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There are 54 designated visitor sites in the Galapagos National Park, and site hopping between these involves taking a boat. Boats are allowed to land at only these sites. It's unlikely that you'll be able to do all the sites in even a week long trip and since many of them offer the same experience, pretty pointless too. Must visits include Seymour, which is nesting colony for blue-footed boobies and massive frigate birds, South Plaza where the wildlife consists of sea lions, iguanas and gulls, the Caleta Tortuga Negra in Santa Cruz for turtles and white-tipped sharks.
The island of Bartolome is beautifully desolate, tinted shades of ochre, red, green and black by volcanic activity. The volcano is now extinct and it is possible.
Besides Pinnacle Rock, you are allowed to snorkel in the brilliant waters off the northern coast where you'll have sea lions and Galapagos penguins for company or on the southern side where white and black tipped sharks and eagle and sting rays. Bartolome is also a nesting ground for the famous Green Sea Turtles of the Galapagos. The highlights of Rabida are the vibrant colours of the volcanic formations, brown pelicans, flamingos, land and marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed and masked boobies, Bahama pintail ducks and Common Stilts.
There are two visitor sites on the far-flung island of Espanola, famous for its marine iguanas that uncharacteristically for the species, change colour during the mating season. You'll also find the Hood Mockingbird and the Waved Albatross. The two visitor sites on this island are Gardener Bay - where you can snorkel, and Punta Suarez - where besides the fauna mentioned above, you'll also find Espanola lava lizards, Swallow Tailed Gulls, masked and blue footed boobies, finches and the Galapagos Hawks.
The island of Isabela is Galapagos' largest and the best whale spotting sights in the area. Up to 16 species have been spotted here including humpbacks, sperm and orcas. Isabela has a huge variety of wildlife and swimming, snorkelling and diving sites. West of Isabela is Fernandina, the youngest of the Galapagos Islands. Among the most volcanically active, Fernandina lacks the varied wildlife and the flora of the rest of the Galapagos. It does however, have colonies of flightless cormorants, marine iguanas and Galapagos penguins.
Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz
Puerto Ayora is the hub of tourist activity in the Galapagos. You'll get the most tour options and operators in the islands' most populous town. And if you have enough time in hand, left over after touring the visitor sites, there are bars and discos, sightseeing and shopping to be explored. Tank up on chilled beer, shake leg to some good music and pick up art and jewellery as souvenirs. Sightseers should pay a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Institute or walk down to Turtle Bay (Bahia Tortuga). Also on the island, not far from Porto Ayora are the villages of Bellavista and Santa Rosa. Go down the lava tubes in Bellavista, or explore the slopes of the now extinct Cerro Crocker. More craters and a tortoise reserve make the trip to Santa Rosa worthwhile. Puerto Ayora also has the most accommodation options anywhere on these islands. Budget tourists in particular should plan on making this their base.
Most flights from Guayaquil and Quito land here. If you haven't booked a tour on the mainland, rest assured you'll find plenty of options here. It is wise to ask around and consult with other tourists before making your choice.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the second most important town in the Galapagos. Meant really for luxury tourists and cruisers, it isn't the best place to get a good budget tour going. On the flip side though, there are plenty of luxury resorts and posh restaurants for those who're doing the islands in style.
Sights on the San Cristobal Island include Los Galapagos where giant tortoises live in the wild, Frigatebird Hill (Cerro de las Tijeretas) where the magnificent birds nest and El Junco Lagoon, a freshwater lake. An hour's ride by boat is the visitor site of Isla Lobos, a major colony of blue-footed boobies and sea lions.
Isla Isabela
The main tourist centre on this island is the coastal town of Puerto Villamil. The accommodation in the city spans the range from budget to luxury but the number available is few. Most establishments also operate or at least arrange tours up the volcano of Sierra Negra and around. The village of Santo Tomas, about 20 kilometres inland and situated in the shadow of the Sierra Negra, is a pleasant place to spend a few hours in.
Isla Santa Maria
With a small population of a few hundred people, this island is not really on the tourist circuit and there isn't much reason you'd chose to stay here unless you were looking to get away from it all.
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