San Cristobal - a great start on the Galapagos

On April 12, 2019 - 322 days after our start - we land on the Galapagos Islands, about 1,000 kilometers south of continental Ecuador. We start after a flight from Quito with a stopover in Guayaquil on the island of San Cristobal. Our expectations are high, the anticipation even greater.

For the first three nights we booked a room at 'Casa de Bella y Andres' - the cheapest we could find here on AirBnB. The nice lady welcomes us at the airport and takes great care of us for the next few days - she even prepares dinner for us on the last evening and helps us with laundry.

We have planned a three-day stay here before starting our spontaneously booked 8-day diving safari. And the start is great! Already on the first day in the harbor of the only small village on the island, we discover sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs and a blue-footed booby. A few first small marine iguanas also make an appearance - and in the evening we visit the nearby bay of Loberia and also see some large specimens. It is a wonderfully beautiful place and we feel comfortable from the first moment. That's exactly what we were looking for - no more big cities, no more crowds - just island life, nature and great weather.

The great weather shows itself during the walk to the viewpoints the next day - it is even almost a little too hot for the few kilometers of coastal path that we cover. But the 'Playa Baquerizo' rewards us for every drop of sweat. We discover lots of iguanas, share the beach with only a few other human visitors and can snorkel with a sea turtle for minutes.

On the way back, we also jump into the bay below 'Las Tijeretas' and here, in addition to some tourists, there are also a few marine iguanas and sea lions swimming around. The animals are extremely trusting, lying on the walkways or swimming curiously around - simply amazing!

To visit the highlands and remote places on the island, we take a day tour with Bella's chauffeur. He first takes us to the 'El Junco' lagoon, located at an altitude of 700 meters. It is the only source of fresh water on the island and provides a great food source for the many frigate birds. From here we drive to the Galapaguero, where we see the small and large specimens of the giant tortoises for the first time at a conservation station. Especially the adult animals are massively impressive. The tour ends at the beautiful Puerto Chino, where we cool off in turquoise water and sunbathe a little on the beach before returning to our accommodation and Bella provides us with a delicious dinner.