Cerro Tijeretas, San Cristóbal
Short answer
Cerro Tijeretas is a headland above the bay at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal, reached on foot from town. Both frigatebird species nest on it, a statue marks Darwin’s landing nearby, and a cove below has snorkelling you enter straight off the rock. No guide, no fee.
On this page — 7 sections
Both Galápagos frigatebird species nest on the same hill here, which is unusual — and the cove underneath is one of the few places you can walk out of a town, down some steps, and be snorkelling with turtles ten minutes later.
Cerro Tijeretas at a glance
| Island | San Cristóbal, above Puerto Baquerizo Moreno |
|---|---|
| Guide | Not required |
| Cost | Free |
| Access | On foot from town, past the interpretation centre |
| The walk | Uphill on a made path, with steps down to the cove |
| Snorkelling | Off the rocks in the cove. Bring your own gear |
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San Cristóbal — Cerro Tijeretas
Cerro Tijeretas is a headland above the bay at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal, reached on foot from town. Both frigatebird species nest on it, a statue marks Darwin’s landing nearby, and a cove below has snorkelling you enter straight off the rock. No guide, no fee.
How you get there
- On foot from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
- Through the interpretation centre grounds and up. Twenty minutes at a walk, and the centre itself is worth the detour and also free.
It sits on San Cristóbal, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.
What you actually see
The frigatebird colony
Magnificent and great frigatebirds nesting on the same hill. In season the males inflate red throat pouches, and from the viewpoint you are looking down on them rather than up.
The viewpoint and the statue
The headland looks over Tijeretas bay and the town. A statue of Darwin marks the area of the Beagle’s first landing on the island in 1835.
The cove
Steps lead down to a sheltered inlet. Turtles, sea lions and reef fish, and the entry is off rock rather than sand — steady footing needed.
What goes wrong
We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.
- Entry to the water is off rock
- There is no beach. Getting in and out with fins takes care, and it is worse when there is any swell.
- No shade on the climb
- Short but exposed. Middle of the day is unpleasant for what is otherwise an easy walk.
- No gear for hire at the site
- Rent a mask in town first. There is nothing up there.
Who this is not for
Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.
- Anyone who needs a sand entry into the water.
- Visitors who cannot manage a short uphill walk with steps.
- People without their own snorkelling gear who have not stopped in town first.
What lives here
- Magnificent frigatebird — Nesting on the hill, seen from above.
- Great frigatebird — On the same hill — unusual, and a good chance to compare the two.
- Green sea turtle — In the cove, reliably.
- Galápagos sea lion — In the water and on the rocks below.
Nearby
Playa Mann
San Cristóbal
What it is →Kicker Rock
San Cristóbal
What it is →El Junco
San Cristóbal
What it is →Cerro Brujo
San Cristóbal
What it is →Punta Pitt
San Cristóbal
What it is →La Galapaguera
San Cristóbal
What it is →Every visitor site we have written up → · San Cristóbal, the whole island →
Questions people also ask
Do you need a guide for Cerro Tijeretas?
No. It is reached on foot from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, it is free, and you can walk and snorkel there on your own.
How do you tell the two frigatebird species apart?
It is genuinely hard. The clearest tell is the sheen on the male’s back — greenish in the magnificent, purplish in the great — which needs good light and patience.
Is the snorkelling good?
Yes for a town site, with reliable turtles. Entry is off rock rather than sand, which is the only complication.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
Planning this trip yourself?
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