Fur seals at Punta Carola beach, Galapagos islands (Ecuador)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)

Some local boosters say that San Cristóbal is the capital of paradise – and, technically, it is, because its port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the political seat of the Galápagos. It’s the only island with fresh water and an airport in town, and it has several easily accessible visitor sites, all of which means that its tourism profile is second only to Santa Cruz. San Cristóbal is the fifth-largest island in the archipelago and has the second-largest population. The Chatham mockingbird, common throughout the island, is found nowhere else.


Attractions

Must-see attractions

Plan with a local