here. It's more developed than many realize (including us) but don't let that sway your perception as it has many wonderful and free things to see and do and the food is spectacular! (See the nightly food market below)
The town has kept it's charm with a cozy winding malecon along the ocean full of quaint shops and an abundance of tour operators. The municipalities in the Galapagos along with numerous outside foundations have been aggressive about protecting the wildlife and general ecology therefore you will see that Puerto Ayora is VERY environmentally conscious in every way.
I want to note that we chose to do the islands independently meaning that we opted out of a cruise. There are arguments on both sides but we felt as though we had a richer experience through staying on the 3 inhabitable islands and connecting with the animals AND the people. We were amazed to experience how the vast creatures of the islands live peacefully and without fear amongst humans.
A fellow traveller named Peter told us a story of sitting beside a man on the plane from Atlanta to Quito who was going on a cruise and his itinerary was broken down by every half hour! That was something we had no interest in. We did some research and chose day tours that were highly recommended and DIY trips and they were amazing. We saw every land, air and sea creature you would see on a cruise and had the added bonus of exploring the culture and people of the Galápagos as well.
WHAT WE DID AND RECOMMEND:
1) The Puerto Ayora Pier - FREE
This lovely and lively hang out spot is popular for locals and tourists. Our first night we wandered down and enjoyed watching endless sea lions snoozing, saw all types of colorful fish and even Manta Rays!
The lights off the pier are coloured which attracts many fish and also makes it easy to see them at night in the water. It's a beautiful spot with benches everywhere but you may have to fight a sea lion to get a seat. They LOVE the benches for a late afternoon snooze!
The lights off the pier are coloured which attracts many fish and also makes it easy to see them at night in the water. It's a beautiful spot with benches everywhere but you may have to fight a sea lion to get a seat. They LOVE the benches for a late afternoon snooze!
2) Rancho Primicias - Tortoise Farm and Lava Tunnels.
This gem is a short 20 min taxi ride from the centre and for the whole trip (including the driver waiting for you while you tour the farm and tunnels) will cost you $35.00. The farm is also a coffee plantation so sit and enjoy a coffee after, we did and its fabulous!
The tortoises are absolutely majestic and look like they walked off of a Jurassic Park movie. The golden rule on the Galapagos is stay 3 meters away (though the sea lions and marine Iguanas are so plentiful you are often STEPPING over them on the sidewalk, particularly on San Cristobal Island) and with the Tortoises you will want to, their sheer size is intimidating at close to 500 lbs!
When you ask your hotel to set you up with a taxi to the farm ask them if he/she is knowledgable about the farm, ours walked with us for part of our visit and was a plethora of knowledge.
Many of the Tortoises live to 120 and you can see it in their soft wise eyes.
The lava tunnels are interesting and are included in any taxi that you arrange to the tortoise farm generally because they are on the way. They are well lit so no torch is needed and definitely fascinating when you remind yourself that they were formed by molten lava. However a note, the driver will drop you off at the entrance and pick you up at the exit which was totally fine for us (its only a 10 minute walk through them). They are at least 5 metres high in most places except one. There is a part of the tunnels where you need to crawl plank style with maybe a half metre between you and the wet muddy ground so don't wear white or anything that can't get a bit muddy. It's only a short plank shimmy (2 metres).
If this idea appalls you, you can ask your driver to just wait at the entrance and walk through as far as the shimmy spot.
There is a water tap once you get out to wash your hands.
3) Tortuga Bay - FREE
This may be the most gorgeous and serene beach in the world. The white powder sand and turquoise water are just the appetizer! The walk to the beach is a nice hike (45 min from the town centre) with a cacti packed landscape full of Darwin's Finches.
These adorable birds come in all colours and will accompany you to the beach. Even if you are not a birder which I am not, the Finches willl win your heart!
The trail is paved and does have some climbing but we saw children and seniors doing the hike. Note, there are no services so bring your own water or snacks.
Once you walk out of the trail you will most definitely stop for photos because the sight of marine iguanas enjoying the turquoise waters looks like it's out of a Disney cartoon. They are all over the beach and as soon as you see them swimming you know that they belong there. They are endemic to the Galapagos and become a normal sight after a couple of hours in the islands.
When you hit the beach turn right and walk down this first beach which is great for surfers and shark watching. We were lucky and saw one after a mere 10 minutes on the beach (a rare black tip shark).
If you wait long enough the waves will roll a few sharks in and they will hang around a couple seconds before getting their bearings backs and heading back out. It's a thrilling experience and had us high on life in seconds!
Keep walking and you will hit a a second beach that on a good day can be great for snorkelling (if the water visibility is good). The water visibility was only so-so when we arrived at Tortuga Bay therefore we decided to rent a kayak ($20 for 2 hours) and we kayaked around the bay and saw turtles, blue foot boobies and many marine Igaunas. On a clearer day I've heard you can see manta rays and sharks while kayaking and snorkling.
4) Charles Darwin Reseach Centre - FREE
We went to the Charles Darwin Research Centre before the farm which I think was a good idea (not planned) because they give you a lot of info about the tortoises while you are there and if you did the farm first you may feel a bit underwhelmed. The center is pleasant and of course free, and has numerous giant tortoises but it is a proper zoo so the majestic beasts are in a well groomed enclosure.
However, it's worth a visit to understand why they need tortoise breeding centres such as this, you will understand that without these centres the beautiful big guys and gals would be extinct.
An added bonus is seeing the tiny 2 month old tortoises which they don't have at the tortoise farm.
5) Night Food Market
This is definetely an enjoyable and scrumptious bonus to staying on the island. Building our appetites all day we always knew in the back of our minds that the food market was approaching!
The market is every night from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm and is on Charles Binford Avenue which is a few blocks inland walking up from the pier.
The street is pedestrian only with tables chairs lining the sidewalks. There are numerous eateries with friendly outstretched arms showing you there menu. I highly recommend any seafood particularly the Langostina (Lobster) it's been caught that morning and you can walk up to the lobsters on ice and barter for the size you want! They initially range between $10 and $25 but a $25 dollar lobster can easily be bartered down to $16 or $17, and this is a large lobster! I never paid more than $10 for a lobster and it was a good size. Each dish comes with rice, vegetables and tantalizing lobster sauce of your choice. (I recommend the Garlic!)
It's entertaining and delicious! This market is a must see and eat!!
Tip: ask about the daily "Cena" it's a fixed meal for a fixed price of $4.00
6) Las Greitas (the caves) - FREE
We had a great time here. Las Grietas is a volcanic crevice in the land split over a million years ago and now is a fresh water sink hole. It's a great place to bask in the sun and then cool off in the water, pack a picnic and there are nice little spots to snack and watch everyone enjoy!
It's a nice mix of locals and tourists and is not too crowded. There is even a police officer who watches from above to ward off any potential bag snatchers, which is isn't a big problem here but has happened occasionally.
The snorkling is not noteworthy. Some were disappointed in the lack of fish but it is a fun way to cool off on hot day or just fill an afternoon with a laid back activity.
If you swim further into the crevice there are some small ledges you can jump off though technically it is now prohibited.
To get here go to the main pier and you will see a dock for "Las Greitas". The boat ferry is .60 cents per person and is a 5 min boat ride. When you get off the ferry follow the signs, it is a 8 min walk and quite pleasant.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
If you are nervy about not booking in advance then by all means that is generally easy to do. Trip Advisor has a good list of nice hotels. I would advise booking in advance during holidays such as Christmas or Easter when you are competing with many nationals who will be enjoying family vacations in the Galapagos.
However, we had no problems arriving with nothing booked, Puerto Ayora is easy to navigate and we never entered a place that didn't have availability.
Don't expect prices like on the mainland, it's definetely more expensive here but it doesn't have to break the bank.
Hotels range from $20.00 person per night (without breakfast) to $120.00 per person for luxury.
We opted for places generally between $25 and $35 a night and we were quite happy. We stayed at the Galapagos Best Homestay in Puerto Ayora which was $25 person and had a full kitchenette.
We bought croissants and enjoyed coffee and breakfast on our patio in the mornings before starting our day. It was perfect! (They even had swing chairs on the patio for lounging with a coffee or beer)
There is a proper grocery store on the Malecon (Charles Darwin Avenue) on the block after the hospital.
Note, don't expect bartering like the mainland, the most we were able to negotiate was $5.00 per person, and this was just once. (And Niki is a hard bargainer!)
RANDOM DETAILS AND OTHER TIPS
Puerto Ayora is a beautiful entrance to the islands. And you will feel a sense of community immediately. Not only are locals extremely friendly with no sign of being "tourist tired", but you will find that you see people you met on the plane, bus or ferry everywhere including other islands. It is a charming side effect to staying on such small islands. We literally sat down one night at the food market with a couple we had met on a day tour and within one hour had a table of 10!! (All people we had met somewhere previously!)
DAY TRIPS:
We did some amazing day trips but we did them from Isabela and San Cristobal as it is MUCH cheaper and as I mentioned you can enjoy staying on the islands. Many people only stay in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz the whole time and day trip from here and end up paying DOUBLE for the tours. My advice is break down your days between the 3 inhabited islands. Isabela particularly is a wonderful melody of wildlife (many tours go here from Santa Cruz) and the options once you are there are many both FREE activities and great day tours. (See the Isabela blog)
TAXIS:
They are a $1.00 ride anywhere in town. A small tip is always appreciated but not required.
CHANGE:
This a quirk that is helpful to know before going and applies to all the islands. HOLD ON TO YOUR CHANGE.
Locals are not fans of changing bills, numerous times we would give a $20 bill for a $17 tab and they would ask us if we could give them 3 dollars to return to us a 10. You need small change for many things (taxis, boats etc) so we used the white lie system "no tengo cambio" (I don't have change)
Otherwise you will find yourself with all tens and twenties.
There are numerous ATM's in Puerto Ayora.
COFFEE SHOP TIP (WITH WIFI)
We stumbled upon a new coffee shop on the Malecon (Charles Darwin Ave.). It's called OMG and the owner Paul is from Quito and has a great story of how he and his wife ended up in Puerto Ayora. He has fantastic and flavourable coffee including organic Galapagos coffee. As a coffee aficionado I can say with great certainty he makes the best cappachinos on the island. And he is a great supporter of local music and plays and sells CD's of local bands from the Galapagos and some from mainland Ecuador.
You can't miss his place, you will see a nice shaded patio with a Darwin statue. The statue of Darwin shows him with a concerned look on his face and the story behind this is entertaining. Paul sought out an sculpturer on the mainland whom was famous for making busts that were used for spiritual ceremonies. He tracked him down only to find he was a creationist and was appalled by the request to create a statue of Darwin. Paul knew the artist was talented and wanted him to create this for his coffee shop so arranged a deal with him that if he created the statue he could make the expression one of "worry" over what the artist called "making a false claim" (evolution).
It is hilarious when Paul tells the story as he talks of having to tread lightly with the artist and not divulge his love for Darwin too profusely.
It's a great place to wind down after a big day and peruse your photos with a local coffee listening to local music. I can't recommend it enough!
Puerto Ayora and Santa Cruz was an incredible first town and island when arriving to the Galapagos. It offers a superb array of free and low cost options for seeing truly magnificent creatures at your own pace.
I will forever cherish our evenings at the Puerto Ayora Pier watching show stopping sea creatures with a cappachino or a beer. And the additional enjoyment of watching children, honeymooners and seniors with never ending smiles on their faces.
If only these animals knew what joy they brought to the lives of so many.
It is truly a place that must be protected and when you are here you feel as though humans are trying to make right for our not-so-honourable past with creatures of the Galapagos and the world.
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