Kicker Rock rises sharply from the blue ocean, with two tall volcanic towers split by a narrow channel under a bright sky. Land-based day tours can still reach major Galapagos highlights like Kicker Rock.
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This was the Bucket List Galapagos snorkeling day I had been dreaming about for months.

Short answer: yes — especially if snorkeling is one of the main reasons you’re coming to the Galapagos. Then Kicker Rock should definitely be on your list.

During our 30 days in the Galapagos, Bill and I did multiple snorkeling tours from all three inhabited islands, and Kicker Rock was one of our favorites.

The Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour leaves from San Cristobal and gave us exactly what I hoped Galapagos snorkeling would feel like: sea turtles everywhere, dramatic volcanic walls, colorful fish, and that thrilling sense of being out in deeper, wilder water.

If I went back tomorrow, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

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Quick Facts on the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

  • What It’s Known For: The Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour is known for dramatic wall snorkeling between towering volcanic cliffs and the chance to see sea turtles, rays, Galapagos sharks, tropical fish, and sometimes hammerheads.
  • Tour Duration: About 6–7 hours
  • Boat Ride Duration: About 1.5 hours each way
  • Amount of Snorkeling Time: Approximately 2 hours
  • Who This Is Good For: If snorkeling is your top priority and you want one of the Galapagos’ most iconic underwater experiences, book Kicker Rock.
  • Good to Know: Kicker Rock is extremely popular and the National Park limits how many people can visit each day. So once you decide you want to do it, I’d go ahead and book it.
Check Availability for the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

If you’re still figuring out which snorkeling tour best fits your swimming comfort, start with my guide to How to Choose the Right Galapagos Snorkeling Tour for you.

A boat approach Kicker Rock in the distance of the blue Pacific Ocean.

Our Experience on the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

We lucked out and got a boat that was super luxurious and comfortable, and it only had four guests on it (us and a young Italian couple from Milan who were on their honeymoon), which made the day feel like a private tour. We didn’t plan it that way, but it was a nice bonus.

A spacious catamaran floats on bright blue water during our Kicker Rock snorkeling tour from San Cristobal. Boat comfort made a big difference on this full-day Galapagos snorkeling trip.

The boat ride out took about 75 minutes, and once in the water, the snorkeling was pretty fantastic.

Twin rock formations rise out of the ocean at Kicker Rock, an iconic and famous Galapagos snorkeling site.

We swam through the Kicker Rock channel, then along the volcanic walls where we saw tons of sea turtles, colorful fish, and coral. Bill even spotted a blacktip reef shark.

A brown seat turtle swims towards the camera with its fins spread out.
Click to watch us swim with the sea turtles – video credit Roberto from Italy

This was the kind of snorkeling I had been dreaming about before our trip: dramatic, active, a little wild, and full of marine life. We didn’t see hammerheads, but I didn’t feel disappointed for a second.

School of blue fish with yellow tails during Galapagos snorkeling at Kicker Rock.

The current was stronger than I expected and required real swimming, so I’d call this active snorkeling, not casual snorkeling. I stuck pretty close to our guide Wilson so the current wouldn’t pull me into the rocky wall of the island.

A large red sea star is attached the colorful blue, black and orange coral underneath the water of the Kicker Rock channel.

We actually swam all the way around the entire island! The time in the water lasted about an hour.

Back on board, the boat drove us around the island too so I could take photos of all the birds nesting high in the rocks. (P.S. I put the list at the end of this review)

After a fantastic lunch, we stopped at a secluded beach to take a short wildlife walk. Most of us skipped the walk and chose to stay in the water to keep snorkeling. It ended up being a peaceful, calm snorkel in contrast to Kicker Rock itself. Bill took a nap on the beach.

Then we motored back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to disembark. Roberto from Italy was nice enough to share all his GoPro photos and videos with me which was fun to see.

What We Loved

Biggest highlights:

  • Swimming with what felt like endless sea turtles
  • Beautiful wall snorkeling with surprising coral
  • Small group size and great boat comfort
  • Bonus second snorkel in calm water
  • The dramatic scenery above and below water
A large sea turtle glides through clear blue water near Kicker Rock in the Galapagos Islands. Snorkeling with sea turtles was one of the highlights that made Kicker Rock live up to the hype.

Things to Know Before You Book the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

A few tips I wish I’d known:

  • Wear or rent a wetsuit
  • Bring seasickness meds if you need them
  • Be comfortable swimming in strong current
  • Bring a GoPro or an underwater camera if you have one — this is the tour where you’ll really want it
  • Bring reef-safe sunscreen, water, and a hat for the boat and beach stop 
  • If the guide is moving too fast, ask them to slow down
Kari and Bill smile on the deck of a boat with Kicker Rock rising in the distance behind them.

Final Take

Would I book this Kicker Rock snorkeling tour again? Absolutely.

If snorkeling is a priority for your Galapagos trip, this is the tour I’d put near the top of your list.

I didn’t see the hammerhead sharks, and I didn’t need to.

The sea turtles, wall snorkeling, colorful fish, and volcanic scenery made this one of the most memorable snorkeling days of our entire month in the Galapagos.

Check Availability for the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

Still comparing San Cristobal snorkeling tours? My Española Island tour review and Punta Pitt tour review cover two very different land-and-sea wildlife days from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Birds We Saw on the Kicker Rock Snorkeling Tour

For my fellow bird lovers, here are the birds we saw on our Kicker Rock Snorkeling tour:

  • Blue-footed Booby
  • Nazca Booby
  • Swallow-tailed Gull
  • Red-billed Tropicbird
  • Magnificent Frigatebird
  • Galapagos Shearwater

Kicker Rock is not a birding tour at all, but it was fun to see some endemic Galapagos birds while circling the island.

More Galapagos Travel Guides

Here are some more posts about visiting the Galapagos Islands. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Overall Galapagos Planning Guides

San Cristobal Island Galapagos Guides

Santa Cruz Island Galapagos Guides

Isabela Island Galapagos Guides

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