Let's find trips that move you!
Travelstride climate
"Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled."
Mohammed
Giant tortoise eating leaves on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos

Best Things to Do in Santa Cruz Island

Iconic Attractions & Hidden Gem Travel Experiences

Santa Cruz Island

The Galapagos’ most populous and most visited island, Santa Cruz is best known for its giant tortoises, the prehistoric-looking creatures that have survived only in the Galapagos and the Seychelles. Santa Cruz is also home to the Charles Darwin Research Station as well as a variety of marine and bird life, including Galapagos sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and frigate birds.

Top Santa Cruz Island Experiences

Viewing giant tortoises as they slowly crawl their way down from the Santa Cruz highlands to the lowlands to mate

Visiting the Darwin Research Station in the town of Puerto Ayora, center of the Galapagos’ conservation efforts

Spotting frigate birds – the “pirates of the sky” – as they swoop through the air lo steal the food from the grasp of other birds.

Watching blue-footed boobies do their “booby dance” as they move their feet in a courting ritual

Keeping a close eye on sea lions as they try to swipe fish from a fishmonger in Puerto Ayora

Unlock Community Benefits

Travel better together
Travel better together
  • Save favorite trips and itineraries
  • Get insider insights
  • Receive personalized recommendations
    ...and much more
How well do you know the world?
Play the game
Compare your travel trivia knowledge with friends. How many can you get right in 1 minute?

Top Santa Cruz Island Tours See all

Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Travel better together
Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:
  • You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
  • Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics

Santa Cruz Island Tours Reviews & Ratings

Write a review
Excellent
619
Great
204
Average
28
Disappointing
9
Terrible
0
Jessica L
·
2020-12-19
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Galapagos
Pablo was wonderful! Couldn
Michele M
·
2020-12-19
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Galapagos Trip
Pepo and Paulo were wonderful. They were as helpful as humanly possible and always cheerful and friendly. There was a great variety of experiences.
Show more
Miles T
·
2020-12-19
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Honeymoon Adventure of a Lifetime
The Galapagos archipelago is magical, and Active Adventures made it the honeymoon of a lifetime for my wife and I. It
Show more
Ken L
·
2020-12-19
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Tortuga-Our 2nd Trip of a Lifetime with Active Adventures
After joining Active Adventures 5 years ago for the Rimu trip in New Zealand, we didn't think we'd ever have another experience that we would consider a trip of our lifetime. However, our Tortuga trip in the Galapagos, the last week of the year, guided by Pablo Valladares, exceeded all of our expectations. Not only were the sites and all the wildlife spectacular, but Pablo's knowledge of the history of the Galapagos, his storytelling, and his infectious excitement in showing us something new, different, and rare all the time, kept us waiting for the next surprise. There is not one part of the trip that I could think of changing, and while I'm sure that all the guides do a great job, I don't know how one could have a better experience than one guided by Pablo. When asked what was the best part of the trip, it was impossible to pick between the dolphins, the marine iguanas, the Sally lightfoot crabs, the blue-footed boobies, sea lions, etc. However, as Pablo and the rest of our group would know, the number one moment for me was at the top of our hike at the Sierra Negra Volcano, when he told us to look up quickly and see the rare, endemic Galapagos Martin.......
Show more
Luba S
·
2020-12-19
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Wonderful Adventure
It was a wonderful adventure- Gal
Mary G
·
2020-12-18
Provided by Active Adventures
Galapagos Land and Sea Adventure by Active Adventures
Great till the end!
Loved Gustavo; loved the Galapagos; landscape, sea scape, animals and community were terrific. Guy who owned Galawiki was awful - you need a new partner. His dishonesty put a real damper on the end of the trip.
Show more

Travelstride featured in

The Newyork Times
AFAR
Chicago Tribune
Travel Pulse
Los Angeles Times
Frommers

Practicalities & Logistics

Useful Links

Visa Information

  Visa Needed? Link
US N (< 90 days) Visas to Ecuador for United States Citizens
UK N (< 90 days) Visas to Ecuador for United Kingdom Citizens
CA N (< 90 days)  Visas to Ecuador for Canadian Citizens
AU N (< 90 days) Visas to Ecuador for Australian Citizens
NZ N (< 90 days)  Visas to Ecuador for New Zealand Citizens
IN N (< 90 days)  Visas to Ecuador for Indian Citizens


Why Travelstride

Find your perfect trip
A vast selection of trips on every continent, for every style. Thousands of itineraries from hundreds of trusted travel companies.
Save time
Use simple search and comparison tools to easily find the best trip. Don't sweat the logistics -- travel providers plan for you.
Save money
Book directly with the operator. Find inclusive packages for the best value and get access to amazing deals.
Travel confidently
Read unbiased user reviews, pick the company that fits your style, and connect with them directly. No worries, just memories.
×
×
×
Sign in to Save Trips
Welcome back! We're so happy to see you. ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
  • Bookmark trips you like
  • Share with your travel companions
  • Track price changes
  • Access private discounts on trips you save
×
Sign in to see your results

TripFinder is a member-only feature. Don’t worry, it’s free!

With a membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
Activate your free Travelstride membership

Just use the email address and password provided in the email we sent.

? Forgot Password?

With your free membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
To Follow, sign in or sign up (it's free) ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
member benefits

By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

First name is required!
Last name is required!
First name is not valid!
Last name is not valid!
This is not an email address!
Email address is required!
This email is already registered!
Please enter valid email address
Password is required!
Enter a valid password!
Please enter 6 or more characters!
Please enter 32 or less characters!
Passwords are not the same!
Terms and Conditions are required!
Email or Password is wrong!
Please select the captcha checkbox!
Please select the valid captcha!
Something went wrong! Try again later!