Ports and Airports
San Cristóbal Island
Name of the port city: Puerto Baquerizo Moreano
Name of the bay: Bahia Naufragio or Wreck bay
Population: 10.000 Habitants
Recommended way-points to reach Wreck bay :
Approach: 00º 53.00’S 089º 37.00’W
Entry 1: 00º 53.37 089º 37.11
Entry 2: 00º 53.66 089º.36.96
Anchorage: 00º 53.78 089º 36.80
Important note:
When coming under an AUTOGRAFO by law this must be your first port of call.
San Cristobal Airport:
IATA: SCY
OACI: SEST
GPS: 0°54′37″S 89°37′03″O
Runway length: 6214 x 66 feet
Recommended tour to book with local tour companies: 360 around the island tour, dive & snorkeling Kicker Rock, Dive the Caragua wreck, Punta Pitt day tour, Isla Lobos island, Cerro Brujo Beach, Sport fishing for marline and sailfish.
Tours you can do on your own: Playa Ochoa, Cerro tijeretas, Puerto chino beach, Junco lagoon, The tree house, La loberia beach.
Surfing spots: The bay has the best waves of Galapagos and the access is quite easy to places like Punta Carola, El Cañon, Tongo Reef, La Loberia.
Santa Cruz Island
Name of the port city: Puerto Ayora
Name of the bay: Academy Bay
Population: 15.000 Habitants
Recommended anchorage positions at Academy Bay:
Position 1: 00º 44.850’S 089º 18.570’W.
Note: This positions is into the bay where small sail boats anchor, the depth there is a round 18 feet.
Position 2: 00º 44.850’S 090º 18.00’W
Note: This position is a bit more outside the bay where larger yachts may anchor at the depth of 45 feet.
Important note:
Puerto Ayora is the main town in the Galapagos, the larger diversity of provisions and stores are based there and the better day dive and land tours are available at Puerto Ayora.
No Airport: However it takes one hour to get to Baltra airport in the north side of Santa Cruz island.
Recommended tour to book with local tour companies: North Seymour island, Bartolome island, South Plaza island, Santa Fe island, Pinzon island, Floreana island, Bay snorkeling tour, Isabela island on a day tour, dive Gordon Rocks, dive North Seymour, dive Mosquera island, dive & snorkeling tour Daphne Mayor and Minor, Dive Cousins rock, Dive Floreana islands sites, Sport fishing.
Tours you can do on your own: Park tortoise visitor center, Darwin station beach, German beach, Tortuga bay beach, El Garrapatero beach, Las Grietas, Highland ranches for giant tortoises.
Surfing spots: After a 30 minutes walk you may reach to Tortuga bay beach, right in town you may reach The point and La Ratonera. You may join to local surfers and share some expenses to hire a boat and reach Black Point, Cerro Gallina, Las Palamas.
Baltra Island
Name of the port city: No official name for a port since the island is a Ecuador Navy and Air force station.
Note: The only Galapagos fuel station is at Baltra.
Name of the bay: Aelolian bay.
Population: Around 20 Navy people, 20 Air force. In the morning time like a 100 Fuel station employees come from Puerto Ayora to Work at Baltra and they all go back to Puerto Ayora in the mid afternoon.
Recommended way-points to reach Aelolian Bay:
Approach: 00°26.500S, 090°18.000W
Anchorage: 00°26.248S, 090°17.042W
Important note:
We recommend our Super Yacht clients to send owners private planes to BALTRA where we may start and end the owners cruise. The airport is just 5 minutes away from the main dock..
Baltra Airport (also knows as Seymour Airport):
GPS: 00°27′14″S 90°15′57″W
IATA: GPS
ICAO: SEGS
Runway length: 7,877
Baltra History: During World War II Baltra was established as a United States Army Air Force base. Crews stationed at Baltra patrolled the eastern Pacific for enemy submarines and provided protection for the Panama Canal.
After the war the facilities were given to the government of Ecuador. Today the island continues as an official Ecuadorian military base. The foundations of buildings and other remains of the US base including the old airfield can still be seen on the island.
Until 1986, Seymour Airport was the only airport serving the Galápagos. Now there are two airports which receive flights from the continent, the other being the San Cristóbal Airport on San Cristóbal Island. Private planes flying to the islands must fly to Baltra as it is the only airport with overnight facilities for planes.
Isabela Island
Name of the port city: Puerto Villamil
Name of the bay: Puerto Villamil
Population: 3,000 Habitants
Recommended anchorage positions at Villamil Bay:
00º 44.850’S 089º 18.570’W.
Note: This positions is into the bay where small sail boats anchor, the depth there is a round 18 feet.
Isla Isabela bay way-points:
S 01° 04.78 / W 090°52.72
S 00° 59.10 / W 090°59.04
S 00° 58.58 / W 090°58.95
S 00° 58.046 / W 090°58.315
Anchorage position:
00°57.90S, 090°57.74W, in 10’ at low tide.
Important note:
Provisions, fuel and technical repair is quite limited in this towns. No ATM cash machine available however local tours are quite good.
Isabela Airport:
SEII – Isabela/General Villamil Airport 0°56’34″S, 90°57’11″W. Only a little inter island plane lands on this airport.
Important airport information:
There is no international airport in the Galapagos.
All commercial and private flight to the Galapagos must come from mainland Ecuador.
The two major airports offering flights to the Galapagos islands are:
1 Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito (airport code UIO)
2 Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil (airport code GYE)
Commercial flight Times from Quito to the Galapagos
Flight times from Quito to Galapagos are listed on Quito airport website, they depart in the morning and usually make a stop in Guayaquil. So if you click on the above link look for “GUAYAQUIL, GALAPAGOS” or “GUAYAQUIL, SAN CRISTOBAL”.
Flight Times from Guayaquil to the Galapagos
Flight times from Guayaquil are listed on the Guayaquil airport website and also depart in the morning. Flights from
Guayaquil are a little shorter (because they are direct) and may cost less.
Recommended tour to book with local tour companies: Sierra negra Volcano, Bay tour to Tintoreras, Los Tuneles, Isla Tortuga.
Tours you can do on your own: Concha de perla, Wall of Tears, the beach town, the flamingo lagoons, the national park tortoise center.
Surfing spots: The bay has the best waves, El Faro
