What Are the Galapagos Islands Known For? Best Islands, Beaches, and Animals

Playa Brava, Santa Cruz Island • Best Beach for Soft White Sands

When considering the shorelines of the various Galapagos, not many have the pristine sands you may expect from a collection of remote equatorial islands, but Playa Brava on the island of Santa Cruz often matches and surpasses traveler expectations.

Tortuga Bay offers a long stretch of powdery white sands lined by an edge of clear turquoise water perfect for swimming, kayaking, or snorkeling. Absent of commercial life, including cafes and restaurants, the beach can feel ideal for relaxing in the warm sunlight or witnessing the wildlife, from sea turtles and blue-footed boobies to colorful fish and marine iguanas.

Playa Mansa, Santa Cruz Island • Best Beach for Swimming

Playa Mansa is located near Playa Brava in Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz Island, but offers a very different ambiance. Taking the trail through the mangrove forest can make Mansa Beach feel like a remote corner of the world and an undiscovered treasure.

The waters are calm and welcoming in the natural bay, with the shape of the coastline protecting the shores from waves. Instead, Playa Mansa is a perfect place to swim and bask in the comfortable temperatures, crystal-clear visibility, and possible sightings of reef sharks, rays, and sea turtles moving through the water.

Puerto Chino Beach, San Cristobal • Best Beach for Scenery

Puerto Chino on San Cristobal Island is another rare gem among the beaches of the Galapagos, with surprising white sands and views of the turquoise sea.

Finches often populate the nearby mangroves opposite the shoreline and sea lions lounge on the rocky outcrop leading to the water. The combination of wildlife, forest, white sands, and colorful waters make Puerto Chino Beach an exceptional place to soak up the sun and scenery.

The waves offer a nice place to surf and the nearby trails open to panoramas sweeping across a landscape populated with lava lizards and yellow warblers, prickly pear cactus and blue-footed boobies.

Learn more: Top Things to Do in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island • Best Island for Flora and Fauna

While bigger doesn’t always mean better, Isabela Island is the largest of the Galapagos archipelago and possesses six volcanoes, including Volcan Wolf, the highest point of the Galapagos Islands. All of the volcanoes are active, continuously adding to the landmass, while simultaneously altering the vegetation.

Penguins, flamingos, and flightless cormorants demonstrate the untouched wildlife grazing around the unique topography, while the famous Galapagos tortoises lumber near the cacti, taking water from early-morning dew. Find new lava fields, impressive examples of volcanic craters, and meandering trails winding around the island’s more than 1,800 square miles.

San Cristobal • Best Island for Diving and Snorkeling

Isabela Island may be the largest island in the Galapagos, but San Cristobal is the main island in the region.

With the largest year-round population and the most infrastructure of all the islands, San Cristobal can feel like the home of a large city when compared to the uninhabited wilderness of the surrounding archipelago. Most travelers arrive and depart the islands from San Cristobal. The marine life offers an extra layer of fascination for visitors interested in snorkeling or diving to view the fascinating world beneath the waves.

Sites like Isla Lobos, where blue-footed boobies and sea lions thrive, attract many curious sightseers, but Kicker Rock hosts incredible crystal-clear waters, with clarity reaching exceptional depths in which to find eagle rays, turtles, and hammerhead sharks.

Santa Cruz • Best Island for Wildlife and Birding

Wildlife is often visible around the Galapagos archipelago, but on Santa Cruz Island, it takes center stage, with sightings commonplace among the distinctive shifting landscapes. Witness marine iguanas lounging in the sun, find Sally Lightfoot crabs marching across the sand, witness sea turtles laying eggs, or watch flamboyant flamingos graze in the lagoon.

Whether scouring the coastline for stunning views of life and sea or trekking to the highlights for a panorama and signs of the vermilion flycatcher, Santa Cruz is an enchanting place for marine life and birds.

Learn more: Best Places to Visit in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Giant Tortoise

The Galapagos giant tortoise is one of the region’s most iconic animals. They can grow to over 880 pounds and live more than 100 years. When in the wild, they can live for a year without food or water, and prefer to feed on grass, fruit, and cactus pads.

Found mainly in the Santa Cruz highlands and the Alcedo Volcano region on Isabela island, you can often find them with a Galapagos finch on their back feeding on ticks hiding in the tortoise’s skin.

Galapagos Penguin

Galapagos penguins are known as much for their small stature as for their surprising settlement choice on the arid and warm Galapagos archipelago. As one of the smallest penguins in the world, they grow to just over one and a half feet tall on average and weigh less than six pounds.

They are found mainly on Isabela and Fernandina islands, but have smaller colonies on Floreana, Santiago, and Bartolome. The Galapagos penguins have few land predators, but are often hunted vigorously in the water by seals, sea lions, and sharks. Fishing nets have also become a problem, with a number of penguins caught as by-catch each year.

While closely related to other penguin species, Galapagos penguins have adapted to the conditions of the islands by using caves and crevices for nesting grounds instead of searching for moss or grasses in which to burrow.

Blue-footed Booby

Blue-footed boobies are one of the most famous birds of the Galapagos islands. They are known for their clumsy movements on land and the renowned bright-blue tint of their webbed feet.

They grow up to 33 inches tall, with a wingspan reaching nearly five feet wide. They are incredibly agile when flying and can quickly plunge into the water at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour when finding schools of sardines or anchovies on which to feed.

They are common on Santa Cruz, Espanola, Fernandina, and Florena islands, but North Seymour has become the most popular island on which to view blue-footed booby colonies because the open space makes it easier to witness the birds performing their courtship dance.

From the shores of Santa Cruz to the wildlife of Isabela Island, the Galapagos are a destination unlike anywhere else in the world. Plunge into the crystal-clear waters to find coral gardens and vibrant marine life, or wander through surprisingly lush foliage that opens to images of ancient tortoises and panoramic sea views.

As you look for inspiration for your trip, you can discover more ideas on how to experience the adventure with our Galapagos Islands vacations or enjoy discovering when to visit and more with tips from our Galapagos Islands and Ecuador travel guide.