Check out the photograph to the left… look like somewhere you’d enjoy spending an afternoon?
Garrapatero Beach is a beautiful as what you see in the photo, and then some. To boot, the sandy shore, which does have some lava rock covered areas behind it and on the ocean floor, leads to warm, shallow waters; a great place to bring young children.
You can spot Sally Lightfoot crabs here; brightly-colored, red-orange, fast-footed little crustaceans that like to congregate in groups. Fun for kids and fun for adults to photograph.
Unlike the rocky small cove near the Darwin Center closer to the town of Puerto Ayora – Playa de la Estación – this beach is safe for swimming and you can rent kayaks at the guard station when you enter.
Garrapatero Beach is a fun afternoon excursion after you have had an early morning visit at the Cerro Mesa private nature reserve to observe Galapagos Giant Tortoises.
In most areas of the Galapagos, camping is illegal and this rule strictly enforced. Garrapatero Beach however is one of the few places you can legally camp in the Galapagos, you just need to make a reservation in advance and get permission.
The guard station at the entrance to the beach (where bathroom facilities are located) is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. When you visit ask about their camping regulations if interested.
More Galapagos Islands Articles:
Galapagos Islands Lizards & Iguanas
Playa de la Estacion on Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island
Center for Land Tortoises at Charles Darwin Research Center on Puerto Ayora
Hiking on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos