove with turquoise, crystal clear water and the famous Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido) in the background.
This unique cove also is the place where the snorkel activity will take place; your guide will lead you to the best hidden spots to find playful sealions, sea turtles, rays, tropical fish and often also sharks.
La Loberia
1h 30m

After lunch in one of the local restaurants, a private car will take you to the last activity for today: "La Loberia". From the parking lot, you will start to walk for about 15-20 minutes passing by some small white beaches with mangroves and big marine iguanas as well as hermit crabs until you arrive at a stunning Bay with black lava in contrast tu crystal-clear water and a white sand beach, called La Loberia. The big colony of sea lions inhabiting this place is where the name comes from; it is like a sea lion kindergarten where it never gets boring to observe the cute little sea lion babies, sleeping on the beach, playing in the water and calling their mothers back from getting food. Exploring this bay a bit further, you will see lots of marine birds: Swallow-tailed gulls, nazca boobies, pelicans as well as great blue herons.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

We meet at our office in Calle Enrique Fuentes ("El Saigón"), only a few footsteps from the pier. You can also find us on Google Maps: Guiding Galápagos Expeditions S.A.

End point

We meet at our office in Calle Enrique Fuentes ("El Saigón"), only a few footsteps from the pier. You can also find us on Google Maps: Guiding Galápagos Expeditions S.A.

Additional information

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Reviews

4.9 (30)