Santa Cruz Island
My adventure to Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Archipelago was filled with Blacktip Reef Sharks swimming in shallow waters, spotted Eagle Rays foraging for food, Galapagos Green Sea Turtles munching on leaves, and Blue Footed Boobies, soaring through the air.
GETTING THERE
Santa Cruz Island is in the Pacific Ocean, off South America, about 600 miles from Ecuador. Visitors arrive directly into the main town of Puerto Ayora by cruise ship, ferry, or by boat on day tours. I arrived on a ferry from San Cristobal Island, which was farther east in the Galapagos chain. Santa Cruz also had a major airport called Baltra, GPS. It’s one of two entry points into the Galápagos Islands and arriving there is an adventure in itself. After touching down, travelers take an airport shuttle bus to a small water taxi which goes to Santa Cruz Island itself, then a truck taxi to Puerto Ayora, in all it takes a couple hours.
AMAZING EXCURSIONS
Santa Cruz was the most developed of all the Galápagos Islands, a hub for tourism, diving, sport fishing, and boat trips to other islands. The harbor area of Puerto Ayora had beautiful aquamarine water, many sailboats, fishing boats, a cruise ship, and even some Super Yachts!
I could see Blacktip Reef Sharks circling around in the shallow water, everywhere I went. They were small, about two to four feet, but I saw dozens of them, and they weren’t alone. Spotted Eagle Rays, big and small, glided through the water, some were even mating! Also, many Galapagos Green Sea Turtles, eating algae growing on rocks and munching on leaves blown into the water by the wind. A Blue Footed Booby was hunting for fish right next to me and I watched it skillfully dive into the water, and catch a small fish in its big beak.
I jumped on a water taxi, then hiked through a cactus forest to a swimming spot called Las Grietas. It was a deep fissure in the volcanic rock, about 40 feet deep and 20 foot wide, which was partly filled in with a combination of fresh water and sea water. I followed a wooden walkway winding down the crevice, to the biggest swimming hole which was about two football fields long. I snorkeled inside the cool crystal clear water, which was so refreshing after the hike, and I saw several schools of different types of fish and some small thin eels, trying to hide in the rocks.
I also visited some interesting salt marshes, which were connected to the sea by tidal flows. My guide said inside the marshes lived red microorganisms which added minerals to the salt water. The hot sun evaporated the water which left behind a mineral rich crystallized salt. The salt was then harvested and used to cure dried fish and also it was added to the grasses eaten by the cows in the highlands.
I hiked to the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about Darwin’s travels in the 1800’s, his theory on evolution, and the Galápagos conservation projects currently underway by scientists from around the world. It was just a short distance from town and nearby was a scenic little beach cove where I cooled off from the hot sun.
Puerto Ayora had a small yet lively fish market on the edge of the water, where local fishermen would bring their day’s catch. Workers cut up the fish, weighed it, then sold it. But the real show was watching the animals, waiting for leftovers! The market was packed with Galapagos Sea Lions, Pelicans, and Marine Iguanas scrambling around eating scraps!
Many business lined the two main streets of Puerto Ayora, offering diving and snorkeling boat tours to Santa Fe Island, North Seymour Island, Isla Isabela, Pinzon, Bartolome, and others. It’s a good idea to combine a trip to Santa Cruz with at least one, more remote island to get the full Galapagos experience.
While Santa Cruz Island was the most developed in the Galapagos, my journey there was fascinating because it had so many marine animals in the water and unusual birds in the sky that I had the time to sit, watch, and admire all the unique creatures living in their natural habitat.
