San Cristobal
San Cristóbal is located on the southeast extreme of the archipelago.
It is the fifth-largest (558 km2) and most rapidly developing island in
the archipelago. Although the tourist infrastructure in the main town
and the provincial capital of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is less advanced
than in Puerto Ayora, the socio-environmental milieu is firmly
established in the town's colonial architecture, university, and local
political bodies. San Cristóbal also boasts organic coffee plantations
and other agricultural centers, the only freshwater lagoon in the
archipelago, beautiful beaches, amazing snorkeling and scuba-diving
opportunities, and some of the best surfing spots in the archipelago.
The following are the most popular attractions for cruise tours:
• The Galápagos National Park Interpretation Center , inaugurated in
1998, has a series of interactive exhibits providing information about
the history and biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands.
• Cerro Brujo (Wizard Hill)—on the western side of San Cristóbal —has
a spectacular, secluded white-sand beach that is the home to Sally
Lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, and sea lions. Visitors can swim or
snorkel from the shore, hike or run along the beach trail, or enjoy the
majestic offshore views of Leon Dormido.
• Leon Dormido , or Kicker Rock, is a rock structure protruding out
of the ocean in the shape of a sleeping lion (hence the island's Spanish
name). Small vessels can pass through a channel formed between the
rocks, snorkel among the colorful coral formations and tropical fish, or
scuba-dive with Galápagos sharks.
Punta Pitt , located at the northwest tip of San Cristóbal , is the
only site where visitors have the opportunity to see all three Galápagos
booby species nesting. Punta Pitt also has Galápagos hawks, sea lions,
and interesting volcanic tuff formations.
The wildlife you will see on your Galapagos tour are completely
unaffected by Galapagos travel visitors . For this reason, there is a
restricted number of visitors permitted into the Galapagos each year, as
part of a joint effort to protect the delicate environmental and ecological
equilibrium. The most sensible method of Galapagos travel is via our cruise
ships. The M/V Galapagos Legend provides 3 night, 4 night and 7 night
cruises to select from, which can also be easily merged with Galapagos
travel visits to neighboring South American locations