Some compensation for this, about twenty-minutes' walk north of the centre along Alsacio Northia is the Centro de Interpetación , the Galápagos National Park's excellent new exhibition centre (daily 8am-noon & 1-5pm; donation). The displays cover everything from geology, climate and conservation, to attempts at colonization in the 1920s, and have detailed explanations in Spanish and English. Impressive installations include a hold stuffed with overturned giant tortoises as they would have been stored by the pirates and whalers - one beast has its leg cut off for the boiling pot. Talks, lectures and concerts are regularly held at the open-air theatre and audiovisual projection room within the complex. There's disabled access too, including a raised wooden walkway winding above the vegetation to the entrance.

Behind the last exhibition room at the centre, a path leads up to Cerro de Las Tijeretas , or Frigatebird Hill . It's only twenty minutes through fragrant palo santo forests to the top to a viewpoint, where you'll have a fine panorama of the yachts in Wreck Bay, Isla Lobos to the north, and León Dormido to the northeast. Below you a rocky cove echoes with jockeying sea lions while frigate birds revolve in the air above. They nest here in March and April, and are seen less frequently during the cool-dry season. A series of paths network around the hill, so you can do a circuit; it's relatively easy to stay oriented. One trail leads to the cove where you can snorkel, others go down to the road back to town past the interpretation centre. Heading away from town to the north, you'll come to a secluded beach.

At the weekends, surfing crowds make their way to the shoreline west of town to catch the waves. Tongo Reef is one of the more popular places, a twenty-minute walk past the Capitanía. You'll need to leave identification at the entrance, as this is a military area, then cross the runway through the scrub to the rocky shore. Bring sandals that you don't mind getting wet, as the volcanic rocks somehow combine extreme sharpness with extraordinary slipperiness. It's best to be with someone who knows the place as currents can be strong; you can hire a board and a guide to give you a lesson and show you the way there , or you could befriend some surfers.

A good place near town to spot wildlife is La Lobería , thirty-minutes' walk to the southwest. Here, a trail leads along a rugged coast of pitted black lava buffeted by ocean spray, where you'll find sea lions, marine iguanas and many shore birds, to a small beach. Locals take the shortcut to La Lobería, via the airport along to the southern end of the runway and down the steep embankment at the end. Make sure there are no imminent air arrivals if you follow their example. Otherwise continue on from the southern end of Alsacio Northia down a dirt road heading to the shore. Taxis ($2.5) or bikes are alternatives to the 45-minute walk.