The Best Things to do in Santa Cruz, Ecuador

This tour will take you to South Plaza Island, which is the smallest island of the Galápagos. Despite its small size, this island still has a wealth of interesting wildlife.

Santa Fe is one of the oldest islands in the Galápagos archipelago. It only covers about 9 square miles (23 sq m), but offers an incredible proliferation of wildlife, both on land and in its surrounding waters. You’ll have plenty of time to observe the animals that live here – this tour begins at 8:00 AM, and lasts around 7 hours, returning to Puerto Ayora at 3:00 PM. It includes a break for lunch on board the yacht.

It’s easy to hope on a ferry from Santa Cruz to other major islands in the Galápagos, like San Cristóbal and Isabela. Just like any boat tour in the Galápagos, this transfer offers incredible wildlife watching opportunities along the way.

This tour takes you to explore Floreana Island, the island with arguably the most eccentric history in the Galápagos. It has seen its fair share of human activity, beginning with 18th-century whalers. On this tour you’ll see some remnants of that history, as well as plants and animals that are rare even by Galápagos standards—Floreana Island has its very own endemic species of finch called a medium tree finch, to offer just one example.

This tour takes you to see the wildlife that lives on Isabela Island and its surrounding waters. Your bilingual guide will supply you with interesting facts about the environment along the way.

Go on a diving tour off the coast of Santa Cruz to see sea lions, sharks, seals, eels, sea stars, and bat fish. Pick from three different dives sites — they all have their own thriving populations of rare sea life. You'll find that the water is warmest between November and April.

This tour takes you to some of the Galápagos Island’s excellent bird watching and snorkeling. First you’ll visit North Seymour Island, and then you’ll continue to a beach called Las Bachas on Santa Cruz Island.

Perform this activity with experienced fishermen that will take you to the best fishing sites to make it a fabulous experience, type of fishing with trolling and casting rods. Activity: Trawl fishing. Species: Albacore, Wahoo, Merlin.

"Tortuga Crossing" Ecological Reserve The Giant Tortuise is the symbol of the Galapagos Islands. This 12 hectar ranch was part of the much larger farm which was dedcated to livestock farming. The Arias Family who own the "El Chato" ranch have dedicated over 20 years to promoting tourism in this area of Santa Cruz. They have worked to turn the environment from farm land to a natural habitat that favors to Giant Tortoises.

Explore Santa Cruz Island with a bay tour. This journey takes you to some of the most stunning spots in the bay, including Shark Channel, Love Channel, Dog Beach, and the fascinating rock formations of Las Grietas.

The Natural Paradise, a luxury yacht customized to carry 16 adventurers in comfort and safety through the Galapagos Islands. Cruise range from 4 to 8 days.

This nature walk takes you to a part of Santa Cruz where you can see some of the wildlife that’s unique to the Galápagos. You’ll cover beaches, lagoons, and the blustery coast of Santa Cruz Island.

On this tour, you’ll get to hike on the Galápagos island of Bartolomé (or Bartholomew, in English). As you hike, you’ll learn about the volcanic landscape.