Wildlife You Can Spot in Just 2 Days on San Cristóbal, Galápagos

Most wildlife guides for the Galápagos are geared toward cruises, week-long itineraries, or hardcore divers. But what if you’re just dropping in for a couple of days, like most backpackers or travellers on a budget?

Good news: you don’t need to trek deep into remote corners or spend a fortune on tours to have meaningful wildlife encounters. As a biologist traveling on a tight schedule, we only had two full days on San Cristóbal, and still saw an incredible variety of species just by walking, hiking, and snorkelling from shore.

Here’s what we spotted, where, and when.

You want to read more about our trip to the Galapagos on a budget? Click here.

Sea Lions (You’ll see a lot)

You’ll find them literally everywhere, sleeping on benches, lounging on the sand, swimming in the harbour.

• Playa Mann is a great starting point.
• Tijeretas Bay and Playa Lobería offer the chance to snorkel with them, just give them space: they play rough sometimes.
• The harbour/dock is amazing at night, look out for pups weaning and swimming with their moms.

Blue-Footed Boobies

• Check the rocky shores, we got a good look at them at Punta Carola.
• They hang out close to where sea lions are, especially in the mornings and evenings (in the evening you can see them sleeping).

Frigate Birds

• Look up, they’re always flying overhead.
• The best spot to see them up close? Playa Baquerizo, a bit of a hike, but totally worth it.

Marine Iguanas

• These guys are everywhere, we saw the most at Punta Carola.
• Morning: active and swimming for food
• Afternoon/Evening: basking on sand and rocks

Turtles

• Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado: a turtle breeding centre that’s easy to reach, and worth the stop to see giant tortoises up close.
• Playa Lobería & Tijeretas Bay: we snorkelled with green sea turtles and hawksbills.

Other Notables

• Darwin’s finches: flitting around everywhere, even in town.
• Sally Lightfoot crabs: bright red and crawling all over seaside rocks.
• Lava lizards: sunning themselves on paths and stones.
• Brown pelicans: floating and diving around the harbour.
• Reef sharks: we saw a few Galápagos reef sharks while snorkelling at Tijeretas Bay (look down near the drop-offs).

What We Didn’t See (But Could If You Stay Longer)

• Hammerhead sharks at Kicker Rock (need to dive or join a tour)
• Red-footed boobies at Punta Pitt (requires more time & going on the tour is quite expensive)

If you only have 48 hours on San Cristóbal, don’t worry, you can still experience Galápagos wildlife in a big way without tours, boats, or fancy gear. The island is teeming with life, and many animals are just… there, hanging out with you.