Santa Cruz was my last stop on the Galápagos (sad times!). Out of the three islands I visited, it does seem to have the busiest and most developed vibe. Those vibes and the fact it has an airport (Baltra) make Santa Cruz a popular base for those exploring the Galapagos.
I had four days to explore before flying back to Guayaquil and mainland Ecuador. Here’s what I got up to…
Day Eight – Tortoises, Charles Darwin Centre & Tortuga Bay
I had an island hopping early start, taking the ferry from Isabela back to Santa Cruz. Thankfully the journey was miles smoother than the previous ferry and on it I saw several manta rays and I think even a dolphin!
Once in Santa Cruz and after getting my hostel bed, booking a tour and sorting a few things out, I had the afternoon to explore. I went to the Charles Darwin Research Centre and saw more giant tortoises as well as tiny newly hatched ones! The contrast in sizes is crazy!!
I really liked the analogy given likening the giant tortoises to the gardeners of the Galapagos; they keep the Galapagos in order and contribute hugely to spreading seeds across the islands. I didn’t realise how important a role they played in the Galapagos’ ecosystem.
I then went to La Ratonera beach, a small stretch of sand down a path from the Darwin centre, to chill. I’d planned to spend the rest of the afternoon there, but changed my mind and quickly walked to Tortuga Bay when the clouds suddenly cleared and the sun came out.
I didn’t know if I’d be treated to sun on my next days and I didn’t want to miss the chance to see Tortuga Bay with blue sky.
It’s about a 40min walk from town to Tortuga Bay and there’s an office at the start of the path where you register and are told where you can and can’t swim.
It’s not allowed to swim along most of Tortuga Bay due to big waves and strong currents. There are red flags up! If you’re a strong swimmer and are surfing, there’s a small section at the left where you can enter the water.
If not, head to the right end of the beach, there’s another beach, Playa Mansa, around the corner which is really really calm. It’s not great for snorkelling as the water’s pretty full of sand but it’s fab for cooling off!
I saw a baby hammerhead shark frantically swimming right on the shoreline. I thought it had got stuck in the shallows; however turns out it was hunting a silver fish. Once it caught it, it disappeared fast into the deeper water.
Good to know: Tortuga Bay closes at 5pm. At 4.45pm, you’ll be asked to leave Playa Mansa and start walking back. I didn’t know this before going and was expecting to have several hours on the beach. In the end, I only had one. So if you’re considering going to Tortuga Bay from 3pm, you won’t get to stay long.
For dinner, I met up with a friend from Isabela and went to Los Kioskos. It’s a street where you can eat fresh fish for decent prices. It comes alive in the evening; tables are set out down the middle and fresh fish is displayed to show what’s on offer.
You’re looking at paying $10 for a fish. I had the Bruja fish with beans, rice, salad and patacones (plantain) for $10 and it was so so delicious!!
After food, we went to the docks for sealife spotting. We saw loads of baby sharks, an enthusiastically swimming sea lion and several golden rays too!! I’m heading there every night – it’s so cool what you can see!
Day Nine – Pinzón tour
I loved the Pinzón tour!! The key for me was clear waters as for the most part on my tours I’d been unlucky with water visibility (mainly talking about Kicker Rock here!).
On a scale of 1-10 I’m not sure how high the waters would rank in clearness for the Galapagos in general but personally Pinzón gave me the clearest waters of my snorkelling trips so far! I was very happy!!
I have very little concept of time, we left on the boat around 8.30am and arrived back to Santa Cruz around 3.30pm. In that time we snorkelled three times (twice in the same spot), had a snack and lunch.
In the waters around Pinzón, I saw so many huge shoals of tiny fish that flickered in the sunlight, lots of bigger pretty multicoloured tropical fish, two small turtles, white tipped reef sharks sleeping on the bottom and occasionally swimming around and a playful sealion pup! I was really happy with how far I could see!
After snorkelling twice and lunch, we went to the second stop, La Fe, for sea turtles. The water here was less clear, so goes to show how variable visibility is.
We saw several turtles (happy Han!), lots of iguanas sunning themselves on the black rocks, several blue footed boobies and even a big stingray!
Day Ten – Las Grietas, Tortuga Bay & Las Ninfas
In the morning, I went to Las Grietas. They’re three pools of water between two cliffs of rock. I took a $0.80 water taxi from the docks to the fancier hotel part of the island.
It only takes a few minutes and you just ask for Las Grietas and they know where to go. It’s then around a 20min walk past a few hotels, Playa de los Alemanes, some pinky looking ponds and then up some steps to Las Grietas.
Tip: It does get busy, especially when tour groups turn up. I was told to arrive before 9am to have the place almost to yourself. If you’re looking to get there early, I’d get a water taxi around 7.45am so you miss the water taxi queues for ferries going to Isabela and Santa Cruz.
I spent around an hour and a half at Las Grietas. Aside from plenty of big fish (in the second pool) and some eels, I didn’t see loads snorkelling. It was a cool place to snorkel though and the third pool is pretty cool to swim through so do make sure you go all the way in.
To get to the other pools, you do have to climb over some slippery rocks. It’s very doable (I did it!!), just be careful and don’t slip!
I got to Tortuga Bay around lunchtime and relaxed there with a lovely couple I’d met on my Pinzón tour.
There must be some truth to Ecuador being closer to the equator and the sun being stronger because heck was it hot. Sitting in the sun for 5 minutes, I could feel its intense heat and power. Sitting in the shade was the much more enjoyable cooler, and safer no burn bet!
After Tortuga Bay, I went to Las Ninfas, a small mangrove lagoon in town. It’s open between 6am-5pm and free. There’s a short boardwalk around the lagoon that you can walk. It was a nice 20min visit in the late afternoon sunshine and very peaceful!
Day Eleven – Playa de la Estación, Fish Market, Tortuga Bay (again!)
I went to Playa de la Estación in the morning, near the Charles Darwin Centre, hoping to get in one last snorkel before I leave. On stepping on to the sand, it felt like I’d walked into an outdoor nursery school. Tons of tiny kids in uniform playing in the sand!
The waves were also looking quite choppy and I almost decided against a snorkel. Two guys went in and I followed – I’m so glad I did! Yes, the water was pretty sedimenty and unclear, but I saw and swam with several sea turtles!!! So happy to see them on my last day!!!
I then headed back to town and passed the fish market. A better description I think would be more of a fish table, it’s not that big!! Worth a stop to see the fresh fish being brought in and cut up by the ladies there. Plus watching the pelicans and sea lion waiting for the scraps is entertaining!!
My afternoon was spent at Tortuga Bay for one final time. Yup, I’ve been to Tortuga Bay a lot!!! It really is paradise and has the added bonus of being completely free!!! That’s a win for me!
How to get to Santa Cruz
Puerto Ayora is the main place to stay on Santa Cruz.
By plane
The island’s airport isn’t as conveniently located as San Cristobal’s. From the airport, you need to take a shuttle bus, a water taxi and another bus to get to Puerto Ayora. It costs $11 in total with both buses costing $5 each and the water taxi $1.
Journey time wise, you’re looking at around 1hr30 with the second bus to town taking around 40mins.
I’m flying out from Baltra so doing this route in reverse. I’ll be giving myself a good amount of time to get to the airport. I’ve been advised to get a bus at 7am for my 10.30am flight.
By ferry
You can get to Santa Cruz’s Puerto Ayora by ferry from both San Cristobal and Isabela. From both islands there is an early morning and afternoon ferry, normally around 6/7am and 2/3pm.
A ferry costs $30* and you can buy a ticket from almost any tour agency. Booking a day or two in advance is normally recommended.
Final thoughts
Santa Cruz was my last Galápagos island and probably my least favourite compared to Isabela and San Cristobal. It’s not anything in particular against Santa Cruz, just I preferred the vibes and scenery of San Cristobal and Isabela! They were more peaceful and charming!
That said, there’s plenty of great things about Santa Cruz. There’s lots and lots of tours to choose from and I loved the Pinzón one; the water visibility was really good!
Tortuga Bay is a slice of heaven and I went back loads of times! So beautiful!
Eating fresh fish at Los Kioskos was delicious – La Bruja fish was incredible!
And finally just watching the baby sharks, sea lions and occasional golden rays swimming around the docks in the evenings was really cool!
Tip: Trying to find a cruise, Santa Cruz has a lot of last minute deals you can shop around.
I’m now flying back to mainland Ecuador and Baños is my next stop! I reckon another 3 weeks in Ecuador before I cross into Colombia!
