Santa Cruz is the main island of the Galápagos Islands. It is worth spending a lot of time here due to the many things to see and explore. Rich in wild animals and spectacular nature combined with hot weather - definitely worth a visit.
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change. ~ Charles Darwin
Tortuga Bay
In the south of the island, you will find this natural beauty. It is a protected area full of wildlife, including birds, crabs, iguanas, and tortoises. At the entrance, you have to sign in first. The beach is open from 6 am-6 pm, so make sure to be there on time because the walk to the beach takes around 25min and is 1.5 miles long. The path is easy, a small paved way that goes almost straight ahead all the time. You can see the intense wild nature on both sides. Arriving at the beach, you will get this fantastic endless view of the water, the volcanic rocks, and soft white sand. If you want to go swimming, you have to walk along the curve of the beach, to the ride side. Over there, it is allowed to go in the water and do snorkeling to explore the underwater world. If you are into nature and swimming, I can recommend this area. However, the walk feels long on the way back.
Charles Darwin Research Station
This facility is a vast area full of labs and historical memories for terrestrial and marine life. You have to register again and pay an entrance fee of $10 a person at the entrance. People told us it was free before, due to Corona; this changed. We also needed a guide, so we waited a couple of minutes until they found more people to join and start the tour. The walk takes around 1 hour and includes some nature around the foundation area. We started walking along a road, the guide told us some historical facts and showed us the Galapagos island formation on a map. After that, we continued to the station. They offer the breeding station of the tortoises in different stages and ages, from the tiny ones to the big old ones that should be around 60 years already. Many information and signs show they started the foundation and their current research. The tour ends at the main building, and you can decide to stay there a bit longer, go to the museum and get a stamp for your passport, watch the beach close by, or walk back.
El Chato - Giant Tortoise Reserve
Going there, you have two options. 1. taking a bus from Puerto Ayora (it goes every hour) will take you to a small town close by, and then you still have to walk for around 30 min to the Reserve. 2. taking a taxi. We have chosen the taxi offer, and it was $30 for both ways. Still expensive but way more accessible, especially if you don't want to spend a lot of time organizing the transportation or finding the place. Along our way, we also stopped by at the Pit Craters (see later). You will see the giant and surprisingly accessible tortoises at this Reserve. You have to register as always and pay an entrance fee of $10 a person at the entrance. You can also get another stamp for your passport. A guide leads the tour - this fact also changed due to Corona, so you are sadly not allowed anymore to walk around by yourself. And they are sneaky, so the guide doesn't work for that Reserve, so he is expecting his tip. Well, you can decide. We needed to wait for him for around 15 min. There is a complimentary tea, coffee station, and benches to sit down. The tour itself was around 45 min long. We walked through a part of the Reserve, where you could see many gigantic creatures freely in the woods or the water. You can also take some pictures. The walk ends through a tiny Vulcano tunnel - a dark and fascinating place that is difficult to imagine being that old.
Puerto Ayora
This city in the south of Santa Cruz is the biggest city on the Galapagos islands. It also offers lots of things to see and to do. Filled with restaurants, bars, and tour shops, it is equipped for tourism. The central part is the harbor. Every day around 4 pm, the anglers come back from the sea, reloading their fresh fish surrounded by birds and sea lions. It depends on the day, but usually, it is a small enjoyable show to see. Afterward, the sea lions are still lying around with full bellies and snoring, and it seems like they barely care if you approach them pretty close. If you want to explore the food offers, I recommend walking a bit out of the center, and you will find small local places with super tasty food. We went there a few times - you can choose between chicken or beef, and you get served a soup as a starter, then the main meat course with rice and some vegetables and juice as a drink. And all for approx. $5. The portions are significant and perfect.
Camino A Las Grietas
It is a narrow canyon with crystal blue water. The easiest way to go there is by boat close to Puerto Ayora. We booked a half-day tour for approx—30$ pP. The boat picked us up at 8 am at the harbor. Dressed in swimsuit and snorkeling equipment, the tour included seabird watching, three times of snorkeling, and visiting the Camino A Las Grietas. This last stop was the highlight of the trip. It takes around 15min of walking to reach the canyon from the boat - a walk through a dry, lonely landscape with the incredible cactuses and iguanas spread all over the place.
The canyon looks beautiful from the outside, with the clear light blue and green water showing how amazing it will be underwater. Going some steps down, you will reach the small wooden platform to enter the water (watch out, it's slippery). It is full of wasps; even though locals put traps everywhere, you might be disturbed by those noisy insects. The tour guide gave us around 30 min to snorkel and explore. The water was cool but refreshing and was full of life: tall colored fishes and plants diving into the black deepness. Also recommended is to swim to the other side of that crack, climbing over some slippery stones and diving into the small hidden pool. Over there, you get the chance to see small sharks, sometimes even more fish. Guess because it's calmer there.
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