Santa Cruz Galapagos: Island Life & Giant Tortoises
Bite-sized trip
✓ Visit the highlands and the famous giant tortoises
✓ Experience island life with a tasting of local products
✓ Stay in a simple hotel in lively Puerto Ayora
We recommend mixing up at least two Galapagos bite-sized trips for a more diverse experience
Day 1 – Galapagos: Isla Santa Cruz
If you’re flying from Guayaquil in Ecuador, it’s just a three hour flight to the famous Galapagos Islands. These islands are a paradise for wildlife spotting, but also surprisingly more inhabited than you might expect. Each island has its own charm, and three of them are inhabited: Isla Isabela, Isla Santa Cruz, and Isla San Cristobal. You could easily spend a week on each of the islands. This trip focuses on Isla Santa Cruz, which is home to around 24,000 people, but we recommend combining it with one of the other islands for a diverse experience
You’ll be met on arrival at the airport and taken to your hotel in Puerto Ayora. After a quick check in you’ll head to the highlands of Santa Cruz, a rugged landscape known for its volcanic craters and giant tortoises. These gentle giants roam freely, but visit a farm to eat. After a few tortoise photos, you’ll have lunch and return to your hotel. Puerto Ayora is the largest town in the Galapagos. It’s a lively spot with boutique shops, a choice of restaurants and a harbour where sea lions, pelicans and iguanas hang out. Your guide will take you to the best places to eat and introduce you to some tasty local bites
Day 2 – Boat trip around the bays of Santa Cruz
After breakfast, you’ll hop on a small boat for a trip around the beautiful bays of Santa Cruz. Your first stop is La Loberia, where you’ll be greeted by a lively colony of sea lions. At Las Grietas, you’ll get into the water for some snorkelling through the striking volcanic gorge. While you’re floating in the crystal-clear waters, keep an eye out for the ‘blue-footed boobies’ soaring overhead, and with a bit of luck, you’ll also spot some reef sharks snoozing. Eventually, you’ll dock at a secluded beach, which is home to marine iguanas, crabs and cacti. The rest of your day is free. You may wish to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where you can learn more about conservation. Or, if you prefer to soak up local life, head to the fish market, where sea lions eagerly wait for leftovers from the catch of the day.
Day 3 – Beach hopping, island hopping, or diving
Today is free for you to explore independently. Enjoy a short morning walk to Tortuga Bay, an idyllic beach where you’ll find loads of iguanas bathing in the sun. Don’t forget to take your snorkel, you have a good chance of spotting reef sharks. If you’re a diving enthusiasts check out Gordon Rocks. You might come across hammerhead sharks, turtles, manta rays, and barracudas. It’s easy to arrange a dive on the spot. Just make sure you bring your diving certificate. Or we can arrange a boat trip to one of the uninhabited islands: Bartolomé, Plazas or Santa Fe.
Day 4 – Departure from Santa Cruz
It’s time to depart the island of Santa Cruz. Whilst you’re in the Galapagos, why not explore another island? The volcanic island of Isla Isabela is a boat ride away. Or you could spend some time on nearby San Cristobal, snorkelling with Galapagos sharks. Or for a totally different experience, exploring more remote islands book a 5 day Galapagos Cruise. If your holiday has come to an end, fly back to the mainland of Ecuador and connect with your homebound flight.
Accommodation
For this bite-sized trip we offer the following options
Santa Cruz Galapagos: Island Life & Giant Tortoises - Hotel with pool
If you love this Galapagos trip but you’d prefer to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool, then we can arrange this for you. Relax in the lush gardens and experience a little more comfort after exploring the wildlife-rich Galapagos.
The program is as follows:
Day 1 – Arrival, transfers, visit to the turtle ranch (with lunch) and short food tour of Puerto Ayora
Day 2 – Boat trip in the bay of Santa Cruz (with light lunch)
Day 3 – Free day – optional boat trip to an uninhabited island with walk
Day 4 – Departure, transfers to the airport
Santa Cruz Galapagos: Island Life & Giant Tortoises - with uninhabited island
If you’re looking for a little more off-the-beaten-track adventure, we can arrange an alternative program that includes a visit to an uninhabited Galapagos island. From Santa Cruz, you will travel by boat over to Isla Bartolome, Isla Santa Fe or Seymour North. The island which you will visit will depend on the weather and availability at the time. The uninhabited islands of the Galapagos are some of the most ecologically diverse places in the world, where you will have incredible opportunities to see wildlife in their natural habitat, including Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, sally lightfoot crabs and sea lions. Each island has its own charm. Bartolome, for example, is known for the scenic views over the entire island, while Santa Fe is a dream for exploring the underwater world on a snorkelling adventure.
The rest of the program is as described above, except the food tour on day 1.
The program is as follows:
Day 1 – Arrival, transfers and visit to the turtle ranch (with lunch)
Day 2 – Boat trip in the bay of Santa Cruz (with light lunch)
Day 3 – Boat trip to uninhabited island (with light lunch)
Day 4 – Departure, transfers to the airport
