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SANTA CRUZ ISLAND TOURS

CHARLES DARWIN STATION, TORTUGA BAY & SNORKELING

• 09:00 Your naturalist guide and transport will be meet you at the Hotel
• 09:15 Bus/Taxi ride to Puerto Ayora
• 09:45 Tour of the Charles Darwin Research Station and tortoise breeding centre
• 11:15 Walk down back through town
• 12:00 Lunch at the 'Escuela de Gastronomia' (Chef's School)
• 13:00 Walk to Tortuga Bay Beach
• 16:30 Bus/Taxi ride to Hotel
• 17:00 Arrive at Hotel

On this tour look out for: Giant Tortoises, Land iguanas, Lava lizards, Darwin finches, Marine iguanas, Frigate birds, Blue footed boobies, Brown noddie terns, Brown pelicans, White tip sharks, Sting rays, Sea turtles, Sally lightfoot crabs, Ghost crabs.

You may also just choose to do one or two of the visits detailed, for that reason we have included the time for each individual visit within this day tour (please note that the individual times below each include traveling time to and from the Hotel).

This guided tour includes;

• Charles Darwin Station & Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre (3 hours)
  Located at the far end of Puerto Ayora this centre is home to the giant tortoises and the land iguana captive breeding programs. See the tiny new born tortoises and sit alongside the huge adults in their corrals.

  You will have the chance to see Lonesome George, the last remaining individual of Pinta Island and conservation icon of Galapagos. Also, Diego 'the latin lover' who has fathered the vast majority of over 1000 tortoises reintroduced back onto Espanola island.

  The Van Straelen Centre offers a wealth of information about current conservation efforts within the Galapagos National Park and Galapagos Marine Reserve.

• Tortuga Bay (4 hours)
  This spectacular, white sand beach is situated about 35 minutes walking distance from Puerto Ayora. A paved pathway takes you from the outskirts of Puerto Ayora through an arid, aromatic, palo santo forest surrounded by prickly pear and candalabra cactus and birdlife until you reach a long, pristine, powdery sand beach. (Note: Because of strong currents, this beach is not suitable for swimming).

  A twenty minute stroll down this amazingly beautiful beach brings you to a protected pool that is ideal for swimming and easy snorkeling. A short stroll over to 'Playa Mansa' brings you to a tranquil lagoon where you can swim and snorkel too. Kayaks can also be rented to spot turtles and white tip sharks a little further out towards the middle of the lagoon.

  Between Tortuga Bay beach and Playa Mansa there is short trail along a rocky stretch of coastline and through a beautiful cactus forest where you can see marine iguanas, brown pelicans and blue footed boobies.

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TORTUGA BAY BEACH, SNORKELING & KAYAKING
This spectacular, white sand beach is situated about 35 minutes walking distance from Puerto Ayora.

A paved pathway takes you from the outskirts of Puerto Ayora through an arid, aromatic, palo santo forest surrounded by prickly pear and candalabra cactus and birdlife until you reach a long, pristine, powdery sand beach. (Note: Because of strong currents, this beach is not suitable for swimming). A twenty minute stroll down this amazingly beautiful beach brings you to a protected pool that is ideal for swimming and easy snorkeling. A short stroll over to 'Playa Mansa' brings you to a tranquil lagoon where you can swim and snorkel too. Kayaks can also be rented to spot turtles and white tip sharks a little further out towards the middle of the lagoon.

Between Tortuga Bay beach and Playa Mansa there is short trail along a rocky stretch of coastline and through a beautiful cactus forest where you can see marine iguanas, brown pelicans and blue footed boobies.

Advice for the Beach

Be very careful about entering the rough waters along Tortuga Bay beach where strong undertow currents can be dangerous unless you are an experienced surfer. It is completely forbidden to climb on the fragile sand dunes as they get very easily destroyed. Don't forget to apply abundant sun protection at all times. Insect repellent is advisable.

This Tour can also be part of a full day adventure if combined with the Academy Bay Snorkeling Tour, the Highland Tour and the Charles Darwin Station Tour.

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EL GARRAPATERO BEACH
This is one of the most exotic and beautiful beaches in the Galapagos Islands, offering a landscape of black lava bristling with pioneer cacti contrasted with shimmering white sand and a turquoise sea, safe for swimming.

You can watch the blue-footed boobies and pelicans fishing in the bay, crabs scuttling into their burrows in the white sand and marine iguanas strolling along the beach, all from under the shelter of shoreline trees and bushes. Explore the mangroves or discover a small lagoon behind the beach where Bahama ducks and sometimes pink flamingos can be seen.

We suggest that you look out for the different vegetation zones, the introduced animals on the farms and the large variety of endemic birds. Please do not leave your personal belongings in the transport. Apply abundant sun protection before setting out on the trail.

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TWO BEACH TOUR

• 08:30 Your naturalist guide and transport will be meet you at the Hotel
• 08:45 Bus/Taxi ride to Puerto Ayora
• 09:15 Board the launch in Academy bay
• Visit Garrapatero Beach
• Visit Tortuga Bay Beach
• 16:00 Taxi ride to Puerto Ayora
• 16:30 Arrive at Hotel

The first beach is called 'Garrapatero' beach and is 30 minutes by launch south east of Puerto Ayora. This secluded and little visited beach is surrounded by mangrove forest and arid zone vegetation including the prickly pear cactus. You can observe ghost crabas, various shore birds and sometimes even flamingos in the brackish lagoon behind the beach. Here you can swim safely in shallow waters off the sandy beach.

The second beach is called 'Tortuga Bay' and is south west of Puerto Ayora; there is a 45 minute ride to this beach from Garrapatero beach. On arrival the launch will whey anchor in the protected lagoon of 'Playa Mansa' where you will enjoy a delicious box lunch.

Then, you will have time to walk along the pristine white sand or sunbath on the beach and swim or snorkel in these refreshing waters. There is also the opportunity to rent kayaks to explore the lagoon with the chance of seeing sea turtles and white tipped reef sharks. Nearby there is also a short walk along a rocky coastline and through a cactus forest to see marine iguanas and blue footed boobies.The launch will be with you all day and will drop you off late afternoon back at the dock in Puerto Ayora where a taxi/bus will be waiting to bring you back up to the Hotel.

On this tour look out for: Lava lizards, Darwin finches, Marine iguanas, Frigate birds, Blue footed boobies, Brown noddie terns, Brown pelicans, White tip sharks, Sting rays, Sea turtles, Sally lightfoot crabs, Ghost crabs, Flamingos, Herons, Galapagos pintail ducks.

ACADMEY BAY SNORKELING TOUR

After being taught how to snorkel safely, you will experience first-hand the wonder and array of the islands' marine life. You will be equipped with a mask and snorkel and a very experienced guide, you will first be taught how to snorkel safely from the beach. You will then travel to deeper water, where you can experience the wonder and array of the islands' marine life, including playful sea lions, a host of colorful reef fish and maybe even a manta ray or shark!

On this tour look out for: Frigate birds, Blue footed boobies, Brown noddie terns, Brown pelicans, Storm petrels, Sea lions, White tip sharks, Sting rays, Parrot fish, Yellow tailed surgeonfish, Mexican hogfish.

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HIGHLAND TOUR - Giant Tortoises in the wild

On this tour look out for: Giant tortoises, Cattle egrets, Darwin finches, Yellow warbler, Vermillion flycatcher, Galapagos flycatcher, Dark-billed cuckoo, Galapagos dove, Smooth billed ani, Galapagos pintail duck, and various migratory shore birds that visit the highland areas too!

You may also just choose to do one or two of the visits detailed, for that reason we have included the time for each individual visit within the Highland Tour.

This guided tour includes;

• Hotel Lava Tunnel (1 hour)
  Formed by rivers of fast flowing liquid lava, a walk through these tunnels will take you on an exciting journey back in time to the very formation of these volcanic islands.

  Just five minutes ride from the reception, the Hotel Lava Tunnel is the most complex and interesting of any lava tunnel found on Santa Cruz Island. You will descend through a collapse in the roof of this cavernous formation and follow a trail that will lead you through a labarinth of different tunnels over specially constructed bridges and stairways to a spectacular exit through the roof... this really is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie!

  Electrical lighting has been installed and flashlights and safety helmets are provided for this guided tour. Non-slip walking shoes are essential. The tour will take about ½ hour and is suitable for anyone with reasonable level of fitness.

• Los Gemelos Pit Craters (1 hour)
  These two gigantic pit craters offer another dramatic and exciting insight into the formation of these islands. Nestled in a cloud forest in the highlands of Santa Cruz this visitors site offers great bird watching, plant identification and nature trails.

  Los Gemelos are in fact surface magma chambers that were once filled with red hot, liquid magma. This magma was expelled or drained away leaving huge empty chambers just below the land surface. Over time, the ceilings of these caverns weakened and collapsed leaving two enormous holes in the forest that had grown over the top of them.

  Located just 10 minutes from the Hotel, this lush green forest of endemic Scalesia and Galapagos Guava Trees is a cool and refreshing change from the heat of the coast. The forest is shrouded in clouds (or garua, a light mist) most of the year and so lush green vegetation is abundant as are a wide variety of birds including the bright red Vermillion Flycatcher, many species of Darwin Finches, Galapagos Doves and Yellow Warblers.

• Tortoises in the Wild (1.5 to 2 hours
  Nothing will prepare you for your first glimpse of a Galapagos Giant Tortoise in it's natural habitat. These enormous creatures roam freely between the national park areas and the agricultural zone. This visit offers the ideal opportunity to view these ancient creatures munching on lush green vegetation or wallowing in the mud of the seasonal pools that attract them from the lowlands during the dry winter season. Many bird species may be observed too, including migratory shore birds at certain times of year!

  Just 20 minutes taxi/bus ride from the Hotel, this guided tour will include a hike through open fields and forest. A basic cafeteria and clean toilets are available on these farms, and some offer rubber boots in case of muddy conditions. Your guide will recommend the best farm to visit at that particular time.