Hiking in The Galapagos Islands - Galapagos Safari Camp

Trekking Restrictions in the Galapagos Islands

Exploring the Galapagos Islands on foot is a unique experience, distinct from many other national parks worldwide due to its extremely strict conservation efforts.

The Galapagos National Park, which covers 97% of the archipelago, enforces regulations that require hikers to be accompanied by an official guide at all times. This ensures the protection of the islands’ delicate ecosystems while allowing visitors to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes and rich biodiversity.

Each visiting site within the park features a clearly marked trail on various uninhabited islands, each offering a glimpse into the islands’ volcanic origins, unique flora, and endemic wildlife. These trails range from easy walks to more challenging hikes, providing opportunities for visitors of all fitness levels to explore the natural beauty of the Galapagos.

The hiking tours we list below are all excursions offered in our Galapagos Safaris. Kindly note we only organize tours for our guests.

Hiking in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island

While a populated island with Puerto Ayora being a stop on almost every Galapagos vacation, Santa Cruz has hikes that get you away from the city and into the natural world.

Hike to El Puntudo, Media Luna and Cerro Crocker

3.6 km one way (7.2 km round trip)
Opening hours: 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

El Puntudo, Media Luna, and Cerro Crocker are the highest elevations on Santa Cruz Island, and located within the Galápagos National Park.

The trail begins in the village of Bellavista and passes through the Miconia robinsoniana zone, a remarkable highland shrubland and conservation success story following the eradication of invasive quinine trees. Recognizable by its reddish leaf stalks, parallel-veined leaves, clusters of small purple flowers on tall white stems, and shiny purple fruit, this Endangered species is endemic to the Galápagos.

The path is also home to a variety of ferns, including the elegant Galápagos tree fern. From these heights, visitors can enjoy sweeping views of the island and its surroundings. The area is also the nesting ground of the Galápagos Petrel, a Critically Endangered seabird that returns to the islands only during its breeding season. Bird enthusiasts may also spot rails, finches, and other highland species.

Due to the altitude and garúa (mist), the climate here is slightly different from the coast: temperatures are one or two degrees cooler and with increased humidity and cloud cover (especially during the Cool & Dry Season).

Hiking to Cerro Dragon

One hike we enjoy goes to Cerro Dragón, a hill on the other side of the island from the port town known for its land iguanas and bird population.

The site can only be reached by boat, and the trail is one of the longest in the islands. It starts at the beach, loops around the hill with a stop on top, and returns to the coast.

Hiking on Bartolome Island

After landing on the beach of Sullivan Bay, visitors traverse a wooden walkway and staircase that ends at a lookout spanning the bay, Pinnacle Rock and the eerie barren landscape.

The walk – a steep climb – cuts through the lava fields, through stages of the islands formation by different eruptions of the volcano, the last taking place in 1904.

Hiking on North Seymour Island

North Seymour Island is a small flat island that has two trails that loop around the island along the coast, through cacti and Palo Santo trees, and past blue-footed booby and frigate bird colonies. Along the coast look out for sea lions basking in the sand. Inland, keep your eyes on the ground for land iguanas. The population was reintroduced in the 1930s and numbered around 2500 when the last census was taken.

This is the place to see the blue-footed booby’s mating dance, and find frigate birds inflating their red pouches to basketball size proportions. The island is 1.9 square kilometres and the trail is easy to navigate, leading from one side of the island to the other.

Hiking on Santa Fe Island

Santa Fe is another small island with a healthy land iguana population, numbering over 6000. Two trails skirt the island, one that follows the coast passing sea lions, and meandering through tall Santa Fe Opuntia cacti. The other follows a steep incline that ends high on cliffs that overlook the interior of the island and the turquoise waters of the bay below. Keep an eye out for the Santa Fe yellow land iguana, which is endemic to the island and is seen feeding on cactus along the trail. The island is also home to a reclusive, new tortoise population, part of a program to revive tortoises on islands where they were driven to extinction by pirates and whalers.

Hiking on South Plaza Island

One of the uninhabited islands close to Santa Cruz that our Safaris can visit during your Galapagos vacation, South Plaza Island is one of the smallest in the archipelago. The trail on this island follows a loop through native cacti and over brightly-colored carpet weed until in arrives at the top of cliffs overlooking the sea. The overlook is a place to see boobies, Swallowtail gulls, and red-billed tropic birds. The island is also home to one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the archipelago.

Hiking on Isabela Island

This hike explores an 8 km trail along the eastern side of the Sierra Negra volcano. Located northwest of Isabela’s main town, Puerto Villamil, this shield volcano is the second largest active volcanic crater in the world.
As you ascend the volcano via a gentle incline you’ll pass through a lush cloud forest teeming with guava fruit and vibrant birdlife, including Galapagos hawks, short-eared owls, flycatchers and finches.

Upon reaching the crater, a vast expanse 6 miles in diameter, you’ll feel a slight rise in temperature from the lava still active beneath the crust. As you hike around this immense crater rim, you’ll be treated to panoramic views of the cloud forest, the highlands of Isabela, and the striking lava formations of recent volcanic activity. (Note that views are occasionally obscured by clouds).

As you progress, the landscape dramatically transforms into petrified lava fields, presenting a surreal and otherworldly terrain that can be challenging in places, depending on the weather.
Our private tours offer flexibility, allowing you to tailor the hike to your comfort level and time preference. Whether you choose to complete the entire trail or opt for a shorter visit, the Sierra Negra Volcano Hike is ideal for any geology enthusiast looking to explore the volcanic wonders of the Galapagos Islands.

Hiking Tours in the Galapagos Islands

For those looking for an active Galapagos vacation, our Camp offers plenty to keep you moving during your stay. Exploring the islands by foot puts you in the middle of the natural wildlife and flora that make the archipelago one of the special places in the world.

For more information about our wildlife tours in the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador, please visit our Safaris.