Question 1

Baltra on Your Own

Accepted Answer

There is nothing to explore on Baltra itself beyond the airport and the docks, so time on your own means crossing to Santa Cruz Island and its main town, Puerto Ayora. The trip is a bus, a short boat crossing and another bus or a taxi, about an hour each way. Getting to town: A bus runs from the airport to the Itabaca Channel, a ferry or water taxi crosses the channel, and a bus or taxi goes on to Puerto Ayora on the island's only paved road. In Puerto Ayora: The town is small enough to walk, and most of it lies along the waterfront avenue, Avenida Charles Darwin. The Charles Darwin Research Station is at the eastern end of that road. Tortuga Bay: A walking path of about 2.5 kilometers from Puerto Ayora leads to this long beach. Register at the gate where the trail begins. Getting back on time: Your ship posts its departure time, and it will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Buses from Puerto Ayora back to the channel have run only in the early morning, so check the times locally the day before and plan on a taxi for an afternoon return. Watch the clock: The Galápagos keep their own time, UTC−6, an hour behind mainland Ecuador. If you have just flown in from Quito or Guayaquil, set your watch back. Carry ID: Ecuadorian law requires you to carry identification, so keep a printed copy of your passport photo page and entry stamp with you.

Question 2

Getting from Baltra to Your Ship and Around Santa Cruz

Accepted Answer

Everything on Baltra runs between the airport and the docks by bus. Beyond Baltra, Santa Cruz Island is reached across the narrow Itabaca Channel, about 150 meters wide, and Puerto Ayora is at the far side of the island. At the airport, buses carry passengers either to the bay where expedition boats wait or to the Itabaca Channel dock. Small ferries and water taxis cross the channel to Santa Cruz. On Santa Cruz, white pickup trucks work as taxis and shared rides between town, the highlands and the channel. Yellow water taxis at Puerto Ayora's main dock cross the bay to the beaches and trails on the far side. Some small boats that run between islands have ignored safety rules such as passenger limits, so choose operators carefully.

Question 3

Eating on Baltra and in Puerto Ayora

Accepted Answer

There is little to eat on Baltra beyond the airport, so plan meals on your ship or in Puerto Ayora. In town, restaurants and cafés line Avenida Charles Darwin along the waterfront, many of them serving seafood. Drink only bottled water in Puerto Ayora, and use it to brush your teeth as well. Some restaurants sit across the bay and are reached by water taxi. The US dollar is Ecuador's currency, and small bills are easier to use than large notes, which only bigger businesses accept.

Question 4

Tipping in Ecuador

Accepted Answer

Bars, restaurants and hotels in Ecuador generally include a 10 percent service charge on the bill, so a tip is not required. In restaurants, it is still customary to leave some spare change for good service, or about 5 to 10 percent where no charge has been added. Ecuador uses the US dollar, and other currencies are not readily accepted.

Question 5

Puerto Ayora and Life on Santa Cruz

Accepted Answer

Santa Cruz is the islands' main population center, and Puerto Ayora, on its southern shore, is the largest town in the Galápagos, with about 12,700 people. It is the home of the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation. The town is named for Isidro Ayora, a president of Ecuador. Away from the towns, visitors to the national park's sites must be with a park-certified naturalist guide, and the park sets every cruise itinerary. A few sites near Puerto Ayora, such as Tortuga Bay, can be walked on your own after registering at the gate. Keep at least two meters from wildlife, stay on marked trails and never feed the animals. Clean your shoes between islands, so that you do not carry seeds from one island to another.

Question 6

A Military Base That Became a Conservation Story

Accepted Answer

Baltra's modern history began in the Second World War, when the United States built an air base here to watch the western approaches to the Panama Canal. Ecuador took over the base after the war, and the island now holds the islands' main airport. Discovery, 1535: Tomás de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, found the Galápagos by accident in 1535. The islands were named for their giant tortoises. Ecuador, 1832: Ecuador claimed the islands on February 12, 1832. Charles Darwin arrived aboard HMS Beagle in September 1835. A name from a survey: The island was called South Seymour after an 1845 British visit. The name Baltra probably comes from a Chilean naval officer who surveyed it and the Itabaca Channel in 1910. The air base, 1942 to 1946: American personnel arrived on April 9, 1942, and aircraft from Baltra patrolled the eastern Pacific for submarines. The base was deactivated in 1946, and its runway and building foundations can still be seen. The iguanas: Before the base was built, Captain G. Allan Hancock moved land iguanas from Baltra to nearby North Seymour Island in the early 1930s. Baltra's own population was gone by 1954, but the North Seymour iguanas survived and became breeding stock for the Charles Darwin Research Station. Conservation: The Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation were both established in 1959, and UNESCO listed the islands as a World Heritage Site in 1978. The iguanas return: Land iguanas were brought back to Baltra in the 1990s, and the breeding program had returned more than 700 of them by the time it ended in 2008. The airport rebuilt, 2013: The rebuilt terminal, made partly from steel pipe recycled from oil drilling, was completed in 2013 and designed to use solar and wind power. To learn more ashore: The Charles Darwin Research Station on Avenida Charles Darwin in Puerto Ayora has exhibits on the islands' natural history and a tortoise breeding area.

Question 7

Baltra and the Galápagos with Children

Accepted Answer

For a family, the Galápagos are mostly about animals seen up close, and the days are organized by your ship and its naturalist guides. If you have free time before or after the cruise, Puerto Ayora has the easiest stops for children. Younger children: Land iguanas are often seen crossing the road on Baltra, so keep watch from the bus. In Puerto Ayora, the tortoise breeding area at the Charles Darwin Research Station shows tortoises and iguanas at different ages. School age: The walking path to Tortuga Bay, about 2.5 kilometers each way, ends at a beach where marine iguanas rest on the rocks. Swimming is not allowed on the main beach, but a separate cove permits it. Teenagers: Swimming is allowed in the sheltered cove at Tortuga Bay, and Punta Estrada, a small beach across the bay from town reached by water taxi, is good for snorkeling, especially at high tide. Two-meter rule: Teach children to stay at least two meters from animals, even when an animal walks up to them. Park fee: Children under 12 have paid a reduced national park fee of $100 since August 2024; check before you go.

Question 8

Accessibility at Baltra and on the Galápagos Expedition

Accepted Answer

Arriving at Baltra involves buses between the airport and the docks, then boarding your ship from the dock. Ask your cruise line before you book how passengers who use a wheelchair or have limited mobility board and go ashore on the islands. Landings on the islands can be slippery, and some trails are rocky, which makes them hard for people with mobility or balance problems. Walks with a naturalist guide are generally slow, with plenty of stops. Crossing to Santa Cruz means stepping into and out of a small ferry or water taxi at the Itabaca Channel.

Question 9

Shopping on Baltra and in Puerto Ayora

Accepted Answer

Shopping on this trip mostly means Puerto Ayora, and the main thing to know is what not to buy. Do not buy souvenirs made from black coral, sea shells, sea lion teeth, tortoise shell, volcanic rock or endemic woods. Ecuador uses the US dollar. Puerto Ayora has banks and cash machines, though some machines limit how much you can take out at once.

Question 10

Beaches Near Baltra: Santa Cruz Island's Coastline

Accepted Answer

There is no beach to visit on Baltra, but Santa Cruz has several within reach of Puerto Ayora. Tortuga Bay can be reached on foot from town. Tortuga Bay's main beach has a strong undertow and is closed to swimmers; about a kilometer farther along, a calmer cove is open for swimming. Whitetip reef sharks are often seen in the cove near the mangroves. Punta Estrada, also called German Beach, is a small beach across the bay from town, reached by water taxi, with snorkeling at high tide. Garrapatero Beach, a 35-minute drive from Puerto Ayora and then a 20-minute walk, has blue-footed boobies, pelicans and a lagoon where flamingos are sometimes seen.

Baltra Island

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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Baltra