Best Free Activities for Families on San Cristobal Island
San Cristobal is the easternmost island in the Galapagos island chain and the second most populated of the 4 main islands. With so many people based on the island, it’s no wonder that there are so many amazing things to do in San Cristobal!
My family based our 4-weeks in the Galapagos out of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the main population center on San Cristobal, so most of the activities that we did were there, though we did also do some island hopping to both Santa Cruz and Isabela.
While some of the absolute best places to visit on San Cristobal can only be reached by booking an official tour, there are some great free things to do on the island, if you’re looking to save a little money. I’ll be talking about my favorite paid tours
Here are some of my personal favorites!
Playa Mann
Playa Mann is both one of the easiest beaches to access in San Cristobal and one of the easiest places to get into the water, thanks to its sandy shoreline. We ended up visiting Playa Mann several times during our stay, and had decently good snorkeling each time.
I’ve heard that you can find sea turtles here, but at least during our visits, we mostly just saw sea lions and iguanas, as well as some smaller reef fish. Still, with plenty of sand for the kids and easy access to beachside restaurants, Playa Mann was a hit with our kids!
Interpretation Center
The Interpretation Center on San Cristobal is one of the best places on San Cristobal for for learning about the history of the Galapagos islands and the animals that make it such a unique place. While the exhibits themselves feel like they could use some updating, the information that they provide is still great, and can help kids (and adults!) to better appreciate everything the islands have to offer.
The interpretation center also acts as a sort of gateway to both Playa Muelle Tijeritas and Playa Punta Carola, so if you plan on visiting either of those beaches, it is definitely worth a stop on your way through!
Once you finish with theInterpretation Center, there is a long boardwalk at the back that leads to the beaches. It eventually splits into two separate pathways. If you turn right, you can walk down to the Muella Tijeritas and the Tijeritas lookout. Turning left will take you to Punta Carola.
The boardwalk itself is in full sun, so I would highly recommend wearing sunscreen and a hat of some sort, and bringing plenty of water for everyone.
Playa Muelle Tijeritas
Unfortunately for us, the day that we had set aside to visit the Muelle Tijeritas had rough enough waves that we didn’t feel comfortable enough to get in with our kids. The entrance to the water is stony, not sandy, so the waves hitting against the shore made us uncomfortable. Even so, Tijeritas has some of the best free snorkeling on the island, especially if you manage to get there earlier in the day.
The day wasn’t a total waste though, as we still got to see rays, marine iguanas, and sea lions playing in the waves while we waited to see if the sea would calm.
If the day isn’t too hot, it’s also worth walking up the nearby path to the monument to Charles Darwin!
Playa Punta Carola
After our failed visit to Muelle Tijeritas and a full-sun day, our kids weren’t interested in braving the boardwalk again to get to Punta Carola, so I don’t have firsthand experience with this beach. Even so, I think it deserves this spot on the list simply because of how many people have recommended it to me!
The snorkeling is supposed to be spectacular, though getting past the surf break can be tricky since the bottom is fairly rocky.
Sea lions, marine iguanas, and sea turtles are all fairly common at Punta Carola, and if you’re really lucky, you may even find some blue-footed boobies.
Playa La Loberia
Whereas the three previous beaches are all located just North of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Playa La Loberia is south of town. It’s technically possible to walk to La Loberia, but it’s worth the 2 dollars to grab a taxi, especially if you’re traveling with kids.
La Loberia is an absolutely beautiful beach, but we once again ended up visiting on a day with rough enough waves that we were advised not to get into the water. That was disappointing in the moment, but it ended up being great for us, since we decided to use our time there to explore instead!
If you walk past the sandy portion of the beach, you can find a path that leads down the coast. The path itself is mostly made up of lava stones, so be sure to wear shoes with a thick sole, if you plan on taking the trail.
We found more marine iguanas and lava lizards on this trail than anywhere else on the island, and at the very end we got our first sighting of a blue-footed booby!
We also had a lot of fun watching the ocean from above. The waves were huge and many of them formed barrels before crashing into the shore. Plus, there were a ton of sea turtles chilling just off the shore, which was super cool!
Despite not actually getting in the water, La Loberia ended up being one of my favorite free beaches on San Cristobal!
La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado
Ok, so I couldn’t write an article on the Galapagos Islands without at least mentioning the tortoises! And technically this Tortoise breeding center and sanctuary is free to visit, so it fits the list.
Cerro Colorado Breeding center is located in the highlands of San Cristobal where it hosts a breeding center for Geochelone chathamensis, one of the two species of tortoise native to San Cristobal. The breeding center exists to help young tortoises to grow to maturity in a protected space, since introduced species like cats and rats pose a real threat to them in the wild.
During our visit, we saw around 10-15 different young tortoises and probably twice that number of larger tortoises, though since the larger ones are allowed to roam the width of the center, there were probably more than that hidden farther off the trail.
La Galapaguera is located about an hour outside of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, meaning that you will definitely need to hire a driver to get there. And while it is pretty cool, I personally think that if you are planning on visiting, it’s worth it to go ahead and book the entire Highlands Tour, which also include a visit to the El Junco Lagoon, which is a fresh-water lake in the crater of an extinct volcano and ends with a visit to Puerto Chino beach.
Food and Souvenir Shopping on the San Cristobal Malecon
Rare wildlife and beautiful beaches are obviously the reason that you would want to visit the Galapagos Islands, but that doesn’t mean that you should ignore everything that town has to offer. San Cristobal’s Malecon runs along the shore in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and was one of my favorite places to walk during my time on the island.
“Malecon” just means “boardwalk” in Spanish, so you probably already know mostly what to expect here. This is the “touristy” part of town, which means lots of gift shops, tour agencies, and hostels. But this is also where the best restaurants in town are located.
If you’re a fan of fresh fish, be sure to try some locally-sourced brujo (scorpionfish), which has a white, flaky flesh that reminds me of halibut. If you’re out and about in the mornings, an Ecuadorian dish called tigrillo is the way to go! It’s a mix of eggs, cheese, and plantains that is absolutely delicious.
Alongside the restaurants, the Malecon has several good playground areas for families with younger kids, and tons of locations where you can just sit and watch the wildlife. Sea lions and marine iguanas were both extremely common along the Malecon.
San Cristobal, Galapagos has tons of great free things to do, which we really appreciated. Sunny beach days filled with snorkeling and days spent hiking oceanside pathways make for excellent memories.
However, to get the absolute best experience possible in San Cristobal, definitely consider checking out some of the amazing paid tours available. On those tours we swam with hammerheads, got splashed by dolphins, and made memories that my kids will not be forgetting anytime soon!
