Santa Cruz Highland Tour: Giant Tortoises, Lava Tunnel & Gemelos

One of our knowledgeable guides will lead you around the beautiful tortoise ranch Las Primicias, which lies in the Highlands of Santa Cruz, offering a lush contrast to the beaches and arid areas found elsewhere on the island. Here you will be able to observe the famous Giant Galapagos Tortoise roaming in its natural habitat, taking a bath in one of the many water holes, having a good bite of green grass or, if you get very lucky, even mating. You will be able to be as close to them as possible (don't forget 2 meters distance!) and your guide will be happy to help you to take great photos of you posing with these fascinating giants. You will learn a lot about their behaviour, their predators, and basically everything there is know learn - and of course there will be sufficient time to ask questions and to taste a cup of the delicious organic coffee produced by the family who owns this place. You will get rubber boots if it is raining or if the ground is muddy.

The second stop will be a cavernous underground Lava Tunnel where you can climb down (easy access with steps) one of the geological wonders of the volcanic islands of Galapagos. Seeing this impressive place and the explanations of your naturalist guide, help to understand the immense force that these lava flows had. You can either turn back and exit the tunnel the same way you came down, or you can walk through the tunnel (not recommend for someone with back/mobility problems or claustrophobia as there is one very tight spot where you basically need to crawl through) and meet the rest of the group on the other side.

The last stop on this tour will be "Los Gemelos", meaning the Twins; which are two massive twin craters (actually huge lava collapses - your naturalist guide will explain you a lot more about it). To better appreciate their scale, Los Gemelos measure approximately 1 mile in diameter, with a depth of 280 meters. The dark grey volcanic walls contrast wonderfully with the green vegetation, but you’ll need a wide angle lens to fit it all into one shot. The two viewpoints over these massive lava collapses showcase the breathtaking landscape, and there is plenty of interesting birdlife to look out for too as this dense forest is home to a good variety of Galapagos bird species. An impressive 8 of the 13 Darwin Finch species can be spotted here. Your guide will show you how to identify them correctly. Bird watchers can also spot eye-catching vermillion flycatchers, Short-eared owls (if lucky!), the pretty Galapagos dove and more.