When you finally take your trip of a lifetime and visit the Galapagos Islands, you have the option of arriving at one of two islands:  San Cristobal Island, or Baltra Island. The San Cristobal Island is very close to town, but landing at the Baltra Island airport means shuffling down to Puerto Ayora.   But how do you do that?

Baltra Island is located just North of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos.  The original airport and track at Baltra were a US Military base during the second world war.  Now , Baltra Island is home to the small airport that received 163, 4800 passengers in 2009, (http://www.galapagospark.org/onecol.php?page=turismo_estadisticas) ,  boasting an average of 4 flights a day!

Once you land on this small historical island, you ´ll need to head into Puerto Ayora if you do not have a direct connection to your cruise.
The connectivity to Puerto Ayora includes various steps:    1. Bus   2. Ferry   3. Bus or taxi

1. BUS:
   Once you have collected your luggage and presented your luggage tag to the staff member at the exit, you need to catch a free bus across the island.  These busses wait outside of the airport, and you´ll be able to follow the other passengers, as this is the only route to town.  You can place your bags under the bus (these spaces fill up quickly), or carry them onto the bus with you.  The bus takes 5 minutes, and drops you off at the Itabaca Channel which flows between Santa Cruz and Baltra.


Galapagos transport

2. FERRY
   At Itabaca Channel, you take your bags to the ferry, and place them on the roof!  The cost of the ferry is 80 cents US for the crossing, and takes about 10 minutes.  It´s a great opportunity for some first pictures of the Galapagos:  crystal blue waters, lush green foliage, and hot blue skies!
3. TAXI OR BUS
   Once you collect your bags from the ferry roof, there are several options:
   • A.  Taxi: Taxis on Santa Cruz are white pickup trucks.  The cost of a taxi from the canal to Puerto Ayora is $15.00.  There will be drivers waiting at the dock offering to take you into town.  Make new friends in order to split the cost.   The driver will take you to any destination in town.
   • 
   • B.  Bus: Several busses will be waiting here to collect passengers and take them into Puerto Ayora.  The cost is $1.80, and the trip takes about 45 minutes.  These busses are most often crowded, and there is no air conditioning.  The bus will drop you off at the main junction in town:  Charles Darwin Avenue and Baltra Avenue.  This is the “downtown”, if you will, where you can find passenger peers, supermarket, post office, children´s playground and outdoor sports court with a stage.   From here, you can take a $1.00 taxi (white pickup truck) to anywhere in town:

   There is so much to do in Puerto Ayora, and several visitor sites along the way from the Itabaca Channel.  Get in touch with one of our sales assistants at www.galapagosislands.com for more travel tips and things to see and do!