SANTA CRUZ — Disappointment Ranch

SANTA CRUZ

a land-based tour of the galapagos islands

Visiting Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz is the main island in the Galapagos. Its largest town, Puerto Ayora, has about 20,000 inhabitants and is the primary hub of activity. We decided early on in our research to do a land-based tour of the Galapagos and figured we could apply some of the massive savings from doing so towards more-expensive-than-normal-for-us lodging.

We ultimately decided to mix it up and stay three different places, with a focus on location (not that it was necessary, because it is pretty quick and cheap to get around). So, here is a rundown of the three areas of Santa Cruz we stayed.

ONE: The Highlands

Santa Cruz island is an old, dormant volcano. The middle of the island is at about 864 m (2,836 ft) so it’s high enough get more rain than the rest of the rather dry perimeter. Expect morning drizzle for most of the year. We selected the secluded Royal Palm Galapagos resort for our 2 night stay in the Highlands. It was built in the early 2000’s and is owned by some British fellow. It’s a neat place and feels kind of British colonial. Lots of beautiful wood flooring, doors, railings, exterior trim, round windows, arches, etc. Even the shower has wooden duck boards for the floor. Given the precipitation this area receives, and being a woodworker, I appreciate the effort they put into this place to keep it looking nice and battle the elements.

We arrived at reception later in the afternoon, and they had apparently been waiting for us. I’m not sure if we had missed a shuttle at the dock for the hotel, or they just assumed we’d arrive straight away after the flight. We had taken a taxi and stopped at Los Gemelos and the El Chato Tortoise reserve on our way. In any event, they had four flutes of their house juice concoction chilled and ready for us, pretty tasty! They also had upgraded us to a villa. The villa was one of 8 stand-alone villas on the property and was very nice. Lots of room - it was comprised of a sitting room with fireplace, bedroom, very large bathroom, and conservatory type room with a Jacuzzi.

We also ate several meals at the restaurant; breakfast was included and all options on the menu were fantastic. We also ate dinner once and stopped for dessert another night. The only weird thing was the resort was almost empty. We met / saw three other parties there, like us, all seemed to be enjoying their stay. It is about 20 minutes from Puerto Ayora and is much more expensive than a hostel in town, so I can see why it may be overlooked.

Massive lava tunnel at Royal Palm Galapagos.

We did not have time to check out the spa, workout area, or hiking trails, but we did enjoy a guided walk in the very long (800 m) lava tunnel on the property. It was raining during our tour so they drove us to the entrance and picked us up at the exit. We’ve been on plenty of cave tours, but this is different. Different colors, more plants near the openings, no lecture on not touching rocks, and just a unique feel to it. You don’t need to be a guest to visit the lava tunnels - it’s just $5 per person whether you stay there or not.

Overall, I’d recommend staying there and we probably would again. Definitely at the high-end budget-wise, but the included breakfast sure makes up for some of the cost!

On our second day, we took a $10 taxi to downtown Puerto Ayora and explored as we made our way to the Charles Darwin research park. The marina is a nice area to check out, there’s a supermarket on the malecon, which has a good food selection and a café on the third floor which makes a great tuna sandwich to go. We also found an awesome coffee shop called 1835 Coffee Lab. It’s small and we sat at the counter that offers indoor / outdoor seating. A good spot to sit across from a stranger and become friends!

TWO: Puenta Estrada

This neighborhood is located south of Puerto Ayora across the marina. It’s a quick $.80 water taxi ride to the area (no roads connect this area to the rest of the island). We planned to visit Las Grietas and chose to stay at the Palo Santo. There are some really fancy hotels in this area, and we could find hardly any info on the Palo Santo, but thought we’d give it a go. I had started a text chat with one of the reception hosts, and they coordinated having some porters waiting for us once we landed at the dock to take our bags to the hotel (it’s an easy 5-minute walk).

From chatting with the hosts, we learned it was built and then sat empty for about 4 years due to lack of permits to open or something, and they re-opened near the end of 2018. There are three hotel sections that surround the pool. Apparently, there was a major design fail by the architect on the main building where the reception is located and the roof leaks constantly, so no-one stays there. In fact, it rained a fair amount during our stay, and an employee was mopping and dumping water off the balcony constantly(!). There were also water management issues between the buildings. Insufficient slope and drainage (a lot of Ecuador has this issue, actually), so during rains a few inches of water could accumulate and make it a challenge to walk through without getting wet shoes.

Our room was nice - modern construction (felt like an American hotel), no leaking issues! The included breakfast was so-so. The staff was very accommodating and brought four flutes of orange juice to our room immediately and the stay overall was fine. Would we stay again? Maybe, it’s nice to be near Las Grietas, but there are better overall options. However, they are trying hard and perhaps in the very near future they will have the operation dialed in.

Las Grietas

After settling in at the Palo Santo, we geared up for the 20 minute hike to Las Grietas. It was an overcast day, so we expected some rain. We wore our neoprene booties that we use with our flippers for the hike. It is muddy and also has a fair amount of lava rock. Do NOT attempt it barefoot (like this girl). The hike is actually pretty neat and passes by saltwater lagoons, over boardwalks, through interesting cactus scrubland, etc. About halfway along the trail, there is a little cantina selling snacks and drinks, so bring some cash in case you need a pit stop.

A check-in hut is at the entrance to the channel, a quick sign-in and you’re all set (it’s free, and they ask for passport number but don’t care if you fill it out). A nice set of wooden stairs leads down to a platform where you can jump in or sit on some rock while you put your snorkeling gear on. If you have extra stuff (towels, etc.) there isn’t an official spot to leave it. We brought a dry bag along and kept everything floating along with us in the bag – worked well.

The water is pretty clear, and there are some neat fish swimming around. There are three sections to snorkel. You’ll have to carefully clamber over some slippery rocks to get to the middle section. Getting to the third section offers the additional option to dive under some rock to pop up into section three. If you choose this, it is easier to plunge down feet first and then go forward horizontally, rather than dive down (it’s kind of tight so there isn’t much room to get your flippers flipping without kicking into rocks.

This was our first snorkel in the Galapagos, so it was neat but nowhere near the experience at other locations on the island. So, it’s worth doing, but if you’ve been to Los Tuneles or another day trip destination already, you’d be OK to skip Los Grietas.

THREE: Puerto Ayora

Nights 4 & 5 we stayed at The Galapagos Cottages, which is located very close to the trailhead to Tortuga Bay. If it had been available, we would have stayed there all 5 nights. It has a fantastic location, reasonable price, great hostess and great lodging. It has three main units which surround a compact pool / lounging area. The tidy complex is contained within a gated wall, so it felt secure.

Charles Darwin Research Center

We visit a lot of National Parks (40 of 60 as of this writing) and always enjoy checking out the visitor centers. The Charles Darwin Center was nice (and air conditioned J). A nice collections room, a park film, good history of the islands, etc. There’s also a small gift shop for our requisite patches and shirts.

Outside is where most of the action is. The campus is fairly large with quite a few out-buildings. Most were closed since we were mostly on-site during the siesta (12:30-2:30). We decided to cool off at the nearby beach (playa de la estacion). Not a big beach, but enjoyable and has several benches in the shrubbery to find shade and relax. After our swim we headed back to check out the tortoises at the breeding center.

The tortoises are found along a nice interpretive pathway. They range from eager little fellas working oh-so-hard on eating veggies to the big guys sleeping in the afternoon heat.

Tortuga Bay

Tortuga bay is an excellent low-key day trip, and it’s free. Plan to pack snacks, lunch is a better idea, and plenty of water. There are absolutely no facilities on the trail or at the beaches, so factor that in. There is a check-in booth at the beginning of the brick trail, again they ask for passport numbers, but who brings that to a beach? The trail is fairly flat, some shade but it can be quite hot if it’s sunny and is an easy 45-minute hike.

At the massive Tortuga bay beach, continue to the right for about 15 minutes to reach a small, calm lagoon for swimming. The beach is lined with some short trees and several posts are tucked in for hanging your gear, towels, etc. If you pull out some food, finches will immediately arrive, and have no fear. If you don’t shoo them off, they will likely leave some poo. DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS! Really, don’t do it!

The water is a little hazy, and there is not a lot to see for fish. I’d recommend bringing a mask and snorkel, but you could save some weight and skip the flippers. As soon as we were in the water, a blue footed booby started diving for fish within 10 yards of us, cool!

At Tortuga bay, there are some decent waves for body surfing or real surfing. There can be some current, so be aware. Plenty of marine iguanas patrol the beach here. If you remember anything from this post, remember this: SUNSCREEN. You’ll need plenty, even on the back of your hands, underside of your chin and three layers on your nose. Granted, we’re white walkers from the north, but mainland Ecuadorians get burnt here and the islanders use it too!