Gito’s Guide

What To Do In Santa Cruz, Galápagos (Complete Guide)

Map extract of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

Santa Cruz is one of the easiest Galápagos islands to explore independently, but some of the best wildlife experiences require a boat trip. We spent time exploring the island on our own as well as taking several excursions, and this is what we actually thought was worth doing.

Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Quick Summary
  3. Best Things To Do in Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Without a Tour
  4. Best Tours From Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
  5. Places We Ate
  6. Practical Tips
  7. Summary
  8. Links

Overview

Quick Summary

Best for:

  • Wildlife, Beaches & Giant Tortoises
  • Day Trips & Island Hopping
  • Restaurants, Cafés & Local Life

Not ideal for:

  • Remote Nature Experiences
  • Luxury Resort Tourism
  • Quiet Island Escapes

Best Things To Do in Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Without a Tour

Tortuga Bay

The trail to Tortuga Bay starts in Puerto Ayora, just a few streets back from the seafront so it’s very easy to get to. There’s an entrance area where you can leave your bicycle if you’ve rented one.

From here it’s a veeery long walk along a boardwalk until you eventually reach the beach. The trail takes you through the arid zone of the national park so the landscape is very dry. It’s basically a straight road and pretty much impossible to get lost but there is absolutely no protection from the sun.

We massively underestimated how long the walk would be. It is very, very long, so give yourself plenty of time and take plenty of water.

When you finally reach the beach you’ll find a huge stretch of sand but this isn’t really where people go swimming. Walk all the way along the beach and you’ll eventually come across an area where sea iguanas like to rest. Just behind this is another short path that takes you through to a lagoon connected to the ocean.

This is where you’ll find another beach and this one is much better for swimming. There are some trees behind the beach which give you some much-needed shade. Around the little mangroves near the entrance to the beach and along the shoreline, you can find baby hammerhead sharks swimming around in the shallows. You don’t need to go far out at all to see them. They swim right around your feet and they look incredibly cool.

Further out you can find rays and small Galápagos sharks too. The visibility wasn’t great when we went though, so to be honest we weren’t too keen on going out into the middle of the lagoon when we couldn’t see very well. We did have a snorkel around the rocks at the near and far end of the beach and found more sharks and rays there.

You can also just have a swim and relax here. There were plenty of people swimming when we visited.

For me, the baby hammerheads were the highlight. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time for the walk because it took much longer than we expected. Leave as early as possible during the day to avoid the midday heat.

Charles Darwin Research Station

The Charles Darwin Research Station is a great option if the weather isn’t on your side. It’s right at the end of Avenida Charles Darwin and is easy to reach from town. We went by bicycle but you can also walk there.

It was free to enter when we went. You could also pay $10 for a guide which gave you access to the giant tortoise breeding centre that you couldn’t visit on your own. We decided to skip the guide because we’d just spent three weeks volunteering on a farm and had been seeing giant tortoises every day. There was still plenty to see and learn about though.

There’s a lot of information about the Galápagos and its different ecosystems. You can learn about the different ecological zones across the islands and how the surrounding ocean plays such an important role in making the Galápagos what it is. It’s a really interesting place if you want to understand a bit more about what you’re actually looking at while you’re exploring the islands.

There’s also a gift shop where the money goes towards helping keep the centre running. They also have a really nice Galápagos stamp that you can put in your passport as a memento.

Do this at your own risk though. I put one in mine and later had an extremely unimpressed immigration officer in Argentina tell me that I’d basically invalidated my passport because passports are only supposed to contain official entry and exit stamps. He very begrudgingly let me through and warned me that another immigration officer might not be so understanding. Whether that’s actually a rule or he was just having a bad day, I have no idea, but I’d probably leave the stamp out of my passport if I had to do it again.

There are also two small beaches right next to the research station. The first is very close and quite small. It’s actually a decent little snorkelling spot, although the beach itself gets very crowded and we didn’t find it particularly pleasant.

While we were swimming, a few sea lions came up onto the beach and decided that one poor guy’s towel and bags looked like a comfortable place to sleep. He ended up having to wait around for quite a while before one of them decided to move. It’s hard to complain when the beach belongs to them really.

The second beach is a little further up the trail. It’s not really as good for swimming, but there’s a small trail that continues past the beach and follows the coastline. It’s a nice little walk and we found a few more sea lions resting along the way. Nothing too strenuous, but a nice place to wander around if you have some extra time.

El Garrapatero Beach

Playa El Garrapatero is one of the quieter beach options on Santa Cruz Island and is a good choice if you want to get away from Puerto Ayora for a few hours. It’s about 19 km from town so you’ll need to arrange transport to get there. From the parking area there’s a short walk through the dry forest before you reach the beach.

The beach itself is long and surrounded by the dry, arid landscape of coastal Santa Cruz. There’s also a small lagoon behind the beach where you can sometimes spot flamingos and white-cheeked pintail ducks. You can explore the surrounding area and there are plenty of birds around too.

If you’re looking for somewhere a little more peaceful than Tortuga Bay, this is probably worth considering. It’s a nice place to spend a few hours without needing to book a tour.

Las Grietas & Playa de los Alemanes

Las Grietas and Playa de los Alemanes are easy to combine into one trip from Puerto Ayora. You’ll need to take a short water taxi across the bay and then follow the path through the area towards Las Grietas. It’s a nice little walk and there are a few things to see along the way.

Playa de los Alemanes is a small beach with calm water and is a nice place to stop for a swim. Las Grietas is the main attraction. It’s basically a long volcanic crack filled with water where you can swim and snorkel. The rock walls on either side make it quite a cool place to swim and it’s something a bit different from the beaches around Puerto Ayora.

It can get quite busy though so don’t expect to have the place to yourself. The walk around the area is probably just as much a part of the trip as Las Grietas itself. You can also see the saltwater pools and the surrounding volcanic landscape along the way.

If you’re already heading over to Las Grietas, definitely make a bit of extra time for Playa de los Alemanes and the surrounding paths rather than just going straight there and coming back.

Puerto Ayora

Puerto Ayora is the busy part of Santa Cruz Island and is where you’ll find most of the restaurants, shops and cafes. It’s also where most people will base themselves while exploring the island.

The Gus Angermeyer Pier and Ferry Terminal is where you can get water taxis and ferries to the other islands. We bought our ferry tickets from one of the travel agencies in town although we were told you can also buy them from the kiosks around the pier.

The bus station that takes you as far as the Santa Cruz highlands is here. If you’re heading to the airport though, you’ll need to take the bus from Terminal Terrestre. It’s worth knowing this before you turn up with your bags at the wrong one. You can take a taxi from town to the terminal. The buses only take cash.

Avenida Charles Darwin runs along the coast and is probably the nicest area to wander around. There are plenty of restaurants and cafés along here, and around the fishing boats you’ll often find some absolutely enormous pelicans hanging around. There are usually sea lions around here too, either sleeping on the platforms or just generally getting in everyone’s way.

We found Puerto Ayora particularly nice in the late afternoon and evening once things had cooled down a bit. It’s a good place to wander around without really having anywhere you need to be.

There’s also a good supermarket called Proinsular Market close to the ferry terminal. It’s useful if you’re stocking up on anything for the day and there’s an ATM right outside.

Best Tours From Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos

El Chato Ranch / Galápagos Frontier

Galápagos Frontier tour information here

El Chato Ranch tour information here

There are a few places in the Santa Cruz highlands where you can go looking for giant tortoises. One of the better-known options is El Chato Ranch. They offer tours through their reserve where you can see tortoises roaming around freely, but to be honest it felt a little more corporate than some of the other places we visited. It’s not a bad place to go at all, but if you’re looking for something a bit more personal and wild I’d recommend Galápagos Frontier.

We actually spent four weeks volunteering at Galápagos Frontier. We were picking fruit from the trees, helping out around the farm and even translating the tours into English for visitors, so we got to know the place pretty well.

The farm is owned by a father and son. Cesar, the father, has been a guide in the Galápagos for many years and now spends his time showing visitors around his farm. It’s a really beautiful place with giant tortoises roaming around freely and all kinds of native fruit trees growing throughout the property.

The farm borders the national park and Cesar takes you on a walking tour through the property, into the national park, and eventually into a lava cave. The whole tour takes around 2–3 hours and there’s a surprising amount to see along the way. You’ll find tortoises and different types of birds around the ponds, and you might even find some bats inside the cave.

Cesar also knows an incredible amount about the plants growing around the farm. He’ll show you which fruits you can eat, which ones you shouldn’t and why. He’ll also tell you about the medicinal uses of some of the plants and the problems caused by invasive species. It’s much more than just going somewhere to see giant tortoises.

When you get back to the farm, Cesar will usually have prepared some fresh juice using fruit grown there. If you arrange it in advance, you may even be able to have a meal. His son studied as a chef so the food can be pretty good too. There are also bathroom facilities at the farm.

Obviously I’m biased after spending four weeks there, but I genuinely think it’s a great tour. If you’re looking for something that feels a little more personal and less like a standard tourist attraction, I’d definitely recommend Galápagos Frontier.

North Seymour Island

A male frigatebird inflates his red gular pouch to attract females on North Seymour Island

North Seymour is one of the trips I’d seriously consider if you’re staying on Santa Cruz Island. Unlike some of the other excursions where you’re mainly going for the scenery or the snorkelling, North Seymour is all about the wildlife.

The island is packed with birds and you can get surprisingly close to them. You’ll see plenty of blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds and there are land iguanas wandering around the island too. The frigates are particularly impressive when you see the males with their huge red throat pouches inflated.

The walking isn’t particularly difficult but you’ll spend a decent amount of time following the trails around the island with your guide. This is one of those places where having a guide is actually useful because they’ll point out things you would probably walk straight past and explain what you’re looking at.

There’s also a good chance of seeing sea lions around the coast and plenty of other birdlife along the way. If you’re really into wildlife and photography, I’d put North Seymour pretty high on the list of trips from Santa Cruz.

It’s a full-day excursion from Puerto Ayora so it’s not a cheap or quick trip, but if you want to spend a day surrounded by Galápagos wildlife rather than just visiting another beach, I think it’s one of the better options.

Pinzon Island

Tour information here

Pinzón is one of the better options from Santa Cruz if your main interest is getting in the water. It’s a small island and there isn’t really a huge amount to do on land, so the trip is mostly about the snorkelling.

The waters around the island are home to plenty of marine life. You can find sea lions, turtles, rays and sharks along with large schools of fish. The sea lions are usually the real stars though, especially when they decide to come and investigate the snorkellers.

It’s another full-day boat trip from Puerto Ayora, so you’re committing most of a day to it. If you’re not particularly interested in snorkelling, I’d probably choose one of the other islands instead.

Bartolomé Island

Bartolome Island volcanic landscape

Bartolomé is a small volcanic island and the landscape is completely different from what you’ll find around Puerto Ayora. It’s very dry and almost looks like another planet in places.

There’s a wooden boardwalk that takes you up to the highest point on the island. It’s not a particularly difficult climb but it can be hot with very little shade. Once you reach the top you’ll get the famous view over Pinnacle Rock and the surrounding islands. This is probably the main reason people come here and the views really are impressive.

The trip usually includes a snorkelling stop too. Depending on the conditions you can see penguins, sea lions, turtles and plenty of fish in the water around the island.

I’d choose Bartolomé if you’re more interested in landscapes and photography than spending the whole day looking for wildlife. The volcanic scenery is the real attraction here and it’s one of those places where the landscape alone makes the trip worthwhile.

It’s a full-day boat excursion from Santa Cruz Island, so it’s not the cheapest or easiest thing to do, but if you want to see one of the more unusual landscapes in the Galápagos, I’d say it’s worth considering.

Places We Ate

Helados Tato right in the heart of town is the best place to get soft served ice cream. It only costs $1 a cup/cone and they’ve got lots of flavours some of which you can mix.

This whole section of Charles Binford road is lined with restaurants where you can get local menu del dia with a starter soup, a main plate, and a juice for $5-6. Great place for a cheap dinner.

Frafre restaurant is a bit more expensive but the food is soooo good.

Chococoffee had the best cakes we found. Try the tres leches and the cheesecakes. They’ve also got some nice ice creams and make their own empanadas. You can get an hour of free wifi here and it’s a quiet place off the main road. Great place to get some work done on your laptop.

Galápagos Deli has lots of quick lunch options like pizza, sandwiches, even fish and chips. They’ve got some really nice gelato. Cookies behind the counter are tasty too.

Lemon & Coffee has more of a sports bar feel but they also offer a menu del dia and are a good place for an afternoon beer.

Santa Cruz Brewery is great if you’re tired of local food. Burgers and ribs are nice and they make some really tasty craft beers using local ingredients.

Islander Coffee Roasters was the best coffee we found on the island. They make a great breakfast and the wifi is pretty strong. Good spot if you need to do some work online.

Practical Tips

Summary

Links

Why not have a look at our guides for San Cristóbal and Isabela too?

What To Do In San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos (Complete Guide)

What To Do In Isabela Island, Galápagos (Complete Guide)