The Galápagos Islands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Galápagos Islands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Bahía Tortuga
Bahía Tortuga, 3 km (2 miles) southwest of Puerto Ayora, has a long, white-sand beach where marine iguanas sometimes strut along the water's edge. There are no facilities along the water, but if you walk from town (take the road to Bellavista and turn left past the bank), you'll pass a soda-and-beer stand at the top of a lava-rock staircase. Marine turtles drag their bulky shells up onto the beach to lay their eggs between November and February. The baby turtles are moved to protected locations when they hatch in June and July.
Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, Ecuador -
2. Bellavista
Near the small village of Bellavista you can explore amazing underground lava tubes. The mile-long tunnels, tall enough to walk through, were created when flowing lava cooled more quickly on the surface than below, forming a crust that enclosed an underground labyrinth. To reach the tunnels from Puerto Ayora, head north on the road to Bellavista, turn east at the cross street, and walk about a mile until you find a farm with a sign that announces "los túneles." A small fee is collected by the owner, who also provides flashlights.
Ecuador -
3. Charles Darwin Research Station
Follow the main road east from Puerto Ayora to the expansive grounds of the Charles Darwin Research Station and its visitor center, which has an informative exhibit explaining the basics of Galápagos geology, ecology, and weather patterns. Self-guided trails lead to the station's zoo-like giant tortoise pens, where you can see the only tortoises you're likely to encounter during your visit. Your admission is included in the $100 entry fee you paid upon landing in the islands. When the sun beats down on you, it gets quite hot here; bring a hat and water.
Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, 200350, Ecuador05-252–6146Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 7–6 -
4. National Park Tortoise Reserve
Nature Preserve/Wildlife RefugeThe unattended National Park Tortoise Reserve is one of the few places in the archipelago where you can view giant Galápagos turtles in the wild. An unmarked track leads to the reserve from Santa Rosa. Along the way, keep alert for Galápagos hawks, Darwin finches, and short-eared owls. In Santa Rosa a small restaurant across from the church sometimes rents horses that you are allowed to ride inside the reserve.
, Ecuador -
5. Rancho Primicias
Next to the national park is this privately-owned nature preserve where several dozen giant tortoises roam freely. If you're on a cruise or package tour, you're likely to come here. If you're traveling independently, add this to your list of Santa Cruz sites, and combine it with a visit to the neighboring national park. It's great fun to walk around here and get moderately close to these incredible creatures, and this is among the best places to take photos of and with them. You could spend 15 minutes here taking quick snaps or an hour or more walking the grounds in awe. There's an open-air café where you can sit for tea, coffee, and small snack like empanadas, as well as a souvenir shop. You'll be offer rubber boots to wear; take them or you'll sink right into the mud.
Next to the national park, about 10 minutes' drive off the main road., EcuadorNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Daily 8--5 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Santa Rosa
Scenic DriveThe road to Santa Rosa, 13 km (8 miles) beyond Bellavista, is lined with giant elephant grass, avocado and papaya trees, and boughs of yellow trumpet vines, all of which are in marked contrast to the dry, cactus-spotted lowlands. About 2 km (1 mile) beyond Santa Rosa, look for a pair of giant sinkholes called Los Gemelos (the Twins), one on either side of the road.
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