How to get to San Cristobal
San Cristobal By Ferry
You can reach San Cristobal by ferry from Santa Cruz island. The ferry costs $30 USD. Pro tip: when you ride the ferry sit in the back, near the motor, and take a sea sickness pill. When you arrive you will be at the port right in the main town. You can reach your hotel by a short walk or short taxi ride.
San Cristobal By Plane
You can fly directly to San Cristobal from Guayaquil, Quito, Baltra (Santa Cruz), or Isabela islands. The inter island flights take about 40 minutes. From the mainland of Ecuador its about 2-2.5 hours. It has it’s own airport (code SCY) and there are a few flights here each day. The airport is about a 5 minute taxi ride from town or it could take you about 45 minutes to walk there from the center of town.
Where to Stay in San Cristobal
Serviced Apartment
We stayed in a serviced apartment here that we booked through airbnb. By serviced I mean that they checked up on us if we needed anything, gave us a few eggs, fresh bread and some fruit each day, and helped with organizing things if we needed.
The place was quite nice and right on the edge of town. So it was a little but more peaceful than it may be staying in the main area. It was also very large and had a small kitchenette so we could easily cook simple things like breakfast. The shower was warm and large and we had a nice view over the port and a perfect view for sunset. It’s hard to tell if some more construction is going to be happening here as there was a lot going on in the area. So that’s something to be aware of if you’re booking for the future.
The hosts were super responsive and kind though so any questions you have, you could absolutely ask them. We were also located very close to Playa Mann (3 minute walk) which is a nice beach for hanging out and watching sea lions (mentioned below).
If an airbnb isn’t your thing and you want a hotel experience on San Cristobal, here are a few that we saw in town that we thought looked lovely. If we were working with a different budget when planning I would have tried one of these spots.
Hotel Indigo
We walked past this place a ton of times during our trip and it honestly looked so lovely. They had a pool overlooking the port, a really lovely looking bar, a gym, and it looked so modern and nice. If we were to return with a larger budget I would 100% stay here. It looked like everything was perfect.
Galapagos Sunset Hotel
This hotel was smack in the middle of town and right on promenade on the water as well. It looked nice and seems like a fitting mid range option for a place to stay. There are rooms with balconies overlooking the whole scene and it would be an excellent spot for sunrise and sunset as well.
Things to Do
360 Tour
This tour is arguably the most iconic thing to do on San Cristobal. It takes you around the ENTIRE island by boat. We began at Kicker Rock and got to snorkel with so much wildlife, including countless hammerhead sharks! They then take you to Punta Pitt to take a peak at some birds from the water. We were supposed to stop at another beautiful beach, but on our day the weather did not permit this. We snorkeled in another beautiful bay-like area. It was so peaceful and we saw so much wildlife! We saw many rays, sea turtles, white tip reef sharks, fish, sea lions, octopus, lobsters, the list goes on and on. We had a lovely lunch on board and were given some time to relax on a beautiful soft white sand beach. This was a full day tour from about 7 am to 4pm.
Alternative Tours
If you are in the Galapagos for something specific, you may want a more specifically designed tour. For example if you want to spend a lot of time in the water and looking for sharks you may just want to take the “Kicker Rock” tour. If you want to see birds and that is your priority taking the “Punta Pitt” tour would be for you. So make sure you look into your options before booking. If you’re like us and just want to see it all, the 360 is a great way to do it!
You can check out a number of tours and find out what suits you —-> San Cristobal Tours
Playa Mann (Free)
This beach on San Cristobal is small but so delightful. It is literally a place where people and sea lions exist in harmony. You will see both swimming, lounging on the beach, hiding in the shade, playing on the rocks etc. We had so much fun here watching all the happy sea lions play! There were so many babies when we were here (December) and it was so much fun to just watch the scene. There are also some kiosks here serving food, drinks, juices etc.
Playa Punta Carola (Free)
It’s a little bit further of a walk to get to this beach (10-15 mins past playa Mann), but it is a really neat place. Depending on the time of year and the waves you can see surfers enjoying the water here! We got to see some really big waves! There is a nice lighthouse you can sit by and this beach is also home to so many playful sea lions. Snorkeling here depends on the tide, so plan your visit accordingly. Regardless of whether or not you can get in the water, it was a beautiful place to visit.
Mirrador Cerro Tijeretas (free)
If you continue walking onward from Playa Punta Carola there is a series of trails that will take you to a few viewpoints over San Cristobal. You can see a large statue of Darwin, a view smaller viewpoints, and the viewpoint Mirrador Cerro Tijeretas. It is a very beautiful spot and you can actually see Kicker Rock from up here too. We could see some sea lions playing in the water from above. On a good weather day you could snorkel here also, but waters were rough the days we were in this area and our airbnb hosts advised that we stick to calmer waters.
Playa Loberia (Free)
This is another free beach on San Cristobal where you can snorkel with some sea lions, fish, and other wildlife. You could walk here from town but it would take about 45 minutes to an hour. We grabbed a taxi from the center of town and it was only 4 USD. They return frequently to pick people up too. There were a lot of people relaxing on this beach and some swimming. You can also walk to a few viewpoints from here and try to spot some birds if you’re into that.
Walk along the port & Sea lion beaches (free)
Honestly, just walking along the main promenade of the town and the port is such an eventful thing to do on San Cristobal. There are so many animals and there are some little boardwalks where you can walk out and view them. From town we saw blue footed boobies, iguanas, turtles, crabs, pelicans, rays, and more sea lions than you could ever even imagine.
There are also two fenced off sea lion beaches right at the town that you could sit at for HOURS and just watch them play and hang out. One is called “Playa de los Lobos” and there are so many here your mind will be blown. When we first found it we grabbed a drink at the “Post Office” and just sat there for literally 3 hours watching them. There is also a smaller, but similar beach called “Playa de Oro” where you can do the same thing.
Galapaguera De Cerro Colrado:
So this activity is technically free, but it will cost you to get there. We paid a taxi driver $40 USD round trip to take us here. He waited for us while we did it and drove us back to town. The actual visit to see tortoise is free and very nice. They have some lovely paths that you can walk through and enjoy seeing the turtles at your leisure. You can bring a guide here with you as well if you’d like to learn more about them. We went on a Friday morning (which is a feeding time) it was really neat to see them all chomping away on their greens. I highly recommend going during a feeding time if you can.
El Junco
You can visit El Junco on your way to or from seeing the tortoise. It is a giant lake formed in a crater and is said to be very beautiful to view. We didn’t stop because it was SO cloudy we knew we wouldn’t have any visibility.
Places to Eat on San Cristobal
Midori Sushi
This will likely come up on most lists for this area as it is quite touristy and right on the main drag. We really enjoyed it and we had a dinner and a lunch here. We loved the food both times, they had excellent wine, good service, and great views. You don’t have to eat sushi to come here, although the fish is so fresh and delicious! They had many options on the menu for people who do not prefer raw fish. I tried a number of sushi rolls but my favorite was a sashimi of salmon with truffle! I never would have imagined that combo and it was delightful! We also had a nice tuna tartar here and Griffin was able to get some meat (lomo saltado). When we came for lunch, I had some crispy shrimps and they were delightful too!
MUYU
Before traveling to San Cristobal, I read so many lists saying this was the best food in all of the Galapagos. It is also listed in a number of places as of some of the best in Ecuador or even in South America. We really enjoyed dining here, though I’m not sure it lived up to ALL that hype. It was very well run, very clean, and the staff were very kind and attentive.
I had lobster here that was absolutely delicious. My husband (a meat eater) had a harder time as they didn’t have the one beef dish on the menu that night. He ended up having a jackfruit dish, which we both really enjoyed, but honestly left him hungry. We ordered a fish sashimi type appetizer too that was very enjoyable. I had a nice glass of wine as well (though they didn’t have much variety when it came to wine). I would recommend it if you’re in town, it was peaceful, nice, and good quality food.
The Post Office
We visited this spot for drinks as well as dinner during our time on San Cristobal. This spot is PERFECT for happy hour, its the best sunset spot on the island. They had nice cocktails & wine, and you can view all the animals from here! You can watch birds on the rocks, sea lions on the beach, iguanas crawling by, and the beautiful sunset. Honestly we loved it! We also had a dinner here and it was very nice. I had a scorpion fish, Griffin had a steak, and we split a GIANT tuna tar tar appetizer that was amazing and could have been a whole meal. The staff were super kind and attentive and if we stayed longer we likely would have eaten here again.
Cris’s
This is the kind of place I would never think to walk into. It looked like just a casual chain type burger joint when you walked by. However, we sat down for lunch one day and had a really enjoyable meal. Griffin had an awesome burger and I had a delightful seafood salad with pineapple dressing that I will dream about! Don’t overlook this place!
Isla Yogurt
Did not take a pic here, but we had a really nice cheap, healthy lunch here. We each had a salad, mine with tuna and Griffins with chicken. They were delicious and approx $10 USD each. Would recommend for a “quick” and easy lunch.
The Pier
This was a kiosk on the very end of town that we walked past a number of times. It was always lively and full of people. We popped in for a drink after one of our tours and had a nice glass of wine and a very fun coffee treat! If we had more time we’d likely have tried a meal here. It was on the water and had some really nice views.
Practical Information:
$$$$
Card was pretty widely accepted on San Cristobal, though you may still need some cash. There were banks and ATMs in this town, so getting cash was not an issue.
Water
You can not drink the water on San Cristobal, make sure to get water bottles or check with your accommodation for fresh/clean water.
Other Galapagos Islands Posts
3 Days Land Based on Isabela Island
3 days Land Based on Santa Cruz Island
What you need to know before visiting the Galapagos
9 day Land Based Galapagos Islands Itinerary
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