Buccaneer Cove is located on the northwest coast of Santiago Island. Its landscape is spectacular, with its cliffs filled with seabirds and its red sand beach. A unique landscape of the archipelago !

This site, as well as Santiago Island in general, is full of history. At the time, it was an interesting stop for sailors who docked there to collect fresh water, wood and also meat (mainly tortoises).

Urbina Bay is located on the west side of Isabela Island. The short treck inland allows you to see different type of wildlife such as land iguanas, mockingbirds, Galapagos hawks and occasionally, giant tortoises. You can also have a spectacular view of Alcedo volcano.

At the beach, you will be able to see the largest marine iguanas in the Galapagos. You can also see pinguins,  flightless cormorants, sea turles and much more while snorkeling around the area.

This beach is not far from the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and is a great place to visit. You can choose to relax on the beach, go snorkeling with sea turtles and sea lions or just go for a swim. Pay attention to the current and swell which can sometimes be strong.

This site is also an amazing spot to go surfing. Ask the locals for advices !

Playa Mann is located in the town of Buerto Baquerizo Moreno, just in front of the University. This is a busy and popular beach with both locals and tourists, especially at sunset. This is probably one of the best places on San Cristóbal Island to watch the sunset.

There are small kiosks along the beach where you can buy local meals, snacks, beers or drinks.

Playa Punta Carola is located about 1 km from the center of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It is a nice walk going slowly uphill and downhilll pass the Interpretation center. There you will find a beautiful beach less crowded then Playa Mann. It is a nice place to go swimming and snorkeling with marine iguanas or just to relaxe on the quiet beach. It is also a good place to go surfing when the wind is from the right direction. Ask the locals for adivces !

To access Las Tijiretas you must walk on a magnificient marked trail of approximately 1km from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno that climbs slightly up. The entrance of the trail is on the street that leads to Playa Mann. Tijeretas is the common name for frigates bird in spanish. It is one of the only places where you can watch the two species of frigate birds nesting in the same colony. It is also a very nice spot to go snorkeling. You can have the chance to snorkel with sea lions, sea turtles and rays. This is also a good place to go for a swim in this very calm bay.

Marchena Island is the largest of the northern islands. There is no terrestrial visitor sites on this island, this is why it is rarely visited by anyone, including scientists. Even if there are no tourist landing sites on the island itself, Marchena is surrounded by exceptional diving and snorkelling spot : Punta Espejo and Punta Mejía.

Dive site

Punta Espejo and Punta Mejía are very beautiful diving sites. Punta Mejia is situated on the southwestern side of the island, where rays, eels and numerous species of fish can be observed. Punta Espejo is a wonderfull dive site where you can observe hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea lions and much more.

This island is home to an endemic Lava lizzard and fur seals.

Floreana is one of the 4 inhabited islands of the archipelago. It has only around a hundred inhabitants. The island offer very good wildlife watching opportunities. You can see flamingos, Nazca boobies, Blue-footed Boobies, Floreana Mockingbirds, sea lions and more. The island is full of important history for the Galapagos archipelago and which is worth learning about! Floreana can be visited by cruise, day trip or by staying overnight in the only hotel on the island: The Wittmer Pension.

Point of interest: Cormorant Point

Cormorant Point is located on the northern part of Floreana Island. It features a golden-greenish beach that is compose of a mixture of minerals, all of which are responsible for the sand’s unique color. Not far inland, a brackish lake home to a variety of migratory and coastal birds, is also ideal for flamingo-watching. Here, there’s quite a large percentage of flamingos living in one single pond ,considering the small population of Galapagos Flamingos.

Floreana also offers a couple of interesting dive sites: Devil’s Crown, Champion Islet, Cormorant Point

This site is a short walk from the port of Puerto Villamil. You can easily access it independently to go snorkeling. It is accessed by a small path in the mangroves where you can observe marine iguanas and sea lions.

Las Tintoreras is a small volcanic islet located about 10 minutes by boat from the port of Puerto Villamil. This islet is full of life! It is possible to snorkel with penguins, white-tipped sharks, sea lions, marine iguanas and sea turtles. This is a pleasant activity that can be done in half a day.