On Day 15 of my trip to Ecuador, Sierra and I traveled from Isla Isabela to Isla San Cristobal.
Isla Isabela to Isla San Cristobal
There is no direct ferry between Isla Isabela and Isla San Cristobal. Instead visitors must pass through Isla Santa Cruz.
There are two ferries a day from Isabela to Santa Cruz and two from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal. To get from Isabela to San Cristobal by ferry in one day requires visitors to take the morning ferry from Isabela and the afternoon ferry from Santa Cruz.
Sierra and I took the 6am ferry from Isabela and arrived on Santa Cruz by 8:30am. The afternoon ferry from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal didn't depart until 3pm. So, we took advantage of the time to visit some of the shops and restaurants we missed during our first stay in Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz.
The ferry rides are rough and everyone is provided with a small plastic bag in case of emergency. We were often airborn flying over the huge swells and the landings were hard! I had no idea boat hulls could take such a beating. The diesel fumes didn't help and, halfway through our trip to San Cristobal, Sierra moved to an outdoor seat with fresh air. It was wet and chilly but a little less nauseating. I did alright thanks to Dramamine but it wasn't enjoyable. We were both thrilled to finally reach Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
We arrived in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno just before sunset and I knew at first glance that this was my favorite of the three islands we visited. It has a beautiful boardwalk along the waterfront with small sand beaches that are primarily for the sea lions. I'm convinced sea lions enjoy vacationing in Galápagos as much as humans.
Sierra and I quickly checked into our hotel and then checked out the dive shops before they closed. We booked a dive trip to Kicker Rock for the following morning.
Slideshow
Here are pictures from Day 15 of our trip to Ecuador.
Expenses
I'm doing my best to track expenses in this spreadsheet for anyone that's interested in a similar, relatively low-budget trip.
Ecuador Fun Fact
Isla San Cristobal is home to both blue footed and red footed boobies.
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