Santa Cruz Island (Isla Santa Cruz) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Santa Cruz Island (Isla Santa Cruz). Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Galapagos Intensive 5 Days, Land-Based (3 Islands) Excludes Galapagos Flight

• Adventure With Giant Turtles, Lava Tunnels, and Craters

• BiciTour Giant Turtles and Lava Tunnel in Galapagos

• La Pinta Darwin's Legacy (Fri–Thurs)

• The Galapagos Giant Tortoise Experience + Los Gemelos | Shared

Santa Cruz Island is part of the Galapagos archipelago in Ecuador, so you’ll need to travel by land and boat to discover all it has to offer, which is best done on a tour. Half-day tours of Santa Cruz start at around US$70, while 5-day tours covering several islands cost around US$1,353.

The main attractions on Santa Cruz Island include the Charles Darwin Research Foundation, where you can explore decades worth of scientific research, and Las Grietas, a collection of rocky islets in the ocean home to enormous sea turtles and volcanic flora such as cacti. You’re also likely to spot blue-footed boobies and Galapagos penguins here.

You’ll find the largest selection of accommodation in Puerto Ayora, the main city in Santa Cruz, which has public buses, a ferry terminal, and taxis for hire. There are no high-rise hotels here, but there are plenty of 3- to 4-star apartment rentals and mid-range hotels that offer a base for island-hopping in the archipelago.

The Galapagos Islands are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, so it’ll come as no surprise that wildlife here is plentiful. Santa Cruz creatures include the jet-black marine iguanas, who look particularly impressive when they swim; giant tortoises; Darwin finches; and, of course, sea lions—you'll see them swimming and lounging on land almost everywhere on the island.

The best beaches on Santa Cruz Island include Tortuga Bay, renowned for its snorkeling, the turtles that lay their eggs there, and the black marine iguanas that like to warm their cold blood on the sand. Another top beach is El Garrapatero, which is beside a flamingo-filled lagoon ideal for kayaking.