Discover Puerto Ayora 2026

The research station runs a breeding program for the endangered Galápagos giant tortoises and lets visitors observe these impressive animals up close in natural enclosures.

The powder-white sandy beach is reachable after a roughly 40-minute walk through cactus forest and delights with marine iguanas on the shore as well as calm, protected water full of small reef sharks in the lagoon.

At the lively fish market right by the harbor, sea lions, pelicans and frigatebirds wait shoulder to shoulder with the fishermen for scraps, an entertaining and typical scene of daily Galápagos life.

The two huge volcanic sinkholes in the Santa Cruz highlands are surrounded by dense Scalesia cloud forest, where free-roaming giant tortoises are often seen moving among the trees.

From Guayaquil or Quito, you first fly to Baltra Airport, from where a short boat crossing and bus ride across Santa Cruz Island leads directly to the largest town in the Galápagos Islands.

The research station runs a breeding program for the endangered Galápagos giant tortoises and lets visitors observe these impressive animals up close in natural enclosures.

The powder-white sandy beach is reachable after a roughly 40-minute walk through cactus forest and delights with marine iguanas on the shore as well as calm, protected water full of small reef sharks in the lagoon.

The two huge volcanic sinkholes in the Santa Cruz highlands are surrounded by dense Scalesia cloud forest, where free-roaming giant tortoises are often seen moving among the trees.