Galapagos Islands Map: Which Islands You Can Visit
Only four of the Galapagos islands have towns, and most visitor sites sit within a day trip of them. The map below pins every island and visitor site we cover, the table splits them into day-tour and cruise-only territory, and each pin opens our guide to that place.
Every pin is an island or visitor site; open it for our guide.
Pins on the map
- 1 Santa Cruz Island
- 2 San Cristóbal Island
- 3 Isabela Island
- 4 Floreana Island
- 5 Baltra Island (airport)
- 6 Bartolomé Island
- 7 North Seymour Island
- 8 Española Island
- 9 Genovesa Island
- 10 Wolf Island
- 11 Darwin Island
- 12 Fernandina Island
- 13 Santiago Island
- 14 Pinzón Island
- 15 Santa Fe Island
- 16 Rábida Island
- 17 Isla Lobos
- 18 Kicker Rock (León Dormido)
- 19 Sombrero Chino
- 20 Mosquera Islet
- 21 Plaza Sur (South Plaza)
- 22 Seymour airport, Baltra
- 23 San Cristóbal airport
How Many Islands Are In The Galapagos?
It depends on what you count. The Galapagos National Park Directorate lists 13 major islands, 4 of them inhabited, plus more than 200 islets, rocks and minor islands. UNESCO's World Heritage listing instead counts 127 islands, islets and rocks, 19 of them large.
The two official sources disagree because they count differently. The park directorate works with 13 major islands, of which 4 are inhabited, and more than 200 islets, rocks and minor islands. UNESCO's World Heritage listing counts 127 islands, islets and rocks, 19 of them large. So the answer depends on where you draw the line between a real island and a rock.
One figure applies across the whole archipelago: the national park, created in 1959, covers 97 percent of the land. The remaining 3 percent is the inhabited area of the four settled islands. A separate names guide lists every island with its English and Spanish name, which helps when maps and brochures use different labels for the same place.
More on this: Names of the Galapagos islands
Which Islands Are Inhabited?
Four islands are inhabited: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana, with about 30,000 residents in all (INEC statement, November 2025). Mainland flights land only on Baltra and San Cristóbal. Isabela and Floreana are reached by boat from Santa Cruz.
| Island | Main town | Mainland flights | What visitors do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | Puerto Ayora | Baltra airport, then bus and boat | Tortuga Bay, Las Grietas, the highlands, day tours to Bartolomé, North Seymour and Pinzón |
| San Cristóbal | Puerto Baquerizo Moreno | San Cristóbal airport, 6 minutes from town | Sea lions in town, Tour 360 and Kicker Rock, Isla Lobos |
| Isabela | Puerto Villamil | None; boat or small plane from Santa Cruz | Los Tuneles, Tintoreras, Sierra Negra, Concha Perla |
| Floreana | Puerto Velasco Ibarra | None; boat from Santa Cruz | Post Office Bay and Devil's Crown; a long day trip from Santa Cruz, or a stay at Hotel Wittmer or Floreana Lava Lodge |
Source for the airports and sites: our island guides.
Mainland flights land on Baltra, which serves Santa Cruz by bus and boat, and on San Cristóbal, whose airport is six minutes from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Isabela and Floreana are reached by boat from Santa Cruz, and small planes also link the islands. Floreana can be a long day trip from Santa Cruz or a stay at Hotel Wittmer or Floreana Lava Lodge. Some online feedback calls Isabela the least appealing island; we absolutely loved it.
Which Islands Can You Visit On Day Tours And Which Only By Cruise?
From Santa Cruz you can reach about a dozen sites on day tours, such as Bartolomé, North Seymour, Plaza Sur, Santa Fe, Pinzón and Floreana. From San Cristóbal, day tours go to Kicker Rock and Isla Lobos. Española works as a long day trip, though it felt a bit rushed. Wolf, Darwin and Genovesa are cruise only.
| Island or site | Day tour from | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bartolomé | Santa Cruz | Pinnacle Rock and snorkeling; limited daily visitors, so book ahead |
| North Seymour | Santa Cruz | About an hour's sail from the Itabaca channel; seabirds |
| Plaza Sur | Santa Cruz | Listed on Santa Cruz day tours |
| Santa Fe | Santa Cruz | A day tour of about 8 hours, with a 40-minute boat ride |
| Pinzón | Santa Cruz | Mostly snorkeling |
| Floreana | Santa Cruz | A long day trip; you can also stay overnight on Floreana |
| Santiago (Sullivan Bay) | Santa Cruz | Part of the Bartolomé day tours; the rest of the island is on cruise routes |
| Española | San Cristóbal | About 2 hours each way by boat; cruises give more time on the island |
| Kicker Rock | San Cristóbal | A snorkeling tour, often part of the Tour 360 |
| Isla Lobos | San Cristóbal | About an hour from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno |
| Isabela sites | Isabela | Los Tuneles, Tintoreras and Sierra Negra, all from Puerto Villamil |
| Mosquera | None | A cruise stop near Baltra |
| Sombrero Chino | None | Cruises on the northern itinerary loop |
| Genovesa | None | Cruise only, on some 4-night itineraries |
| Wolf | None | Multi-day cruise or live-aboard |
| Darwin | None | Live-aboard itineraries |
| Fernandina | None | Cruises on western routes |
| Rábida | None | Cruise itineraries |
Operators group cruise routes by area. Eastern or southern routes visit Española, Floreana, San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz. Western routes cover the west coast of Isabela and Fernandina, often with Santiago. Northern routes feature Genovesa, which appears on some 4-night cruises, and Wolf and Darwin sit on multi-day live-aboard itineraries. There is no public master list of park-assigned circuits, only itineraries approved vessel by vessel.
We opted for a day trip to Española from San Cristóbal, which took about 2 hours each way by boat, and it felt a bit rushed. If you want more time there, cruises give it. Sombrero Chino, Mosquera, Rábida and Fernandina are cruise stops, so check vessel itineraries before you book.
More on this: Galapagos Cruise Vs Land-Based Trip: We Did Both
Where Do The Flights Land?
Mainland flights land at two airports: Seymour airport on Baltra, which sits just north of Santa Cruz, and the airport on San Cristóbal. LATAM and Avianca fly there from Quito and Guayaquil. If you land on Baltra and need Puerto Ayora, you cross the Itabaca channel, and door to door it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
We landed on Baltra Island, and we needed to get to Puerto Ayora town on Santa Cruz Island. The route runs by airport bus to the Itabaca channel, across on the public barge, then by bus or taxi into town. Taxis charge USD 25 flat for up to 4 people and take about 45 minutes. On San Cristóbal, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a taxi ride of under 5 minutes from the airport. Flights from Quito take roughly 2 hours 10 minutes to Baltra. The how to get there page breaks the whole route down step by step.
More on this: How To Get To The Galapagos: Flights, Airports And Fees
Island Guides
Every pin on the map and every row in the tables leads to one of our island guides. Start with the four inhabited islands, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana, then move on to the smaller islands and visitor sites, and finish with the three island towns.
The lists below group the guides: the inhabited islands first, then the other islands and visitor sites, then the towns. Our names guide lists every island with its English and Spanish name.
Inhabited islands
Other islands and visitor sites
- Baltra Island
- Bartolomé Island
- North Seymour Island
- Española Island
- Pinzón Island
- Santa Fe Island
- Lobos Island
- Kicker Rock (León Dormido)
- Sombrero Chino
- Mosquera Islet
- Wolf Island
Island towns
More
FAQ
How many islands are in the Galapagos?
Counts differ depending on the source. The Galapagos National Park Directorate counts 13 major islands, 4 of them inhabited, plus more than 200 islets, rocks and minor islands. UNESCO's World Heritage listing counts 127 islands, islets and rocks, 19 of them large.
How many Galapagos islands can you live on or stay overnight?
Four islands are inhabited: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana. They hold the towns where visitors stay; the other islands are visited on day tours or cruises.
Which airports do flights from the mainland use?
Flights from the mainland use two airports. Baltra has the Seymour airport, just north of Santa Cruz; you cross the Itabaca channel to reach Santa Cruz. The San Cristóbal airport sits under 5 minutes by taxi from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, USD 2 to 4 per taxi, or a 10 to 25 minute walk.
Can you visit Wolf and Darwin on a day tour?
No. Wolf and Darwin are reached only by multi-day live-aboard itineraries, never by day tours. Operators group cruise routes by area: eastern or southern routes visit Española, Floreana, San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz, western routes visit Isabela's west coast and Fernandina, and northern routes feature Genovesa. Wolf Island, for example, was a highlight of our trip.
Which islands can you reach from Santa Cruz in a day?
Day tours from Santa Cruz reach Bartolomé, including Sullivan Bay on Santiago, North Seymour, Plaza Sur, Santa Fe, Pinzón and Floreana. If you stay on San Cristóbal instead, day tours there reach Kicker Rock and Isla Lobos.
Is Isabela worth visiting?
We absolutely loved it, contrary to online feedback suggesting it is the least appealing. We also regretted our decision to stay on Isabela Island for only two nights, so give it more nights than we did.
