The Galapagos Islands
Ecuador

Eastern Galápagos

Kicker Rock, Galapagos
Sea lion pups, San Cristobal Island
Floreana Island, Galapagos
Red footed booby

Why visit the Eastern Galápagos

The Eastern Galápagos is home to many of the islands that first captured Charles Darwin’s imagination and remains one of the finest places to experience the classic wildlife spectacles that have made the archipelago world-famous. Encompassing Española, San Cristóbal, Floreana, Santa Fé and South Plaza, this region combines extraordinary biodiversity with some of the Galápagos’ most dramatic coastal scenery.

This is the best place to witness vast seabird colonies in full display. Waved albatrosses perform elaborate courtship dances on Española, blue-footed boobies raise their chicks just metres from walking trails, and frigatebirds inflate their scarlet throat pouches in an unforgettable display. Along the shoreline, marine iguanas, lava lizards and playful sea lions appear almost oblivious to human presence.

Eastern Galápagos also tells the story of the islands’ earliest settlers. From the famous Post Office Bay on Floreana to the colonial history of San Cristóbal, there is a fascinating cultural dimension rarely found elsewhere in the archipelago.

For many visitors, this is the Galápagos they have imagined for years; spectacular wildlife, beautiful beaches and close encounters that remain among the finest anywhere on Earth.

Española Island

Highlights of the Eastern Galápagos Islands

  • Witness the world’s only breeding colony of waved albatrosses – Between April and December, Española becomes the sole nesting site for one of the planet’s most remarkable seabirds, whose elaborate courtship displays are unlike anything else in the Galápagos.
  • Watch blue-footed boobies at arm’s length – Eastern islands offer some of the best opportunities to observe nesting boobies, where adults perform their famous high-stepping courtship dance just metres from visitor trails.
  • Discover the Galápagos’ human story – Visit Floreana’s historic Post Office Bay, where sailors began leaving handwritten letters in a barrel over 200 years ago, a tradition that continues today.
  • Encounter enormous sea lion colonies – San Cristóbal is home to one of the largest populations of Galápagos sea lions, with beaches, jetties and even town squares shared with these charismatic animals.
  • Explore islands carpeted with giant prickly pear cacti – South Plaza and Santa Fé are renowned for their towering Opuntia forests and striking landscapes coloured red by Sesuvium during the dry season.
  • Enjoy some of the archipelago’s finest snorkelling – Swim with sea lions, turtles, rays and reef sharks in crystal-clear waters around Española, Santa Fé and Kicker Rock.
Volcanic remains

Kicker Rock was once the core of an ancient volcano. The dramatic twin cliffs off San Cristóbal are the eroded remains of a volcanic cone, with the surrounding channel now regarded as one of the finest snorkelling and diving sites in the Galápagos.

Ancient islands

Española is one of the oldest islands in the Galápagos. At around four million years old, Española has had far longer to evolve in isolation than the younger western islands, helping to create some of the archipelago’s most distinctive endemic wildlife.

Good to know

Getting to the Eastern Island

The Eastern Galápagos is most commonly explored on four to eight-night expedition cruises departing from either Baltra or San Cristóbal. Land-based visitors staying on Santa Cruz or San Cristóbal can also reach several islands on guided day excursions, although Española and Floreana are best experienced as part of a longer cruise itinerary.

Wildlife that is endemic to the Eastern Islands

These species and subspecies occur naturally only in the Eastern Islands.

  • Waved albatross (breeds only on Española Island)
  • Española marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus venustissimus)
  • Española lava lizard (Microlophus delanonis)
  • Española mockingbird (Mimus macdonaldi)
  • San Cristóbal mockingbird (Mimus melanotis bauri)
  • San Cristóbal lava lizard (Microlophus bivittatus)
  • San Cristóbal giant tortoise (Chelonoidis chathamensis)
  • Floreana mockingbird (Mimus trifasciatus) — one of the rarest birds in the Galápagos, now surviving only on two tiny satellite islets following extinction on Floreana itself.
  • Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger) — now extinct in the wild on Floreana, although a remarkable restoration programme is reintroducing descendants with surviving Floreana ancestry.
  • Santa Fé land iguana (Conolophus pallidus) — found nowhere else on Earth.
  • South Plaza land iguana population — one of the healthiest populations of Galápagos land iguanas and among the easiest places to observe them.

When to go

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OUR FAVOURITE TIME TO VISIT

From May to October. This is when Eastern Galápagos is at its absolute best, with waved albatrosses on Española, nesting boobies across several islands, cooler temperatures for walking and nutrient-rich seas supporting exceptional marine life. It’s the ideal season for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.

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