When you’re planning your trip, the beaches of the Galapagos Islands are some of the best places to explore. On these secluded and tranquil beaches, you can enjoy spending time with the iconic Galapagos wildlife or photographing the white sands or many of the other color forms: brown, black, yellow, green, and even a red beach! When creating an itinerary for your trip, here are a few beaches to include in your travel plans.
Beaches of the Galapagos Islands
Enjoy the beautiful sight of the Galapagos beaches with Santa Cruz II Cruise tours!
Puerto Egas, Santiago Island
At Puerto Egas, you can enjoy lounging in a remote location that feels secluded from the rest of the world with only the sea lions present to keep you company throughout the day. The beach is known for its black sands, tuff-stone layers, and lava rock outcroppings where marine iguanas can be found swimming and sunbathing during the day. You can enjoy activities that include snorkeling or bird watching for a great way to take in the serenity of the wildlife. Many explorers become fascinated by the unique mix of lava flows entering the ocean and the turquoise waters around.
Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz Island
Bachas Beach is home to white sands and colorful pink flamingos that can be found roaming the area, adding to the natural beauty of the destination. It’s a place to find sea turtles nesting and a brackish lagoon with plenty of spots to snorkel when you want to explore marine life in a tranquil underwater world. A variety of different cruises can take you to the beaches of the Galapagos Islands where you can also spot U.S. military wreckage that is abandoned nearby (the word bachas is a Spanish dubbed word from the English word barges).
Punta Cormorant, Floreana Island
Although Post Office Bay may not be considered one of the most beautiful beaches of the Galapagos Islands, it’s an ideal place to visit for the day when you want to learn about the rich history of the location. It’s called “Post Office Bay” due to a historic barrel that has sat on the sand since the 19th century where visitors now leave their unstamped mail, which is then taken from other visitors to their hometown. Darwin is also known to have visited the site. A documentary was filmed on the island to describe the rich history of the beaches of the Galapagos Islands.
Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island
Puerto Villamil is located on Isabela Island, which makes the beach easy to explore without traveling far to lounge under coconut trees when you want to take a nap in the shade. The beach also has a dry tropical forest where you’ll find a variety of boobies, marine iguanas, sea lions, and different types of birds. The beach stands out for its beautiful white sand and is considered a popular tourist spot. It’s also a great place to stay busy with nearby eateries and shops that are within walking distance where over 2,000 locals reside. Stunning sunsets can be seen from this beach.
Red Beach, Rabida Island
This beach is known as the only authorized visitor’s spot on Rabida Island and is unique for its red color with a brackish lagoon where many different flamingos can be found. Although unusual in its appearance, the dark red color of the sand is from the iron content of the volcanic material at the beach. It’s littered with sea lions and marine iguanas, and the water is popular for its snorkeling opportunities. Visitors are welcome to hike at the site to explore the palo santo forests on the left side of the beach. The setting is an incredible place to photograph with blue waters in every direction.
Behind the beach are brown pelicans that can be seen making nests in the salt brush and beautiful Palo Santo trees that contribute to the lush environment. Some of the rarest birds on the Galapagos Islands can be found at Rabida Island Red Beach.
Gardner Bay Beach, Espanola Island
Gardner Bay Beach is one of the most popular places to find sea lions lounging around and getting the chance to be within feet of the animals. Many people visit the beach to snorkel in the clear waters due to the variety of tropical fish that can be found. It’s also a great place to swim because of the warm temperature of the ocean. There are even white-tipped reef sharks that can be seen while snorkeling.
Don’t be surprised to find multiple spotted eagle rays close to the shore, which are easy to see in the clear blue water and seem to glide swiftly and gracefully. The coral sand is known for its soft texture with sea turtle eggshells that are easy to find. The waves are also perfect for body surfing for visitors who want to spend more time playing in the water.
Bartolome Island Beach
Bartolome Island Beach is one of the most photographed locations for those who are on a Galapagos Islands vacation. It offers beautiful views of a massive rock formation that is planted in the water. Guests can also enjoy snorkeling with penguins in a beautiful location that is well-preserved. You’ll be able to experience the beach almost exactly as Darwin did years ago.
Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island
The southeastern corner of the Galapagos holds one of the most intriguing beaches of all; from the distance, it looks brown, and up close it is green! Olivine crystals are part of this eroded tuff-stone environment and thus its attractive coloration. Most explorers froth the sand onto their hands where they can see such crystals. Sea lions, frigatebirds, a highly scenic walk, and the chance of seeing red-footed boobies are found here. Good snorkeling and kayaking from the beach, too.
