Bay Tour in Santa Cruz - Galapagos Islands
Santa Cruz, Ecuador
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Santa Cruz may not be the largest island in the Galapagos, but this petite island still boasts plenty to explore. See its famous beaches, rock formations, and maybe even some of its native wild animals in their natural habitat on this tour, which is limited to a small group of 10 people or fewer and includes hotel pickup.
- Half-day tour of Santa Cruz Island from Puerto Ayora or Santa Cruz
- Small-group tour limited to 10 people or fewer
- Sail past natural attractions with a guide
- Learn about the wildlife and ecosystem as you go
- Opportunities to spot wildlife like sea lions and seabirds in their natural habitat
- Hotel pickup and drop-off at the dock of Puerto Ayora included
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Transportation
- Professional bilingual guide
- Snacks
- Hotel drop-off
- Hotel Pick up
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Malecon, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Meet your guide at your hotel in Puerto Ayora or Santa Cruz prior to your selected morning or afternoon departure time. Hop on board a boat with your group of 10 people or fewer and begin your tour of Santa Cruz Island.
Sail past a number of natural attractions, until you reach "La Loberia" which is home to a friendly sea lion colony plus fish, invertebrates, marine iguanas and more.
Then get off at "Las Grietas," or the Cracks, where you can get off the boat to walk along lava rocks and swim. Look out for sightings of native wildlife throughout the tour, like sea lions, sea turtles, and golden rays in their natural environment. Pelicans and herons sometimes nest in the mangrove forests near here, too, depending on the season.
End your tour with a walk along "La Playa de Los Perros," or Beach Dogs, named for its large population of dog crabs, and then return to the dock of Puerto Ayora. Return to your hotel or other specific point in the area at your own expense.
Sail past a number of natural attractions, until you reach "La Loberia" which is home to a friendly sea lion colony plus fish, invertebrates, marine iguanas and more.
Then get off at "Las Grietas," or the Cracks, where you can get off the boat to walk along lava rocks and swim. Look out for sightings of native wildlife throughout the tour, like sea lions, sea turtles, and golden rays in their natural environment. Pelicans and herons sometimes nest in the mangrove forests near here, too, depending on the season.
End your tour with a walk along "La Playa de Los Perros," or Beach Dogs, named for its large population of dog crabs, and then return to the dock of Puerto Ayora. Return to your hotel or other specific point in the area at your own expense.
1
La Loberia
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Santa Cruz
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Canal del Amor
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
4
Las Grietas
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Minimum age is 3 years
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A maximum of 10 people per booking
- In case of taking the tour at the same day of your arrival to the airport of Baltra, we cannot be held responsible for flight delays or passengers that would not arrive on time for the afternoon departure.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.5
based on 28 reviews
Randy_P, Mar 2026
We had a difficult time finding the pickup point. We were giving two different points to meet one from the app and one from a message from the provider to meet Henry at a different location. To the best of my knowledge neither Henry or the location exist. I messaged back to the operator to verify the location and did not get a response. We found it with the help of a local tour office, but no one knew who Henry was, including the people of the pier. Fortunately a lady appeared with a clipboard that had our names on it.
We were lead to believe we were going on a boat tour. This was a hiking and snorkling tour with a short boat ride across the harbor. It was a very nice tour, but I was unprepared and did not have my swim wear. The write up and communication for this tour needs to be fixed. The others in our group that booked through a local booking office did not have so much confusion and really enjoyed the trip.
Our actual guide, Sergio was very good and very informative. He took us to some nice spots. We were also greated at the pier by sea lions and sea iguanas, which got us off to a good start.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Agradecemos mucho las recomendaciones, revisaremos a detalle la información que proporcionamos, para evitar confusiones
Kostadin_P, Jun 2025
This tour takes to the places that can only be seen by boat. The tour is a bit less than 4 hours, but totally worth it.
We were able to see and enjoy all of the listed points of interests, and learn about the reach history along the way.
Olivia_S, Jan 2025
It was really nice we saw blue footed boobies, lots of iguanas, crabs, lava lizards and some sharks.
Danielle_S, Oct 2024
The tour guide was excellent and the number of stops made/places seen for the cost of the tour was well worth it.
So far this has been the best part of The Galapagos for us.
AislingMary_O, Jul 2024
This was definitely one of the highlights of our holiday. The tour guide was very pleasant and invited questions throughout the tour. He translated everything from Spanish to English. I saw sea lions, boobies, and sharks. The sea lions even came close and swam with other tourists in the water. It is so lovely to see them in the wild, living their best lives. I wish wildlife so was respected everywhere. The sights were impressive! I was fearful of sea sickness but this was not an issue at all, Thank God. It was a fabulous day out. I highly recommend this tour.
AnnSarah_C, Apr 2024
Perfect day ! Perfect guide ! Thanks for all ! The tour was very interesting and we saw a lot of animals!
Response from Host, May 2024
We appreciate you sharing your experience with us. Hearing that the Tour lived up to your expectations makes us really happy.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you ever need our services again; we look forward to helping you!
Philip_O, Dec 2023
Our guide was late to the pier, very confused. The trip is fantastic, truly. The so called "lunch" is more a snack: soda, a banana & cookies. Little details that one notices while being so far away from home. Galapagos is a paradise.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Dear Philip,
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the guide's tardiness and confusion. we´re delighted you enjoyed the fantastic trip in the beautiful Galapagos. Your feedback on the lunch is valuable, and we'll certainly use it to enhance our services. We appreciate your understanding and hope to welcome you again.
Joyce_I, Jul 2021
DO NOT use this company. All the other negative reviews are correct.
The guide barely spoke English and was extremely rude. The boat was all Spanish speakers (who paid a quarter of what we paid for) and the guide was telling them in a rude way that he’d have to say everything in English as well.
The company also lied that the boat and the ferry would have a bathroom. Both boats did NOT have a bathroom.
It also was NOT a boat. It was a ghetto water taxi that would’ve flipped over in the rough waters.
The company was trying to make us feel guilty that the tour waited 40 minutes for us due to the ferry arriving late from San Cristobal. The ferry was booked THROUGH THE SAME COMPANY - BM TOURS - and it left 1 hr 20 min late.
Save your money and do not spend a dollar on BM Tours.
Tatyana_M, Dec 2019
instead of 4h, 3h 20 min, never made it to Loretas, really unpleasant boarding and unboarding which was easily corrected, but only we requested it, snorkeling without seeing any animals, according to Galapagos locals due to a wrong season for the tour, not qualified tour guide, ridiculous request not to take cameras to the grietas as they are easily stolen there. In my 10 years experience with viator, the only time I saw such a big tip box. we did not tip although.
Response from Host, Dec 2019
Hello,
We understand the expectation about the local fauna in Galápagos but as they enjoy their freedom, we cannot secure the sightseeing even chosing the best spots to share with them.
The recommendation of about the cameras from the naturalist guide ( which it´s always certified by law) is given in order to take care of your belongings as any other turist attractions in the world, however, we will consider your comment in order to see that we can improve as a whole, guide, itinerary,recommendations etc.
Thanks for sharing your opinion with us, it will definitely help us improve.
Best regards
Pioneer25711140785, Aug 2019
My family really enjoyed the half day tour of Santa Cruz. The tour guide offered educational information with a lot of fun. The guide showed us a lot of birds, Marine Iguana, sea lions and sea turtles. Snorkeling was great. Make sure that you call the tour company the day before to find out the exact location and time of where you will meet. We really had a great day with not a huge price tag!
Jim K, Nov 2017
the snacks lunch box was a package or 2 of crackers and cokes or water. pretty lame. no towels as promised. hotel pick up was a guy on a bicycle. we had to walk from our hotel to the boat dock. not our idea of hotel pick up. the guide spoke to the spanish speakers
more than english speakers. he had a great time laughing with the boat captain many times during our trip. the boat captain was very nice to us as we had to stay on the boat as my wife couldn't walk far. he took us around and we were able to see sea turtles, iguanas and many birds. the tours should state how much walking is involved. we are seniors. you need tours for us. we enjoyed what we could see from the boat. the walking part we didn't do as stated before.
Trisha F, Aug 2017
Fantastic. Although, make sure you contact the agency the day before your trip to ensure pick-up instructor are clear. I was under the impression that I was being picked up from my hotel and the vendor thought I was to meet them at the docks. I honestly think it would be easier next time to just book when I get to the Galapagos, its cheaper. Either way it was an amazing tour.
Dominique D, Jul 2016
The tour itself was fine, however, we emailed Viator three times with a question regarding a statement on the voucher that I found baffling, since this was an island tour: Dress code is smart - no casual clothes i.e. jeans, sportswear, joggers or sneakers. We never did receive an answer, so we were unprepared for the snorkeling part of the tour. An unfortunate situation that could have been averted with a simple email.
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