On San Cristóbal Island in Ecuador, Charles Darwin made his first landfall in the Galapagos archipelago, and it may be your first stop as well. Use our San Cristóbal Island Travel Guide to make the most of your trip, including recommendations for a beach popular with residents and hotels.

The main city of Galapagos province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (named after Ecuador’s first president to visit the Galapagos), is located on San Cristóbal Island, which was formed by a series of fused extinct volcanos. It is the fifth-largest island in the Galapagos archipelago, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978, as well as the archipelago’s most eastern island.

San Cristóbal Island also has the oldest still-inhabited settlement in the Galapagos, and the island presently has the second-largest population in the Galapagos behind much-busier Santa Cruz Island. Though San Cristóbal is more relaxed than Santa Cruz, it is nevertheless a popular tourist destination because it is home to one of the Galapagos Islands’ two airports.

However, there is still enough of space for the island’s natural population. The benches along the waterfront in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno are frequently taken over by sea lions, who flop into abandoned boats in the harbor, take over streets, and basically hijack any other comfy place to sun themselves.

Many regions of San Cristobal Island can only be reached by boat, but here are some activities to do in and near Puerto Baquerizo Moreno that don’t.