Tourism

Ecotourism is the main source of revenue for the Galapagos; however, human population growth, pollution, and introduced species destroy the delicate ecosystems of the islands famous for evolution. The many National Park Rules were created to prevent any additional disturbances and strains caused by tourism. As a result, tourism on the islands is severely limited to the larger islands where the ecosystem is less fragile, and there, the only tourist activity allowed is walking nature trails with qualified guides. Other, aquatic activities include highly restricted sports fishing, and diving and cruising, which are the most popular forms of tourism on the Galapagos.

1. ESPANOLA (Hood): older, eroded volcanic island

1. Punta Suarez: cliffs, blow hole (some 20m up into the air)

   1. Plants: puncture weed, shore petunia, salt bush, atriplex, lantana, purslane, mesquite, trianthema,

   2. Animals: sea lions, marine iguanas (archipelago), lava lizards (archipelago), waved albatrosses (March to December), masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, Hood mockingbirds, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, Galapagos hawks

2. Gardner Bay: long and beautiful white sand beach, snorkeling site

   1. Plants: salt bush, prickly pear cactus, Jerusalem thorn, mesquite, beach dropseed

   2. Animals: sea lions

2. FLOREANA (Charles, official name is Santa Maria): sixth largest island, inhabited, 173 km2, 640m

1. Puerto Velasco Ibarra: main settlement

2. Post Office Bay: wooden mail barrel, lava tunnel, salt bush, Darwin's cotton, Jerusalem thorn, mesquite, sea lions, rays, sea birds.

3. Punta Cormorant: isthmus, large inland lagoon

   1. Animals: flamingos, other wading birds,

   2. sandy beach cove: turtles, rays, seabirds,

   3. off the coast is Devil's Crown: a half submerged volcanic crater

3. SAN CRISTOBAL (Chatham): fifth largest island, 558km2, 730m, inhabited

1. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno: provincial capital with Nature Interpretation Center, airport, ship harbor, starting point for some cruises

   1. Frigate Hill (Cerro de las Tijeretas) just outside town

   2. Animals: Frigate bird

2. Loberia:

   1. Animals: sea lions, marine iguanas, warbler, finches, blue-footed boobies

3. El Junco Lagooon: fresh water lake and water reservoir

   1. Plants: Miconias, ferns, sedges, clubmoss, tree ferns

   2. Animals: white-cheeked pintails, common gallinules

4. La Galapagera: giant tortoises reserve, mixture of lowland and moist upland vegetation

   1. Plants: Galapagos cotton, yellow cordia, poison apple, passionflowers

   2. Animals: mockingbirds, finches

5. Isla Lobos: small island

   1. Animals: blue-footed boobies, sea lions

6. Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock): two giant rocks, separated by a channel, where small vessels can pass through

7. Punta Pitt: volcanic tuff formations, only area in isles where all three booby species nest together

4. SANTA FE (Barrington):

   1. Plants: tall opuntias, incense tree, salt bush, yellow cordia, blainvillea, maytenus, thorn shrub

   2. Animals: Santa Fe land iguanas, pelican nesting site, sea lions, mockingbird, dove, finch

3. Isla Plazas: two tiny islands uplifted from the sea, separated by a channel

4. South Plazas:rocky cliffs

   1. Plants: opuntias, carpet weed, portulaca, castela, grabowskia

   2. Animals: land iguanas, marine iguanas,red-billed tropicbirds, gulls, shearwaters, sea lion bachelor colony

   3. nearby Gordon Rocks: scuba diving sites

5. SANTA CRUZ (Indefatigable): second largest island,most populated island,( Cerro Crocker )

1. Puerto Ayora & Charles Darwin Station: research facility, mayor tourist center, National Park Information center, giant tortoise and land iguana breeding program, interpretation center, natural habour Academy Bay

2. Tortuga Bay(Turtle Bay): white sand beach, small salt lagoon

   1. Plants: Opuntia cactus forest, other coastal and lowland vegetation

   2. Animals: marine iguanas, shore birds, great blue heron, pelican, whimbrel, sanderling, ruddy turnstone, lava gull

3. Los Gemelos: volcanic craters, sinkholes, Scalesia forest

   1. Plants:bromeliads, orchids, vermillion flycatchers

   2. Animals: warblers, darwin finches

4. El Chato: giant tortoise wild reserve, long lava tube, small lagoon covered with red algae, agricultural used land, pasture

   1. Plants:cedar, maracuya

   2. Animals: pintails, finches

5. Las Bachas: white sand beach, small lagoon

   1. Animals: sea turtles, flamingos, whimbrels, heron, pelican, Sally Lightfoot crab

6. Conway Bay: lagoon

   1. Animals: flamingos,

7. Cerro Dragon: small lagoons

   1. Plants: Palo Santo trees, Opuntias

   2. Animals: flamingos

8. Caleta Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove):

   1. Plants: mangrove

   2. Animals: lava herons, pelicans, marine tortoises and golden mustard rays

6. BALRA (South Seymour):north of Santa Cruz, site of the airport

   1. Plants: incense tree, prickly pear cactusa, Jerusalem thorn,

   2. Animals: sea birds, sea lions

7. MOSQUERA: beautiful sand beach

   1. Animals: large sea lions

8. NORTH SEYMOUR (Seymour Norte or just called Seymour):

   1. Plants: incense tree, yellow cordia, croton, salt bush, maytenus, merremia, opuntia, evolvus

   2. Animals: frigate bird, blue-footed booby, sea lion, marine iguana

9. DAPHNE: two small eroded volcanic islands,Daphne Major

   1. Plants:incense tree, chamaesyce, purslane, gray matplant, prickly pear cactus, puncture weed

   2. Animals: masked boobies, blue footed boobies, red-billed tropic bird

10. SOMBRERO CHINO (Chinese Hat): volcanic island, lava formations, small cove

    1. Plants:lava cactus, purslane, carpet weed, puncture weed

    2. Animals: sea lion, marine iguana, Galapgaos penguin

11. BARTOLOME (Bartholomew): volcanic island, tuff cones, Pinnacle Rock, sand beach

    1. Plants: maytenus, mat plant, lava cactus, mollugo, thorn shrub, white and red mangrove, pectis

    2. Animals: Galapagos penguin, blue footed booby, pelican, marine turtle, sea lion, tropical fish

12. RABIDA (Jervis):dark red coral sand beach, sea lion bachelor colony, salt water lagoon

    1. Animals: sea lion, pelican nesting sites, flamingos, white-cheeked pintails

13. PINZON (Duncan): no visitor sites, cliffs, nesting site for sea birds

14. SANTIAGO(James Island, official Spanish name is San Salvador):

1. Sullivan Bay: 100 hundred year old lava flow field, pahoehoe formations, lava bubbles

   1. Plants: mollugo, lava cactus

   2. Animals: marine iguana, sea lion, marine turtle, Sally Lightfoot crab

2. Puerto Egas (James Bay): salt mine, Sugar Loaf Volcano, lava shoreline

   1. Plants: poison apple tree, incense tree, castela, heliotrope, sicklepod, yellow cordia, thorn shrub, opuntia

   2. Animals: marine iguana, fur seal, lava lizard, crab, American oystercatcher, lava heron, sanderling, ruddy turnstone, whimbrel

3. Buccaneer Cove: beautiful rock cliffs, nesting seabirds

4. Espumilla Beach: small lagoon, wading birds

15. GENOVESA (Tower): eroded flat volcanic island, natural harbor (the submerged caldera)

1. Darwin Bay:

   1. Plants:prickly pear cactus, incense tree, chamaesyce, salt bush, heliotrope

   2. Animals: red-footed boobies, masked boobies, great frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, herons, large cactus finch, sea lions

2. Prince Philip's Steps (El Barranco): cliffs

   1. Plants:incense trees, lava cactus, chamaesyce

   2. Animals: masked booby colony, red-footed booby, storm petrels, short-eared owls, doves, finches

16. MARCHENA (Bindloe): volcanic island, active volcano, no land visitor site, scuba diving site

17. PINTA (Abington): volcanic island, no official tourist sites, former home of Lonesome George

18. WOLF (Wennam ): scuba diving site

19. DARWIN (Culpepper): Monumental Darwin Arch nearby

20. ISABELA (Albemarle): largest of the Galapagos islands, Wolf volcano, highest point (1707m) in the entire Galapagos.

1. Puerto Villamil: town, Tortoise Breeding Station, white sand beach, wetlands

   1. Animals: marine iguanas, flamingos, whimbrels, gallinules, stilts, lava gulls, sanderling

2. Muro de las Lagrimas: until 1959 a penal colony, Wall of Tears erected by convicts, dry lowland vegetation, wetlands

   1. Plants mangroves

   2. Animals: flamingos, finches, pelicans, booby

3. Volcan Sierra Negra: Volcan Chico, fumaroles, moist highland vegetation, agricultural, pasture land, introduced plants

   1. Plants: anis

4. Las Tintoreras: lava formations

   1. Animals: marine iguanas, sea lions

5. Elizabeth Bay: panga ride, inlet cove

   1. Plants: tall red, white and black mangroves

   2. Animals: marine turtles, rays, flightless cormorant, Humboldt penguins, blue-footed booby, pelicans

6. Urbina Bay:

   1. Plants: incense tree, Darwin's shrub,thorn shrub, cotton, yellow cordia, petunia

   2. Animals: flightless cormorants, pelicans, marine iguanas, rays, turtles, land iguanas, giant tortoises

7. Tagus Cove: natural harbour site, century old wall graffiti, water filled caldera

   1. Plants: incense tree, castela, cotton, lantana, waltheria, macraea

   2. Animals: penguins, flightless cormorants, darwin finches, Galapagos hawk

8. Punta Garcia: a'a' lava formations

9. Punta Moreno: lava beach

   1. Plants: pioneer plants

   2. Animals: white-cheeked pintails, common gallinules

10. Punta Albemarle: WWII American radar station

    1. Animals: flightless cormorant

21. FERNANDINA (Narborough): youngest (some 700 000 years old) volcanic island

1. Punta Espinoza: wide lava flow, pahoehoe and a'a' lava formations

   1. Plants: Brachycereus or lava cactus, shore petunia, red, white and black mangrove

   2. Animals: marine iguanas, sea lions, flightless cormorant, lava herons, Galapagos hawk

Related Links:

1. Marchena Island

2. Prohibited Items (in Spanish)

3. Volanoes

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