Best of San Cristobal Island

One of four inhabited islands in the Galápagos, San Cristóbal is a great base for planning land- and sea-based activities around the archipelago. The small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno has a sleepy waterfront and pretty beaches where sea lions often outnumber humans, and there are a handful of places just outside of town ideal for DIY adventures — like La Lobería, a beach full of marine iguanas and sea lions that's a 30-minute walk from town. 

A short boat ride from the island lies Kicker Rock, a photogenic rock formation famed for snorkeling. Under the waves, you can often spy sea lions, rays, sea turtles, and perhaps hammerhead sharks. Rocky Isla Lobos is home to colonies of blue-footed boobies, which you can see on a walk along the island. On a full-day trip from San Cristóbal, you can walk the sea cliffs spying a wide range of birdlife, including waved albatross, which nest here from March to December.