Kent's Top 10 Things to Do in Nature on San Cristobal Island

Kent's Top 10 Things to Do in Nature on San Cristobal Island
Note:  All are within walking distance to our house except for 4,5, and 10.

10.  Hike to El Junco--This is a a volcano crater lake, and one of the only fresh water sources in all of the islands.  The reason this isn't ranked any higher is because the day we went here, it was foggy, rainy and muddy and we couldn't see much.  We have heard that birds like this place.  We'll try again another time.

9.  Playa Mann--this is the most popular "hangin' out" beach.  It's a nice symbol of world peace because tourists, locals and sea lions all share the same beach in harmony--except of course if the bull sea lion is chasing one of the females towards the sun bathing tourists.  Then everybody scrambles to get out of the way!  This is sea lion "baby season" so it's great fun to watch these cute little pups.  Luisa and I saw one yesterday with his/her umbilical cord still attached!  Because of so many sea lions here, it can also be a stinky place at times.  There are also vendors selling ice cream, empanadas and other yummy things.

8.  Punta Carola--this beach isn't too far from Playa Mann, but is a little more remote because it doesn't have road access.  Beautiful place to watch the sun set and watch sea lions.  You can also get a glimpse of some marine iguanas here, and there is a lovely little lighthouse lookout on a small peninsula.

7.  Strolling Along the Malacón--With the Malacón (board walk and city center) being just 3-4 blocks away from our house and less than a block from the office we work out of, we go to the Malacón everyday.  Everyday there is something new to see and discover.  There are always tons of sea lions and Sally lightfoot crabs.  Usually we see some small iguanas and frigate birds.  Sometimes we see blue footed boobies, sea turtles swimming, brown pelicans, lava herons, night herons, and sandpipers.  Besides sleeping on the lava rocks, the sea lions also like to sleep on the docks, on the city benches, and sometimes on the sidewalks.

6.  Snorkeling at Las Tijeretas--Beautiful bay with lots of great fish and some caves.  Have seen sea turtles here, and the only place we have seen a marine iguana actually swimming.  Usually there are some sea lions hanging around.  Once when I was snorkeling there, a sea lion was swimming and dancing around me so close that I thought he was going to touch me.  They are very playful.

5.  Surfing at Puerto Chino--This is the beach where we went surfing on Luisa's birthday.  Nice sea lion beach with nice "beginner surfing waves."  There are also nice rocks to climb there, and a trail that we haven't explored yet.  We had lots of fun trying to surf even though none of us really stood up.  This is the same beach where Luisa and Magdalena were body surfing and swimming with the sea lions.

4.  La Galapaguera--"The Place of the Giant Tortoises" is the controlled breeding and nesting center for the San Cristobal islands.  This is the easiest and most accessible place to see the giant tortoises native to San Cristobal islands.  The place where they can be seen in the wild is not very accessible to humans.  This center is home to hundreds of San Cristobal tortoises until they are large enough to fend for themselves in the wild, which is about 5 years old.  They also have adults for breeding purposes there.  Beautiful creatures.

3.  Hike at La Loberia--"Sea Lion Beach" was the first place Pablo took us on our first Saturday.  I think I will always remember this particular hike because it was our first introduction to the natural areas of the Galapagos.  I was overwhelmed with both the scenic beauty on this hike as well as the vast quantities of strange and incredible wild life.  Besides sea lions, it is common to see small lava lizards scurrying around, large marine iguanas basking in the sun, red Sally lightfoot crab colonies decorating large lava rocks, frigate birds soaring in the sky, and brown pelicans looking for their next catch.  The hike at times involves jumping from lava rock to lava rock and is marked by white posts sticking out of the ground.

2.  Snorkelling at La Loberia--Great thing to do on a Saturday morning.  Morning is the best time to see sea turtles.  The two times we have snorkeled here we have seen a number of sea turtles quite easily.  They are usually hanging out in waters that are not too deep.  When they swim it is fun to swim behind them at a safe distance.  Although these large, peaceful and majestic creatures tend to capture all of our attention, there are a lot of interesting tropical fish to look at as well.

1.  Hike to Las Tijeretas and Beyond--"Las Tijeretas" is the name for frigate birds because their tails resemble scissors (tijeras).  From the highest point you can see the beautiful, sparkling bay, two different rock islands, frigate birds (both flying and in their nests), blue-footed boobies, and the town (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno).