San Cristobal

The eastern island, and the archipelago's diving capital. Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), Espanola and Punta Pitt all leave from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Snorkelers and certified divers share the same waters here.

Snorkeling

Guided snorkel days for anyone comfortable in the water.

Snorkellers in the water in front of Kicker Rock
Snorkeling

From $220 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute snorkel sessions at the sheer lava tower off San Cristobal: first through the channel between the two rocks, then the west corner. Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and turtles move below you. A beach landing follows.

Gear fitting the day before

A waved albatross opening its wings in the nesting colony
Snorkeling

From $349 per person

San Cristobal

A two-hour crossing to Espanola, a two-hour walk at Punta Suarez among albatross and marine iguanas, then a 45-minute snorkel session in Gardner Bay with reef sharks, turtles and sea lions.

Gear fitting the day before

A red-billed tropicbird with its wings open over the dry scrub
Snorkeling

From $298 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute snorkel sessions at Bajo Pitt and Pitt islet, then a two-hour walk up Cerro Pitt, where the red-footed booby nests.

Gear fitting the day before

A group of snorkellers in the water beside the boat
Snorkeling

From $258 per person

San Cristobal

A full circuit of San Cristobal taking in five sites: Rosa Blanca, Punta Pitt, Bahia Sardina, Cerro Brujo and Kicker Rock. Snorkeling, beaches, red-footed boobies and a natural stone arch in one day.

Gear fitting the day before

A sea lion resting on the dry golden sand
Snorkeling

From $208 per person

San Cristobal

A short crossing to Isla Lobos for a guided walk among marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies, then lunch and snorkeling off Playa Ochoa with sea lions, turtles and octopus.

Gear fitting the day before

A scalloped hammerhead shark in open blue water
Snorkeling

From $378 per person

San Cristobal

One 45-minute snorkel session in the channel at Kicker Rock, then a landing at Punta Pitt and a two-hour walk up to Cerro Pitt for the red-footed booby. Two of the island's signature sites in a single day.

Gear fitting the day before

A green sea turtle swimming in the Galapagos
Snorkeling

From $150 per person

San Cristobal

A 45-minute snorkel session in Darwin Bay, then two panga rides: along the Pared de Tijeretas wall for seabirds, and out to the Carawa, a cargo ship wrecked roughly a century ago.

Gear fitting the day before

Diving

From a first-time Discovery Scuba Dive to certified dive sites. Every dive tour states its requirement.

A scalloped hammerhead shark, the species divers come to Kicker Rock to see
Diving

From $285 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at Kicker Rock, the volcanic tower standing off San Cristobal. The first descent runs through the channel between the two walls, where Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and rays pass.

Open Water required

A Galapagos sea lion swimming over the reef at Espanola
Diving

From $378 per person

San Cristobal

A two-hour crossing to Espanola, a walk at Punta Suarez among albatross and marine iguanas, then a single 45-minute dive at Gardner Bay with reef sharks, turtles and rays.

Open Water required

A green sea turtle swimming over the reef
Diving

From $285 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at the far northeast corner of San Cristobal, at Bajo Pitt and Pitt islet, followed by a walk up Cerro Pitt to the red-footed booby colony.

Open Water required

A green sea turtle swimming over the rocky bottom
Diving

From $252 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives close to town: the reef life of Darwin Bay, then a full circuit of the Carawa, a cargo ship that went down about a hundred years ago and now carries its own reef.

Open Water required

A Galapagos sea lion underwater
Diving

From $280 per person

San Cristobal

For certified divers who have been out of the water six months or more. A full skills review with an instructor, then two 45-minute dives at Darwin Bay and the Carawa wreck.

Open Water required

A white-tipped reef shark resting under a ledge
Diving

From $257 per person

San Cristobal

A deep cave dive to 35 meters, entered one diver at a time on the instructor's signal, then a second 45-minute dive along Pared de Tijeretas. Dive lights included.

Advanced Open Water required

Sea turtles on the bottom with snorkellers at the surface
Diving

From $268 per person

San Cristobal

Hammerheads and Galapagos sharks patrol Roca Ballena on the first 45-minute dive. The second is a full circuit of the Carawa, a century-old wreck now covered by reef.

Open Water required

A Galapagos sea lion swimming beside divers
Diving

From $280 per person

San Cristobal

A program built for people who have never dived. No Open Water certification needed. Surface practice, a guided descent on a line, then two 45-minute dives with a maximum depth of 12 meters.

No certification needed

A spotted eagle ray gliding over the bottom in the Galapagos
Diving

From $254 per person

San Cristobal

One 45-minute dive at Darwin Bay after dark. Lights pick out reef sharks, cat sharks and octopus, and phosphorescent plankton lights up the water around you as you move.

Advanced Open Water required

Two white-tipped reef sharks resting on the bottom
Diving

From $269 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives: the shark ground at Roca Ballena, then the wall at Pared de Tijeretas. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, turtles and rays are all possible.

Open Water required

A scalloped hammerhead shark cruising in the blue
Diving

From $269 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at San Cristobal's outer sites. Roca Ballena brings hammerheads and Galapagos sharks; Bajo Cerro Mundo, 45 minutes further out, can hold visibility to 30 meters.

Open Water required

White-tipped reef sharks swimming over the reef
Diving

From $267 per person

San Cristobal

A deep cave dive to 35 meters, entered one diver at a time, paired with a full circuit of the Carawa, a ship that sank a century ago and now carries its own reef. Dive lights included.

Advanced Open Water required

Land tours

Beaches, highlands and tortoises on the island itself.

A visitor photographing a sea lion from a distance at Playa Loberia
Day tour

From $142 per person

San Cristobal

A natural beach on San Cristobal where sea lion colonies rest on the sand and rocks, with marine iguanas and seabirds along a quiet stretch of coast.

The El Junco crater lagoon in the green highlands
Day tour

From $200 per person

San Cristobal

Three sites in the highlands and on the far coast of San Cristobal: the freshwater lake of El Junco inside a volcanic crater, giant tortoises at the Galapaguera, and the white sand of Puerto Chino.

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Jacqueline Ojeda and Jorge Jaramillo of Pristine Galapagos