Top Things to do in Santa Cruz
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What to do and see in Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands: The Best Things to do Adventurous
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
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 350 reviews
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
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 180 reviews
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. Galapagos Shark Diving
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 29 reviews
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.
4. Think Galapagos
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 62 reviews
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.
5. Guiding Galapagos Expeditions
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 423 reviews
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.
6. Apnea Galapagos
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 81 reviews
We will guide you in a unique and memorable freediving learning experience. In our Shop we will share experiences with beginners, advanced and professional freedivers, and above all friends. we welcome you to enjoy our facilities in a relaxed, fun and comfortable environment. the locations are unique and we expect to dive with hammerheads , Galapagos sharks , plenty of tropical fish , manta rays , golden rays and the amazing Eagle rays.
7. Shark Bay Dive Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 130 reviews
Highlights: whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities... ...Diving environment: drift diving, advanced divers, off the beaten track... This legendary Ecuador diving destination is often considered by experienced divers to represent something of a pinnacle in their scuba careers. In that sense, many agree that
8. Academy Bay Diving
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 341 reviews
Join us exploring the extraordinary that is diving in the Galapagos Marine reserve. We can help you book a diving adventure you will never forget, with daily dive tours, packages for extreme divers, or packages that include land tours so you can experience all that Galapagos has to offer underwater and on land.
9. Las Grietas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,453 reviews
Reviewed By F336MVjohnd
From Puerto Ayora, take an 80-cent water taxi to Finch Bay, and then a walk past the German beach to get to this strikingly beautiful volcanic fissure that has connected out to the ocean... so it's also a great place for a swim. The water is cold... so you won't regret a wet suit. And do wear the snorkel mask as the view underwater is remarkable, and there are some interesting fish to see as well. The thing to be careful of here is that there are several pools separated by some very sharp and VERY slippery rocks. You CAN cross over them, but my wife and I each got several scrapes and bruises in the process. Also, there is no "life guard on duty". There is a guide who you sign in with at the top of the fissure... but if you need help it will be 10-15 minutes away, so do be careful if you venture past the first pool.
10. Eagleray Tours
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 338 reviews
Explore The Galapagos Marine Reserve with Eagleray Tours and experience curious sea lion up close, beautiful sea turtles or majestic hammerhead sharks. We offer PADI courses from Open Water to Divemaster in a safe environment, including the one-day Discover Scuba Diving if time is limited. If you're already a certified dive come join our daily dive trips covering all the dive sites in the area. We separate divers based on experience level to ensure that all guests get the best possible experience diving in the Galapagos, our groups are 5 divers per 1 diving instructor as a main guide. We are affiliated with the hyperbaric chamber, in wich we cover 75% of the use. We hope to see you soon!
