Puerto Ayora is the largest town in the Galápagos Islands, on the south shore of Santa Cruz Island in the centre of the archipelago. The islands lie about 900 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador. Named after the Ecuadorian president Isidro Ayora, it had about 12,700 residents at the 2022 census and is home to the headquarters of Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station.
The Galápagos are famous for wildlife found nowhere else, from giant tortoises and marine iguanas to the finches and mockingbirds that helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution. Puerto Ayora is the main base for land-based trips: visitors walk to Tortuga Bay, swim in Las Grietas, see tortoises in the green highlands and take day boats to nearby islands. Places to stay range from guesthouses and apartments in town to houses in the cooler highland villages. Almost all of the islands' land is national park, so visits follow strict rules, and every visitor pays the park's conservation entry fee.
Central Puerto Ayora, along Avenida Charles Darwin and the waterfront of Academy Bay, suits most visitors: the main dock for water taxis and day boats, shops, restaurants and the research station are all within walking distance. Streets a few blocks inland are quieter and often have apartments and family-run guesthouses. Across the bay, reached by water taxi, the Punta Estrada area is calmer and close to Las Grietas.
In the highlands, villages such as Bellavista and Santa Rosa are green and cool, with farmland and tortoise country nearby; they suit travellers with a car or taxi who want space and quiet.
Many visitors split their stay between islands. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal, is the provincial capital and has its own airport, while Puerto Villamil, on Isabela, is smaller and more relaxed, with long beaches. Choosing a land-based stay rather than a cruise gives more freedom and time ashore, but fewer remote islands.
The Charles Darwin Research Station, on the shore of Academy Bay, has run research and conservation projects since the 1960s and has a visitor area where you can learn about the islands' giant tortoises. Tortuga Bay, at the end of a paved path of about 2.5 kilometres from the edge of town, has a long white beach where marine iguanas rest and, beyond it, a sheltered cove where swimming is allowed; visitors sign in at the start of the path.
Las Grietas, a deep crevice filled with clear brackish water, is a short walk from the Punta Estrada side of the bay. In the highlands, giant tortoises roam freely on farmland and in reserves, and you can walk through lava tubes, see the twin pit craters of Los Gemelos and wander in forests of tree-sized Scalesia daisies. El Garrapatero beach on the east coast is quieter. Day boats from Puerto Ayora visit nearby islands for snorkelling and guided walks.
About 97 percent of the islands' land is Galápagos National Park, and the surrounding sea is a marine reserve. Every visitor must pay the park's conservation entry fee, an official charge set by the Ecuadorian authorities that varies with age, nationality and residence, with lower rates for Ecuadorians and residents of Ecuador. The amounts are revised from time to time, so check the current official schedule published by the Galápagos National Park Directorate before you travel.
Before flying from Quito or Guayaquil, visitors also need a Transit Control Card (Tarjeta de Control de Tránsito), issued for an official charge by the Galápagos government council, and luggage is inspected for biosecurity. The park's rules include keeping at least 2 metres from animals, never touching or feeding wildlife, staying on marked trails, visiting most sites with a park-authorised naturalist guide, taking nothing natural away, bringing in no food, plants or animals, and no smoking, fires or flash photography.
There is no firm evidence that people reached the Galápagos before 1535, when ships carrying Bishop Tomás de Berlanga drifted there by accident. For centuries the islands were a refuge for pirates and whalers, whose goats and rats damaged native habitats. Ecuador claimed the archipelago in 1832, and in 1835 Charles Darwin spent about five weeks here on HMS Beagle; his observations of island species later fed into his theory of evolution by natural selection.
In 1959, a century after On the Origin of Species, Ecuador declared most of the land a national park, and the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded the same year. The islands were among the first places inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in 1978, and the protected area was later extended to the marine reserve. Puerto Ayora grew with tourism from the 1960s and now has a mix of island-born families and people from mainland Ecuador. Spanish is the main language.
Flights from Quito (UIO) and Guayaquil (GYE) on the mainland serve two airports in the islands. Seymour Airport (GPS), on Baltra Island just north of Santa Cruz, is the usual gateway for Puerto Ayora: from it, a short bus ride leads to the Itabaca Channel, a ferry crosses to Santa Cruz, and a bus or taxi continues across the island to town, roughly an hour in all. San Cristóbal Airport (SCY) serves Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
Puerto Ayora is compact and walkable, and taxis are the usual way to reach the highlands, the airport crossing and outlying beaches. Water taxis cross the bay to Punta Estrada. Public speedboats link Santa Cruz with Isabela and San Cristóbal in roughly two hours each way, and seas can be rough. Ecuador uses the US dollar. The islands are on Galápagos Time, one hour behind mainland Ecuador.
Although the islands lie on the equator, the cold Humboldt Current keeps them cooler and drier than most tropical places. From about December to May is the warm season, with sea and air temperatures around 25°C, calmer seas, sunshine and occasional heavy downpours; it is a good time for swimming and snorkelling. From about June to November is the cooler garúa season, named for its frequent drizzle, with temperatures near the sea around 22°C, mist over the highlands and choppier seas, but cold, nutrient-rich water brings abundant marine life.
In Puerto Ayora, temperatures generally range between about 18 and 29°C through the year. Every few years, El Niño events bring warmer water and much heavier rain. Wildlife can be seen in every month, so the best time depends on your interests. Busy periods include holidays in July and August and at the end of the year, so book places to stay early. The equatorial sun is intense, so use reef-safe sunscreen.
Yes. Every visitor pays the park's conservation entry fee, an official charge set by the authorities that varies with age, nationality and residence, with lower rates for Ecuadorians and residents. Visitors also need a Transit Control Card. Amounts change, so check the current official schedule of the Galápagos National Park Directorate before travelling.
For most visitor sites inside the national park, yes: visits must be made with a naturalist guide authorised by Galápagos National Park. Some sites near Puerto Ayora, such as Tortuga Bay and the Charles Darwin Research Station, can be visited on your own, following posted rules.
December to May is warmer, sunnier and calmer, good for swimming and snorkelling. June to November is cooler, with drizzle and choppier seas, but rich marine life. Wildlife can be seen all year, so the best time depends on your interests. Book early for July, August and the year-end holidays.
From Seymour Airport (GPS) on Baltra, a short bus ride takes you to the Itabaca Channel, where a ferry crosses to Santa Cruz. From there a bus or taxi continues across the island to Puerto Ayora. The whole transfer takes roughly an hour.
Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz, is the most convenient base, with the most services and day trips. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal, has its own airport, and Puerto Villamil, on Isabela, is quieter. Many land-based travellers split their stay between two or three islands.
Five to seven days allow time for Santa Cruz's highlights, a couple of guided day trips and a night or two on another island. With ten days or more you can explore Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal at a relaxed pace, travelling between them by speedboat.
Besides the national park entry fee, visitors need a Transit Control Card from the Galápagos government council before flying from Quito or Guayaquil, and their luggage is inspected for biosecurity. Bringing in fresh food, plants, seeds or animals is not allowed.
Ecuador, including the Galápagos, uses the US dollar. Cards are accepted in many shops and restaurants in Puerto Ayora, but cash is useful for taxis, small shops and water taxis, so carry some dollars in small notes.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .