Which departure should you use?
Galapagos Transfers lists 07:00 and 15:00 departures in both directions, with check-in at least 45 minutes early. Its route pages were checked on 24 October 2026; these are published schedules, not confirmation that a particular boat has space on your date.
Choose the morning crossing if you want the afternoon in your new base. Choose the afternoon crossing if you want an unhurried morning in your departure town. Do not put a full-day excursion before a 15:00 ferry: those tours can return after boarding has closed.
Published schedules and pier locationsSanta Cruz to San Cristóbal: the boarding sequence
Puerto Ayora, Santa CruzPuerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristóbal
- Before departure
Reach Gus Angermeyer pier in Puerto Ayora
Stay in Puerto Ayora the previous night for the simplest morning departure. For the listed 07:00 or 15:00 sailings, the seller’s 45-minute check-in rule means arriving by 06:15 or 14:15. Carry your booking and identification; leave time for luggage inspection.
Santa Cruz departure details - Crossing
Allow about 2 hours 15 minutes at sea
This is an open-water passenger-boat transfer, not a sightseeing cruise. The advertised duration excludes check-in and getting to or from your accommodation. Keep documents, medication and electronics protected against spray. Sea conditions can change the journey time.
- Arrival
Continue from Hammerhead Shark dock
The listed arrival is in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the town where most San Cristóbal visitors stay. Walk or take a local transfer according to your hotel’s location and luggage. Keep the rest of the arrival day flexible rather than booking an excursion with a fixed start immediately after docking.
San Cristóbal to Santa Cruz: reverse the piers
For the reverse journey, Galapagos Transfers lists departure from Hammerhead Shark dock in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and arrival at Gus Angermeyer pier in Puerto Ayora. Its published times are also 07:00 and 15:00, with check-in 45 minutes before departure and about 2 hours 15 minutes at sea.
Arriving in Puerto Ayora does not put you at Baltra airport. You still have the road journey across Santa Cruz, the Itabaca Channel crossing and the airport-side bus. Our recommendation is to sleep on Santa Cruz before a Baltra flight rather than rely on a separate same-day ferry connection.
Reverse-route schedule and boarding detailsTicket price and the extras to separate
The two Galapagos Transfers route pages advertise fares from US$60 per person one way when checked on 24 October 2026. That is one seller’s advertised starting price, not a regulated island-wide fare or a date-specific quote. A return journey requires a ticket in each direction.
Keep the boat ticket separate from hotel-to-pier transport, any water-taxi boarding charges, and any port charges. The route summaries do not establish a complete all-in basket of those extras, so we have not invented a total. Obtain an itemised final price before paying. Park entry and the tourist transit card are separate trip requirements, not the inter-island ferry ticket.
Seller’s advertised fareComing from Baltra airport on the same day
Baltra is a different island from Santa Cruz. The airport connection involves a bus, the Itabaca Channel crossing and a road transfer to Puerto Ayora. Flight arrival time is therefore not pier arrival time.
Galapagos Transfers specifically advises against attempting its 15:00 ferry when a Baltra flight lands after 12:30. Even an earlier landing is not a protected connection or a guarantee. Staying in Puerto Ayora first removes that dependency; if San Cristóbal is your only base, flying into San Cristóbal avoids this boat transfer altogether.
Baltra to Puerto Ayora: each transfer stageRough seas, luggage and biosecurity
The crossing can be uncomfortable for travellers prone to seasickness. Do not choose an afternoon boat on the assumption that it will be calm. If you need seasickness medication, ask a pharmacist or clinician about an appropriate option before travel rather than first dealing with it at boarding.
Clean footwear and inspect bags before moving between islands. The official visitor code explicitly applies biosecurity precautions to inter-island travel, not just the flight from the mainland. Keep at least two metres from wildlife around the waterfront and never feed or touch animals.
Official visitor codeFit the ferry into your overnight plan
A one-way Santa Cruz-to-San Cristóbal trip works well with arrival at Baltra and departure from San Cristóbal, subject to available flights. It avoids retracing the boat journey. If both mainland flights use Baltra, budget a second crossing and a final Santa Cruz night.
Our land-based itinerary gives a concrete four-night Puerto Ayora and three-night Puerto Baquerizo Moreno pattern, with the transfer on its own day.
Land-based itinerary and overnight bases