Galapagos Itinerary 7 Days: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Isabela Without a Cruise

One hour, free. San Cristóbal airport is 2 km from central Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, a short cheap taxi ride. On arrival, park rangers collect the entrance fee in cash: 200 US dollars for most foreign visitors.

Drop your bags and head to the waterfront. On the small harbour beach, dozens of sea lions sleep on the sand, the benches and the boat steps. Keep two metres away and do not use flash: it is a park rule.

Late afternoon, free, one kilometre northeast of the malecón. It is where town goes for a swim after work, with sea lions on the sand and the lighthouse on the horizon.

If you are early, carry on up the same road to the free Interpretation Center, which covers the natural and human history of the islands, and along the trail to Cerro Tijeretas, the frigatebird lookout, 1.5 km further.

A full day, 120 to 180 US dollars with a local agency, lunch and gear included. Book the day before at one of the agencies on the malecón. It is the best snorkelling on San Cristóbal: the boat stops between the two halves of the rock, where sea turtles, rays and Galapagos sharks pass.

Most trips add a beach such as Cerro Brujo or Puerto Grande, plus Isla Lobos, home to blue-footed boobies. The water is deep with currents; ask for a vest if you are not a strong swimmer.

One hour in the late afternoon, free, 3 km from town by taxi or bike along the airport road. A short trail over the lava leads to the beach, where mothers nurse their pups.

Marine iguanas bask on the black rocks. When the sea is calm the beach is good for snorkelling with turtles.

Two hours. The 7am ferry leaves San Cristóbal and reaches Puerto Ayora around 9:30am, for 30 to 35 US dollars in cash. The station is at the eastern end of town, 20 minutes on foot from the dock.

The exhibition hall is free and open 8am to 6pm. The national park’s Fausto Llerena breeding centre shows the giant tortoises of each island and the preserved body of Lonesome George, the last of his species; the guided visit costs 10 US dollars.

Two hours in the afternoon, after check-in. From the dock, take the water taxi across the bay for one dollar and walk 20 minutes past Playa de los Alemanes.

The crack holds cold, clear brackish water between lava walls, with fish visible from above. Jumping from the rocks is not allowed. Head back before dark, when water taxis thin out.

The whole morning, free. The 2.5 km paved trail starts at the top of Charles Binford avenue; sign in at the hut, which opens at 6am. Go early, before the heat and the groups.

The first beach, Playa Brava, has strong waves and currents: do not swim there. Keep going to Playa Mansa at the end, sheltered by mangroves, where you can swim with small whitetip reef sharks and watch marine iguanas on the sand. There is no food or shade, so bring water.

Two and a half hours, 10 US dollars entry, 20 km from Puerto Ayora by taxi with waiting time for around 40 dollars. In the highlands, wild giant tortoises cross farm pastures looking for food and water.

Entry includes rubber boots and a lava tunnel, a gallery hundreds of metres long formed as the lava cooled. Bring a light jacket: the highlands are cooler and damper than the coast.

Two and a half hours in the afternoon, 90 to 120 US dollars with a local agency. The 7am ferry from Puerto Ayora reaches Puerto Villamil around 9:15am, where a 10 dollar municipal fee is charged at the dock. In the morning, swim at Concha de Perla, the free natural pool next to the pier.

The guided trip goes by boat to the islet across from the harbour. The trail crosses the lava among hundreds of marine iguanas and reaches a narrow channel where whitetip reef sharks rest. Many tours add snorkelling with turtles and sea lions.

A 45 minute stop, free, on the western edge of the village. Wooden boardwalks cross the brackish lagoon where flamingos feed with their heads underwater.

If you have time, the same road leads to the free Arnaldo Tupiza tortoise breeding centre. Head back for sunset on the Puerto Villamil beach.

Five to six hours, 55 to 67 US dollars, always with a mandatory park guide; transport and a snack are included. It leaves at 7:30am. It is around 16 km return with no hard climb, to the rim of one of the largest calderas in the world, about 10 km across.

The rim is often misty in the morning and clears later. The trail continues to the lava fields of Volcán Chico, looking over northern Isabela. Bring sunscreen, a hat and two litres of water.

The afternoon, on a bike rented in the village for a few dollars. It is 5 km west on a dirt road, stopping at the lagoons and beaches of the Humedales on the way.

The wall was built by inmates of the penal colony that ran on the island from 1946 to 1959, stacking lava stones for no purpose other than punishment. From there a trail climbs to the Cerro Orchilla lookout over the south coast.

A 30 minute stop, free, right on arrival. Take the 6am ferry from Isabela, which lands in Puerto Ayora around 8:15am; the market is a few steps from the dock.

Fishermen clean the catch on the counter while sea lions and pelicans wait for scraps a hand’s width away. It is the most photographed scene on Santa Cruz.

Forty-five minutes, free, on the road to the Itabaca Channel. Two pit craters sit either side of the road, and a short trail loops around both through scalesia forest, a tree found only in Galapagos, home to finches and the vermilion flycatcher.

The taxi to the channel takes around 40 minutes; the boat across to Baltra airport costs one dollar and a bus on the other side runs to the terminal. Arrive two hours before your flight.