Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Get around

The island is small enough that unless you want to go to Puerto Chino, El Junco or La Galapaguera for the day or don't feel like hiking to El Progreso, you can walk wherever you need to be. From one end to the other Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is about a 20-30 minute walk. If you don't feel like walking, hail a taxi (hold your hand out, palm sideways and point your arm towards the ground). It should be $1 anywhere in town (including the airport). El Progreso, Puerto Chino, La Galapaguera, and El Junco cost more and official prices have been established by the local government, check the board on the Tourist Pier for information on costs to these places. Since official prices have been established, no additional tax are allowed and Ecuadorians and foreigners are charged the same.

There is one road leading from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the west to the beach of Puerto Chino on the west coast. On the way you'll pass the villages El Progreso and Cerro Verde. There are collectivos going to the villages or you can take a taxi. Hitchhiking is also a good alternative.

See

thumb|A sea lion at Punta Pitt

Officially, you need a guide to visit anywhere within the Galapagos National Park with a group larger than eight. Some other areas are restricted to visiting with a guide online.

Playa Mann is a beautiful local beach, although it can be quite crowded on weekends with locals and occasional sea lions. A short walk from the town. It's right across from the campus of GAIAS, the Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences of Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Interpretation Center lies near the entrance to the National Park on the western edge of town. About ten minutes walk from the town centre. Here you can learn more about the history of the Galápagos and the conservation of this unique piece of nature. Follow the waterfront west to Playa Mann, and follow the signs. Admission is free.

Starting at the Interpretation centre there is a loop walk that will take around an hour. It passes:

Las Tijeretas - (Frigatebird hill). If you follow the trails further up you come to a set of viewpoint overlooking a bay. Nesting frigate birds can be seen here. It is possible to snorkel in the bay. La Loberia - This is an uninviting rocky beach, but a good place to see marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, yellow canaries, and a large sea lion colony. Sometimes it is also possible to surf. It is about 1 km east of the airport along a dirt path.

From Las Tijeretas you can also hike to Baquerizo, a calm beach with not that many people there. The trail is about…

Do

Mountainbiking from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to Puerto Chino is ambitious even for die-hard mountain bikers, but if you hitchhike the uphill parts it'll make a nice daytrip and you can see some of the sites on the way.

There are several tour agents offering boat trips and snorkeling to Kicker rock, Isla Lobos or other visitor sites. You can rent equipment to hike, camp, bike, or snorkel at many of these places. It's also possible to do scuba diving. There are three scuba shops on the island; GalaKiwi, Chalo Tours, and Galapagos Expeditions. GalaKiwi is better for experienced divers, the guide tends to swim fast and not point out too many things. Chalo Tours speaks English, Spanish, Danish, and German. They have reasonable prices and all the guides are great. The main guide for Galapagos Expeditions is trained by Chalo Tour's main guide.

Renting a mountain bike is also possible and cost around $10 per day. Most bikes are not mountain but are sufficient for around town and on the roads up to El Progreso (the other town on the island).

A taxi (pick-up truck) can be rented to drive to Puerto Chino, one of the best beaches on the island. It will cost between $40-50, but you can always grab a crowd and split the price. This is a gorgeous beach with soft white sand and is the furthest point into the island that one can go without naturalist guide.

While you're in the highlands, you may want to stop by the Galapaguera to see the breeding center of the San Cristobal variety of tort…

Buy

As in most of Ecuador, you can pay by cash or by credit card in most major places, although cash is preferred at most small shops and transportation. There is a Banco de Pacifico with ATM. Depending on your banknet, it may or may not accept your bankcard. If not, walk in the bank and talk to David about a Visa advance. He's a nice guy and speaks English.

There are many souvenir shops on the Malecón (Av. Charles Darwin) and the surrounding side streets. Galapagos coffee is always a popular item with prices ranging from $6.50/lb for vacu-packed coffee to $15/lb if you want it in a cute tin or box. Several talented local artists have a gallery in the upstairs of Casa Blanca, also on the Malecón.

Remember, never buy handicrafts made with local natural resources, it is forbidden by the Galapagos law, it is a National Park!

Eat

There are a variety of restaurants along the main waterfront strip with English menus, and local and international cuisine.

There are several excellent restaurants in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, and many smaller places that serve a good setmeal of soup, rice and chicken, typically around $3. Several places offer a set meal with a choice of chicken, beef, or fish along with juice, menestra (beans), rice, and the daily soup for $3. It's quite a deal, especially at Albacora or Bambu.

Drink

There are three main bars on the island; Polo's Bar, Iguana Rock, and Voqui Bar. Generally people start at Polo's (directly up the street from Calypso) and then head to Iguana Rock to dance (up the street from Polo's, hang a left when you hit the market). When Iguana's closes, head to Voqui for some late night pool (located in the back room of Calypso) or the discoteca above Calypo's.

Instead of a discoteca above Calypso, there are now two discotecas in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno: La Isla (the island) and Neptune. Both are located on the main road and will sometimes charge a $1-3 entrance fee on the occasional Saturday.

Go next

Closest islands to San Cristobal are: Santa Fe Espanola