VISIT SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND ON THE CHEAP
The sky is as blue as a baby bluebonnet, clouds as white and as fluffy as snow, the mountains are majestic.
This was my first impression on Quito from the airport to the city center where I would spend a couple of days exploring before continuing on to San Cristobal Island, Galapagos.
After I drop my luggage off in my room and unwind for a minute or two, the first thing I think about is food and trying something new.
For my first stop, I decided on a coffee shop in which I ordered chocolate cake and cappuccino with whipped cream. Never knew you could have a cappuccino with whipped cream.
Yummy goodness cost me only $4. Fast food places serve chicken, beans, and rice. For $3, the portions easily fill you up. I was so full that for dinner, I had a light snack.
Skip The Hotel And Stay Local For Less
For lodging, I would skip the hotels and stay at a B&B. I stayed at Posada Del Maple B&B in the La Mariscal district. It’s situated in a quiet residential area among other hostels. A double bed with a balcony and breakfast cost me $32 per night.
If you are feeling adventurous, hop on the local bus. Just be forewarned, it might get a little crowded like an NYC subway. Bring a jacket with you.
Mornings are cool and afternoons can be hot as there is little cloud cover so the sun is rather intense. Going south of the equator, I now have permanent rosy cheeks.
Towards the evening, it cools down again. The locals are friendly and won’t hesitate to teach you Spanish. I would practice Spanish with my driver and teach him some English. If you know very little Spanish like me, the iTranslate app will help.
You can look up words, save them as favorites, and revisit them on the move. It’s a great way to quickly learn and practice Spanish on the run. If you are continuing onto the Galapagos, plan on arriving at the airport 2.5 hours before departure.
You will need to bring the credit card or paperwork showing that you purchased your ticket with that same credit card.
San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos is something out of a fairy tale storybook that doesn’t seem quite real until you are on the beach or in town and a sea lion wobbles past you. Or you see a large lizard chilling on a rock at the pier.
You don’t have to go far to encounter wildlife. From sea lions to lizards, finches, and tortoises, they are everywhere. You won’t ever want to step foot into a zoo again.
Upon arrival, I was told Galapagos was expensive. Well, it depends. If this has been your life long dream and you are going all out for this trip, this article may not be for you.
If you are worldly traveler, and don’t need to be like a herd of cattle and go on every single tour to have a good time, but show up as a visitor, engage with locals who know the best things to do and locations, you can easily create your own Galapagos experience on your terms.
Non-Profit Organization: Global Volunteers
I found the non-profit organization Global Volunteers. The organization partners up with the Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve to engage in nature conservation work to eradicate invasive species and reconstruct natural habitats by planting seeds.
For the price of staying two weeks, volunteering during the week and having weekends off, you’re helping an island in much-needed conservation efforts.
Seeing the challenges first hand with animals and humans trying to co-exist with one another is worth the trip and conservation.
You can read more about my volunteering adventure in my blog post, Voluntourism in the Galapagos National Park.
I spent two weeks living in the rainforest and waking up to the sounds of animals as my alarm clock.
I didn’t wear a watch. We stayed in a bungalow with only screens on them. At night I slept under a net.
During the day we worked on the biological reserve and in the afternoon (after enjoying a brief siesta) we would go for a hike down to the Pacific ocean.
The weekends were free to explore San Cristobal or take a ferry to another Galapagos island.
Mora The Invasive Species
Invasive species are destroying the ecosystem. We used machetes to cut mora, a plant similar to a blackberry.
The plants were introduced by humans along with goats.
As you know blackberries spread like wildfire.
To make sure the plant doesn’t grow again, you have to cut it down to the root.
You could spray herbicide, but there is some wonderful about organic and bird-friendly coffee that grows in the mountains.
My vote is to keep the coffee organic and use the volunteers to get an arm workout cutting mora.
Close Animal Encounters
If you think taking a finch home with you as a pet is a good idea, the bird will die.
What tropical bird wants to live in Minnesota in the wintertime or go to a major city with smog?
One thing I saw on the beach that annoyed me was a tourist jumping in front of a baby sea lion to take a selfie on the beach. Mama sea lion wasn’t having it.
The tourist was lucky she didn’t get bit. Since no one hunts the animals, sea lions are very comfortable with being in close proximity to humans.
If you go snorkeling, it’s guaranteed a group of sea lions will be swimming next to you without even trying. The babies are very curious creatures too.
Getting around the island is cheap and easy by taxi, water taxi or by renting a bike for the day.
There are two tours I can recommend that are worth the cost. Going to Kicker Rock ($80), hiring a taxi driver to bring you to La Galapagos, Puerto Chino and Crater Lake ($70 split between each person).
At Kicker Rock, you will go snorkeling and diving and see an abundance of sea life. I have to warn you, the water is murky, you may not see anything. Some of my friends did the tour and simply loved it. The boat ride to and from the pier is 2 hours.
ATM
Most of the mom and pop shops, hotels, and restaurants only accept cash due to the cost per credit card transaction which can be up to 28%. I found three ATMs in town. One is in Spanish and never worked for me. The other two are next to a mini-market. The one on the right accepts Visa.
Snorkeling
A great way to see wildlife up close is to swim with them. Renting snorkel gear is easy to find at many shops by the pier. $3 for a mask, $5 for fins, and $10 for a wetsuit. Or you can buy and bring your own snorkeling set.
I recommend going to the Chalo Tours office located one street behind the hotels and up the large set of stairs. The water can be a little chilly at first. When the sun is out with not a cloud in the sky, the water is a welcomed relief from the heat.
There are plenty of beaches to go swimming with sea lions and tortoises. If you are lucky, you might see some hammerhead sharks. I recommend the beaches past the Interpretation Center.
There are some trails behind it that will take you down to two beaches, hiking trails, and lookout points.
You will see sea lions and their babies taking a siesta on the beach or playing around in the ocean. Bring your Go Pro or waterproof camera.
Travel Foodies Unite
You can easily get a decent meal or snack from a local shop for less than $5. Go to the Mockingbird Café for the $5 lunch special consisting of rice, beans soup and either the catch of the day or meat.
Don’t skip the cup of Galapagos coffee for $2. For breakfast, I recommend the Hotel Miconia. They have a decent-sized breakfast for $8.25.
I decided to try a crepe with ice cream, a fruit milkshake, and coffee with milk.
If you are lucky, a finch may pull up a chair next to you and ask for a bite.
The food portions are enough to hold a person over until lunchtime. For some good views and people watching, I recommend going to the second floor for breakfast.
Galapagos Coffee
If you like Galapagos coffee, you can buy a bag of the whole beans from one of the tourist shops.
Be sure to look at the packaging. The island’s coffee production is small as coffee is considered rare and can be expensive.
The coffee plantation is near the highlands where it is produced locally. The coffee doesn’t have to travel far.
Do not spend more than $10 for a bag of whole bean coffee or $6 for ground coffee.
Beware Of Fake Coffee
They are easy to spot as they are in a coffee sack. If you buy it in a shop, ask for the price. You could go to one shop and get it for $10 or two shops down for $14. There are some in fancy packaging.
You will pay more for it and get less coffee. What to do when you run out of your coffee stash at home?
You have the option of flying back to South America to get more or order online through Tree Frogs Coffees.
Sorry, you will pay 3 times more, but it’s worth it. It’s the best coffee I have ever had.
Very little needs to be added to it. It’s good by itself and it’s good with a little maple syrup and heavy cream over ice.
Only 5,000 bags are allowed for worldwide exportation each year from Hacienda El Cafetal. I feel lucky I can order it. Next time I visit, I am bringing an empty suitcase to haul my coffee back.
2 For 1 Drinks
A good drink is hard to come by and expensive. I found a hotel that made unique and interesting drinks called the Golden Bay.
The hotel does a happy hour from 10-6 two for one drinks for $10.
My three favorite drinks were the whiskey sour, passion gin and a ginger drink served with slices of ginger.
Island Hopping Via Ferry
If you want to see more of the Galapagos, from San Cristobal, you can continue on by ferry to the other islands like Isabela. The ferry to Santa Cruz departs daily at 7 a.m. from the pier.
It’s a two-hour trip. In the morning the water is less choppy. You can sit anywhere. On the way back, the boat ride can be bumpy.
You will want to sit towards the back by the motor. Once there, you have four hours to explore areas like the lava tubes.
Take the return ferry at 2 p.m. or stay overnight and take another ferry to Isabela and swim with the penguins. The cost of the ferry is $30 each way.
Hotels and Hostels
If you want to be in the center of everything in town on the cheap, for $15, the San Francisco hostel is a good choice.
For a private room and bathroom, $30. If you want to lounge a place with a pool, for $70 you can stay at the Miconia.
If you don’t mind being in the center of it all and want to enjoy a home-cooked meal and wonderful hospitality, for $25, you can stay at the Cucuve Eco Hostel.
Breakfast is $5, well worth the splurge. The owner Alfredo can drive you in town for $1.50 or you can enjoy a good stretching of the legs and walk 30 minutes to town and see what the locals are up to.
If you want to do some island hopping, you can easily find a tour company offering last-minute Galapagos cruises to see three to four islands of the Galapagos for one week or more for less than $2,000.
It is cheaper than the well known commercial cruise ships which can set you back $5,000 or more.
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