Things to do in Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands: The Best Outdoor Activities

April 13, 2022 Randal Brittian

How often do you get the chance to walk through a tunnel of lava? Created by the flowing and cooling process of liquid magma, the underground lava tubes of Santa Cruz are simply breathtaking. The most popular is the Tunnel of Love, so named for the heart-shaped hole in the ceiling. Cool down with a splash in the fresh waters of Puerto Ayora, snorkel at Tortuga Bay or the mangrove-lined Garrapatero Beach and get friendly with the giant natives at the El Chato Tortoise Reserve.
Restaurants in Santa Cruz

1. Galapagos Alternative

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5.0 based on 350 reviews

Galapagos Alternative

At Galapagos Alternative we specialize in personalized land-based tour packages. We offer unique experiences of the islands the way we see them: as locals. Choose the sights and activities most interesting to you, stay at local places, eat at local restaurants, and of course, get up-close experiences with the amazing animals that make the Galapagos Islands so special. We can help you find the best options to fit your timeframe, budget and preferences. We can help with all aspects of your trip, from booking unique accommodations to daily activities and transport between the islands. We are Jill and Javier Moreno, and we'd like to welcome you to our home. We look forward to treating you like family, showing you our favorite places, and ensuring that you have the experience of a lifetime in the amazing and beautiful Galapagos!

2. Galapagos Unbound

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5.0 based on 180 reviews

Galapagos Unbound

The only tour in the world that allows you to camp on the beaches inside of the Galapagos National Park! You'll swim with sea lions, hike up volcanoes, explore the local culture, kayak around the islands, watch Blue Footed Boobies, Galapagos Tortoises, iguanas and more in their natural habitat. A truly unforgettable adventure perfect for all ages!

3. Guiding Galapagos Expeditions

Excellent
95%
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5.0 based on 423 reviews

Guiding Galapagos Expeditions

We are a local agency in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz and offer customized island hopping tours and cruises to the Galapagos Islands. A different and authentic way to discover the famous archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. All itineraries are designed by a naturalist guide who was born on the islands and has been living and working here ever since.

4. Enchanted Expeditions

Excellent
82%
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5.0 based on 77 reviews

Enchanted Expeditions

Enchanted Expeditions (formerly Angermeyer's Enchanted Expeditions) is one of the pioneers of small boat cruises and tours to the Galapagos Islands and the mainland of Ecuador. Our founder Judy Carvalhal and her three partners have over 125 years of collective field experience as tour guides, researchers, conservationists and community tourism advocates in Ecuador. Our ready-made and custom active travel vacations are designed for active, curious and conservation-minded travellers looking for uncompromising value and who crave authenticity, and making genuine connections with people, communities and wildlife while travelling with a 'small footprint'. We pride ourselves on the personal attention we provide and our ability to tailor make tours to suit the needs of our clients. We have built a reputation for excellent service; few can match our expertise and knowledge of all areas of Ecuador. These standards are reflected in our staff, our guides and our yachts. Enchanted Expeditions is the exclusive representative and owners of our yachts M/Y Beluga and M/S Cachalote I. Both these yachts have been awarded the Smart Voyager Certificate for adhering to conservation standards. Our Commitment to Sustainability Enchanted Expeditions is completely committed to becoming a more sustainable organization with a strong focus on social responsibility and environmental responsibility. We strive to minimize our impact on the environment through resource conservation and by integrating positive environmental practices into our operation. We actively recognize our role in the communities and respect the cultures of the people of Ecuador. We support local communities and buy local products; offer funding and donations to selected programs and organizations, and provide a safe and ethical work environment for our employees. We operate tours that meet our environmental and social standards whilst offering our clients the opportunity to make genuine connections with our communities.

5. Galapagos Living

Excellent
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5.0 based on 50 reviews

Galapagos Living

At Galapagos Living we aim to improve the quality of tourist services. Being born, having grown up in this paradise makes us the true calls to share this charm with our clients, so that they know the true paradise.

6. Bike and Smile

Excellent
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5.0 based on 118 reviews

Bike and Smile

Bike & Smile is the leading Bike Rental in Santa Cruz Galapagos. If you are a tourist or a local, Bike & Smile is your best option to explore in a safe, ecological and fun way! We are committed to offer exceptional experiences to each of our customers. This is achieved with local knowledge, quality gear, safe routes and customized service.

7. Galapagos Shark Diving

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5.0 based on 29 reviews

Galapagos Shark Diving

Dive with the Whale Shark Experts of the research project, the Galapagos Whale Shark Project! A different kind of dive adventure - Dive with a Purpose! Enjoy the silence and adventure of Galapagos' unique under water world while supporting research and conservation of whale sharks.

8. Think Galapagos

Ecuador +44 1482 887453 [email protected] http://www.thinkgalapagos.com/
Excellent
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5.0 based on 62 reviews

Think Galapagos

Think Galapagos offers private day trips in the Galapagos Islands for those wishing to experience the most of this amazing place, before or after their Galapagos cruise. We can arrange accommodation in one of our favourite hotels and have a team of top local Galapagos National Park guides that will take care of you on your day trip. We can tailor make your day trips to specifically match your interests or to which wildlife you want to see, but here are our top six Galapagos day trips: 1. Hike in search of Giant Tortoises on Santa Cruz - full day 2. Kayaking at Itabaca Channel, Santa Cruz - half day 3. Scuba diving on Seymour Island (start on Santa Cruz) - full day 4. Sierra Negra volcano hike, Isabela Island - full day 5. Tintoreras Islet and The Tortoise Breeding Centre, Isabela Island - full day 6. Frigate Bird Hill, Tortoise Breeding Centre and Puerto Chino Beach, San Cristobal Island - full day.

Reviewed By Hafaner - Bowser, Canada

This was our first visit to Ecuador, and our first experience of a tailor-made holiday, with all travel and accommodation arrangements handed over to a travel company. It was an altogether excellent experience, with our Galápagos cruise bookended by five days in the jungle and then four in the cloud forest and the Andes. A huge thank-you to Rachel and her team for organizing the journey so well and for providing excellent pre-trip notes that were the envy of some fellow-passengers. All the arrangements for meeting us at airports, guiding us and sending us safely on to the next destination worked smoothly. Fausto was an excellent guide to Quito, David Grefa at the Napo Wildlife Centre was outstanding, and post-Galapágos, Pedro Pastor, who drove us to and from El Monte, was an enthusiastic birding guide, taking every opportunity to increase our list of lifers. The accommodations in Ecuador were all excellent. Casona de la Ronda in Quito was great for resting up after a long journey and getting used to the altitude, Napo Wildlife Centre was the perfect venue for encounters with jungle life, Casa La Jimenita was pleasantly close to the airport as well as abuzz with hummingbirds, El Monte was absolutely unique with its tarabita access and delightful cabaña, lodge, staff and food, and Hacienda Zuleta in the Andes was a real standout. The superb meals, the room with wood stove and hot water bottles, the stunning setting, the relaxed and homely atmosphere, the exceptionally friendly staff—and the cooler air—all made for a wonderful two and a half days to end our time in Ecuador. The Galápagos cruise on the Angelito was quite simply unforgettable. Our guide, Maja Homburger, was a model of efficiency in organizing the multiple embarkments and disembarkments over 8 days for her 14 charges, and gave us lots of very useful information on what we were seeing. We really appreciated the early starts to the day, getting us landed before other visitors at all those amazing sites, and spending plenty of time to ensure we were well acquainted with everything that makes these islands unique in the world. We loved our time on board and ashore, made lots of connections with fellow travellers who shared our enthusiasm for wildlife and landscape, and have wonderful vivid memories of a place like nowhere else. Our 19 days in Ecuador were a high point of our life-long experiences in travel, and we would jump at the opportunity to revisit the country some time. So again, many thanks to Think Galápagos for listening to what we were hoping to see and do, for your spot-on recommendations on where to go and stay, and for organizing guides, drivers and lodgings for a worry-free journey. A well-deserved five stars.

9. Discovering Galapagos

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5.0 based on 37 reviews

Discovering Galapagos

Discover the charm of the Galapagos Islands; meet face-to-face with unique animals in the world, we offer: land and navigable tours, transportation, accommodation, food, plane tickets and ferries between islands.

10. EcoGalaxy First-class Catamaran

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5.0 based on 27 reviews

EcoGalaxy First-class Catamaran

Explore the Galapagos Islands with a first-class service onboard the first ecological Catamaran ever built on the archipelago. EcoGalaxy, friendly with the environment!

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