4 Great Paid Tours For Families In San Cristobal, Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s top destinations for amazing and unique wildlife experiences! San Cristobal is one of the oldest of the Galapagos islands and is also home to the islands’ capital, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Visitors to San Cristobal can access some amazing free activities just by being there, but in order to see the absolute best that San Cristobal has to offer, these are the paid tours that you need to check out.
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San Cristobal Highlands and Galapagos Tortoises Tour
There are few creatures as iconic to the Galapagos islands as the Giant Galapagos Tortoises. Despite being completely unable to swim, there are tortoises on each of the different Galapagos Islands. Each island has its own unique variety of tortoise, with its own set of unique characteristics.
San Cristobal’s wild tortoises live in a protected area of the island that is almost entirely off-limits to visitors without research credentials. However, San Cristobal does have a tortoise breeding center that welcomes visitors, and the San Cristobal Highlands tour is easily the best way to visit!
The Highlands Tour includes three different destinations: El Junco Crater Lagoon, Cerro Colorado Tortoise Breeding Center, and Puerto Chino Beach.
Each of the three locations included on this tour can be accessed for free, if you arrange your own transportation, but none of them take a long time to visit on their own and they are all located on the same road, so it is often easier and more convenient to pay for the tour and let them handle transportation.
El Junco Lagoon
El Junco Lagoon is one of the only natural sources of freshwater in the Galapagos Islands, but the lagoon’s natural beauty and importance to local birds are the main reasons for visiting. It is the first step on the Highlands Tour.
El Junco is a small lake located in the crater of an extinct volcano. The lake’s altitude is high enough to prevent the natural evaporation of its water, but not so high as to make getting there difficult.
There are almost always frigate birds flying above the lake, and we saw several swooping down to get drinks of the freshwater while we watched!
A short car ride takes you right to the base of the volcano and steps are built into the side of the hill. Even with the steps, the hike up was enough to wind my kids, but the views are well worth the effort!
La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado
The tortoise breeding center is the second stop on the tour.
When you first arrive, you will probably wonder if the center is even open. The main building you can see from the parking lot relies mostly on sunlight, so the windows will look dark as you approach it. Inside the visitors center, the exhibits looked worn down and sun-faded. There’s still some good information on tortoises there, but the real fun doesn’t start until further in.
Cerro Colorado Breeding Center has both adult tortoises and baby tortoises located along a short loop path. The babies are kept in a small enclosure to protect them from predators, while the older tortoises are allowed to wander and are spread out along the path.
I suggest checking out the breeding center where the babies are located first and then continuing the path around. It’s a fairly short path, but there are so many tortoises that you are sure to see at least a few!
Puerto Chino Beach
Unfortunately, I did not do my research before going on the highlands tour and completely missed that the tour ends with a few hours on an amazing beach on the far side of the island. Thus, I failed to bring my snorkeling gear and missed out completely on some of the bluest water that I saw during the entirety of my stay on San Cristobal!
Puerto Chino Beach is in a protected cove that keeps the waves fairly small and makes it a perfect location for hopping in with kids. The beach isn’t super crowded because of its distance from town, and there’s a trail up to a scenic look out for those not interested in getting wet.
The one downside to this beach is that there isn’t much in the way of food options nearby. There was a small shop selling empanadas in the parking lot when we visited, but that was all. So be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks if you plan on staying for a while!
How do I book the Highlands Tour?
Our host booked this one for us with a local driver, and we were able to do it the same day! Doing it that way was convenient and inexpensive, but tour availability depends greatly on who your host is and the drivers that they know.
A second option would be to visit one of the local tour agencies and booking with them. We booked our other tours with the Galapagos Xcursion Agency and were very happy with their professionalism, prices, and availability. I would absolutely book a tour with them again, and I encourage you to check them out!
The last option would be booking your tour online, however, after several searches, I didn’t find an online version of this tour that I would trust. So, again, booking in person is probably the best choice for the Highlands tour.
Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour
The Highlands tour is the best tour for seeing iconic Galapagos land animals, but if you’re instead wanting to see the creatures of the deep waters surrounding the islands, you’re going to want to check out Kicker Rock.
As the name implies, the Kicker Rock tour is one of the two tours on San Cristobal that visit this spot. My family opted to take the 360 Tour instead, but if you’re short on time, just doing Kicker Rock is definitely an option.
Kicker Rock (Snorkeling)
Kicker Rock is a small-ish rock formation off the coast of San Cristobal island. It’s also known as Leon Dormido (Sleeping Lion) because some people think it is shaped like the body of a lion. Above the water, it’s not much to look at. There’s not a lot of vegetation on the island, so it mostly just looks like some rocks. The real action happens under the water.
A wide variety of aquatic life gathers in the relatively shallow waters surrounding the rock, from sea lions and turtles, to schools of hammerhead sharks!
In fact, Kicker Rock is one of the best places in the entire world for swimming with hammerheads, since the surrounding waters act as a “cleaning station” for sharks. It’s not uncommon to see at least a few in the area, and if conditions are right, it’s possible to find schools of more than 50 sharks here!
Relax on a Pristine Beach
The Kicker Rock Tour also includes a visit to one of San Cristobal’s pristine white-sand beaches. While you can definitely visit some amazing beaches on San Cristobal for free, the beaches you get to visit on these tours can only be accessed on official tours.
This guarantees a much less crowded beach experience. Having fewer people around often translates into more wildlife, so be sure to spend some time snorkeling the reefs along the coast during your trip as well!
Where can I book the Kicker Rock Tour?
As with the Highlands tour, you have 2 main ways of booking the Kicker Rock tour.
You can book in-person with one of the many tour agencies on the island itself or you can book online. While I personally prefer booking directly with the tour agency, there’s a lot to be said for online booking.
- It allows you to book before you arrive, so you can enjoy all your time on the island, instead of spending time looking for the right tour guides.
- It allows you to pay with credit card instead of cash without adding on the 13%+ surcharge many stores require for card purchases in the Galapagos.
- If you book through a larger site like Viator or GetYourGuide, you can leverage their customer services if something does go wrong.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you’re more comfortable with!
Here is the option for a Kicker Rock tour that I would choose, if booking online:
Full-day Adventure Tour at Kicker Rock (León Dormido)
And here’s why I would choose this tour instead of the others I’ve seen online:
- The Cancellation Policy – This tour makes allowances for bad weather, and will either reschedule or give a full refund in event of bad weather. Other tours I saw online, even on Viator, instead say that the trip is non-refundable even if it gets cancelled due to weather!
- The Reviews – This tour doesn’t have a large number of reviews yet, but the ones it does have are 5-star reviews.
However, the tour doesn’t include a wetsuit, which is pretty important for how cold the water gets in the Galapagos, nor does it say anything about pictures being taken. So, measure that against your own needs.
San Cristobal 360 Tour (My Personal Pick)
While there are several different tour options available in San Cristobal, the 360 tour is the tour that I would suggest for most people. Of all the activities that my family did during our stay on the island, this tour was the highlight.
It features pristine beaches, several different snorkeling spots, a chance to see both Red-footed, Blue-footed, and Nazca Boobies at Punta Pitt, and, of course, getting in the water at Kicker Rock. Even before we got to our first spot we also spotted manta rays in the water and a whole pod of playful dolphins that swam alongside our boat! Definitely a highlight.
I’ve already said that Kicker Rock is the go-to location for aquatic adventures in San Cristobal, and I meant it. Kicker Rock was the main reason I decided to take a paid tour in the first place, but it was the sheer quantity of other activities added onto the 360 Tour that made me choose it instead of the Kicker Rock day tour.
Snorkeling at Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)
I’ve mentioned that the chance of seeing hammerhead sharks is the highlight of snorkeling at Kicker Rock, but I didn’t say much about our experience there.
The day we went the water was murky enough that we could only see about 20-25ft below us in the water. There were schools of fish circling around us, which was great, but my eyes were peeled for the chance to see a shark.
Whether because of his experience or his luck, it was our guide that spotted the first one.
I looked towards the area he indicated and saw a large shadow moving gracefully through the depths.
It turns out hammerheads are much larger than I had imagined. These things were huge! I followed it as well as I could while towing my son, but it quickly outpaced me, and unfortunately, we hadn’t purchased him his prescription snorkel mask yet, so he ended up not seeing it himself.
I ended up seeing sharks moving below us 3 or 4 more times while we were there, but I would have loved for the water to be a bit clearer. In the end, it whetted my appetite and has convinced me that I need to come back after we get our kids SCUBA Certified!
Get the snorkeling gear you need (including prescription googles) so the whole family can have a good time!
10+ Amazing Snorkel Gear Options for Families with Kids
Cerro Brujo
After getting out of the water at Kicker Rock, our next stop was Cerro Brujo.
This was just a quick photo-op stop at a natural arch along the edge of San Cristobal. The main reason that it’s included in the tour is because the stone arch frames Kicker Rock nicely, making it a great place to get that souvenir shot for your trip!
Bahia Sardina
After Cerro Brujo, the tour stops off at this sheltered bay for about an hour.
The beach at Bahia Sardina is a beautiful white color, and the water is clear enough to easily see puffers, rays, and whatever else happens to swim by! My family explored the nearby reef together and then relaxed on the sand until it was time to go!
Punta Pitt
Punta Pitt is a protected area at the north of the island where visitors can spot red-footed and Nazca boobies!
This isn’t a place where you can get off the boat, though, so be sure to bring a camera that can zoom into shore so you can get a good look at the birds.
Bahia Rosa Blanca
This is another sheltered bay where we were able to get off the boat and snorkel for a bit.
The highlight here, at least for my family, was that there were several sea turtles snacking on the underwater vegetation in the area. If you haven’t had a chance to see sea turtles up close, this was an amazing spot for it!
The turtles ignored us completely, letting us watch them without a problem! And I got to watch sea lions playing with the turtles underwater!
I’m going to take this moment to reiterate that if you’re only doing one tour on San Cristobal, this should probably be the one.
Again, booking in person will likely give you the best deal, but if you’re only on the island for a short time, booking online can make sure you get a place on the tour before it fills up! Here’s my online pick for the 360 Tour
San Cristobal 360 Tour
Why this tour?
- All Gear Provided – This tour includes everything you need to enjoy your day, including snorkel gear, a neoprene wetsuit, and even a towel for when you get out!
- Dietary Accommodations – They make a point of providing vegan, vegetarian, and dietary restriction meals for those who need them.
- Certified Guides – It’s always good to know your guide knows what they’re talking about!
Española Island Day Tour
While the Española Island is technically not on San Cristobal, the tours that go to this smaller island usually set out from here.
The Española Day tour is an all day tour that focuses on the Galapagos’ amazing bird and marine life populations. The big draw on this particular tour is that it takes visitors to an area of the island where you can see albatross in the wild, between April and the end of December. As the albatross is the largest seabird in the world, and one of the largest flying birds, period, this is understandably a big draw for birders.
But even if you’re not super into birds, the variety of species on the island, including Nazca and blue-footed boobies, Galapagos Hawks, and more, is worth checking out. Plus there’s an absolutely gigantic population of marine iguanas and sea lions to watch!
Note: There is some hiking involved on this particular tour, which may make it a bit difficult for families who have smaller kids.
Punta Cevallos Hike
Many of the animals that you’ll spot on Española will be seen while taking the Punta Cevallos hike. This is a light-medium difficulty hike along the worn down lava rocks that make up Española. The hike itself takes around half an hour, depending on your group’s speed.
Snorkeling at Isolete Tortuga
This is a beautiful snorkeling location known for its variety of reef fish, white-tip sharks, and sea lions. Most tours spend around an hour in this spot before hopping back aboard the boat for lunch and a short ride to the last stop on the tour.
Relaxing at Manzanillo Beach
After the hike, your guide will take you to the nearby Manzanillo beach for some lunch and relaxation. This is yet another of the Galapagos’ pristine white beaches, perfect for getting some sun. There are also several reef areas just off the beach where you can continue to snorkel!
San Cristobal EspañolaTour
Why this tour?
- Gear is Provided – This tour includes most of the snorkel gear you’ll need, though if you want a wetsuit, you’ll need to rent one or bring your own.
- Cancellation Policy – There’s actually a tour that looks fairly comparable on Viator that’s about $30 cheaper, but it states that in the event of bad weather no refund will be given. I always try to find tours that offer refunds or rescheduling for weather, as it can be super hard to predict more than a couple days out.
