Galápagos · Nightlife

Puerto Ayora's evening food street. Tables go out into the road once the sun drops and the kiosks sell fish and lobster by weight, cooked to order. Cash, loud, and the cheapest proper meal on Santa Cruz — two blocks in from the harbour.

The main drag along the harbour, where the island's handful of bars sit between the tour agencies. Expect a rooftop or two, live music at weekends and closing times around midnight rather than dawn; drinks are noticeably expensive because everything but the fish is shipped in from the mainland.

The seafront in the provincial capital, where the sea lions take the benches, the steps and sometimes the moored boats. Quieter than Puerto Ayora and better for simply sitting out; the town beach runs straight off the promenade.

The smallest of the three main ports — sand streets, a beach that runs the length of town, and a few beach bars that shut when the last table leaves. If you want an island night that is a hammock and a beer rather than a bar, this is it.

Day tours and dive boats leave between 07:00 and 08:00, National Park visitor sites close at dusk, and a live-aboard itinerary puts you at sea overnight anyway. Plan the evening as dinner and a drink, not a night out — and carry a torch, because street lighting outside the centre of Puerto Ayora is thin.