4Globetrotters

By LineogJesper on July 7, 2024

Smooth Sailing to Santa Cruz

Line had been dreading the boat trip from Isabela to Santa Cruz for days, imagining giant waves and inevitable seasickness. However, the journey turned out to be reasonably pleasant, and we all managed to sleep through most of it, having risen early at 4:40 AM to check in at the port by 5:10 AM. You need to pay $1 per person for a taxi boat to get on and off the big boat, so be sure to have some cash ready. While we would have preferred this cost to be included in the ferry price, it’s all part of the local charm.

Arrival and First Impressions

After arriving in Santa Cruz, we stopped for breakfast at Tropic Bird Restaurant before checking into our spacious apartment at Hostal Tintorera. Not the best breakfast we have had but when we later tried the restaurant for lunch the high ratings made much more sense. We had plans to watch Denmark play against Serbia in the European Championship at a bar or restaurant. Unfortunately, England was playing at the same time, and their game dominated the bigger networks. A very patient bartender scanned through all 69 channels for us, but it was to no avail. Instead, we attempted to stream the game on the apartment’s poor internet connection but eventually gave up at the start of the second half. Denmark went on to the next round after a 0-0 draw, and we went to the beach.

Tortuga Bay and Bellavista Beach

The famous Bellavista Beach, just beyond Tortuga Bay, was our next destination. While it looks like a short walk from Puerto Ayora, it is nearly 4 km and takes about 45 minutes at a brisk pace. Along the way, you might see a sea lion or a few marine iguanas, but the first 3 km is a relatively uneventful path through a dry cactus forest, followed by a 10-minute walk along the beach.

At Bellavista beach the water was quite murky, so underwater visibility was limited. However, we were lucky enough to spot a snakelike creature near the water’s edge and, most excitingly, a baby hammerhead shark. Like many young animals, its head seemed disproportionately large compared to its body. Who would have thought we’d ever say, “What a cute shark”?

Darwin Center and Las Grietas

On our second day in Santa Cruz, we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and Las Grietas. The Darwin Center was small but informative. Having already seen the land tortoises in the wild on Isabela, we opted to skip the $10 per person tour at the breeding center (you can no longer do the walk on your own).

Line was not feeling well so Vitus, Noah and Jesper went alone to Las Grietas in the afternoon. To reach Las Grietas, you need to take a $1 taxi boat, departing every few minutes from the main pier. At the other side of the harbour it is a short walk 5-10 min. with the posibility to cool down at a sheltered beach along the way. Las Grietas now also requires a mandatory guide at $10 per person. 3-4 shops will all try to convince you that they have a unique approach but in reality they might as well just ask you to pay the fee for entering since it is a short 200 meter walk to the “crack” with little for the guide to do or say. At one end of Las Grietas, the swimming platform was packed with people, but at the other end, we had the place to ourselves for a full hour of exploration. The water was crystal clear with a nice shoal of fish as you can see in the video Noah put together

Diving Adventures at North Seymour and Mosquera

On our final day in Santa Cruz, Noah and Jesper booked a dive, hoping to see hammerhead sharks. Originally, Jesper had planned to dive alone at Gordon Rocks, where chances of seeing hammerheads are highest. However, all seats were taken at the first 3 tour agencies Jesper tried, the visibility is often poor at this time of year and the weather forecast promised a small gale at the Gordon Rocks site. With all this taken into account he opted for the dive at North Seymour and Mosquera instead which also allowed Noah to join (not a technical dive).

The first dive at Mosquera was a success. Despite less-than-perfect visibility, they were lucky enough to see both big hammerhead sharks and Galapagos sharks, making their day. The second dive at North Seymour was supposed to be packed with rays, but the strange current and unusually cold water kept the rays away. Nonetheless, Noah and Jesper saw a few beautiful shoals of fish and some reef sharks, although it wasn’t exactly a record-breaking dive.

If you plan to dive at Galapagos be aware that it is very expensive. Even with a last minute price and considerable haggling -165 USD per person was the best deal they could get (started at 200) which is at least twice the price compared to most other places in the world. With all the free or cheap possibilities to explore Galapagos’ wildlife on your own you really need to consider if it is worth it.

Santa Cruz concluded our Galapagos adventure – next stop will be Ecuador’s adventure capital Banos. Stay tuned for more stories and travel tips from our next destination. Happy travels!

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