Galápagos · Santa Cruz

Giant tortoises roaming free in the island highlands

Santa Cruz is the gateway to the archipelago and the only island where giant tortoises graze freely on private farms rather than in enclosures. Its highlands, blanketed in endemic Scalesia forest, contrast sharply with the arid coast of cactus and lava. This is also the scientific heart of Galápagos.

What you will see

Wild giant tortoises

On the ranches of Santa Rosa, Chelonoidis porteri grazes freely across open pasture.

Los Gemelos

Two collapse craters ringed by Scalesia forest, on the road to the airport.

Charles Darwin Station

The breeding centre repatriating tortoises since 1965, and home of Lonesome George.

Wildlife & flora

Giant tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri), Darwin’s finches, endemic Scalesia pedunculata forest and Opuntia echios cactus.

From our own visits

Galápagos restricts single-use plastics such as straws, bags, polystyrene and disposable bottles, under an official programme of the Governing Council. Not all plastic is banned, but it is worth arriving with a reusable bottle. To get around the island, bicycles and electric scooters are what people use and what is allowed, not petrol motorbikes; touring the surroundings that way, two of you together, is a lovely plan. From Baltra airport you cross the Itabaca Channel by ferry to reach Santa Cruz. And the wildlife is looked after carefully: nobody touches or feeds the animals, and distance is respected.

What you should know

National Park entry costs USD 200 per foreign adult since August 2024, plus USD 20 in cash for the Transit Control Card bought in Quito or Guayaquil before boarding. Neither is included in the package price. Rates current as of September 2026.