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

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

Mobile ticket

This tour will allow you to get to see the highlights of Santa Cruz' Highlands, including the giant tortoises in their natural habitat, an impressive underground lava tunnel and the famous Twin Craters "Los Gemelos". This definitely is a rewarding visit for nature loving people and a must-do when in Galapgos. The lush green scenery of the highlands is in stark contrast to the more arid lowland coasts, providing a very different Galapagos experience.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Travel time is included on the total tour duration.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

What To Expect

Rancho Primicias

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.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

Lava Tunnel

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.

30 minutes • Admission Included

What‘s Included

Private transportation

All Fees and Taxes

Air-conditioned vehicle

Naturalist guide certified by the National Park

Use of rubber boots if the ground is muddy

Entry fee to the tortoise ranch

Gratuities (optional)

Pickup points

Baltra Airport

Ecuador

Options

Santa Cruz Tour w/out Pickup

Airport Transfer in/out

Airport Pick-up / Drop-off: Pick-up from the airport Exit on Baltra Island with a private driver. Excluding the airport bus tickets ($5) and ferry ($1)
Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

An amazing introduction to the island with it's most famous inhabitants!
carlbK7287CO,,Feb 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We were the only ones who booked and ended up with a private tour. Our guide Gabriel was incredible and answered every question we had! One of the most knowledgeable guides we had, every other tour we knew more than half of what we were supposed to learn! He brought so much energy and character to the tour! We learned about the geology of the island, the native species and even got our photo taken (from a respectful distance) with the giant tortoises! If you could only do one tour it is hard to recommend anything else!
Unforgettable experience
Betty M,,Sep 27, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our guide, Gabriel, was knowledgeable and friendly. Seeing the tortoises in their natural habitat was amazing. The lava tunnels were very cool as well as seeing the craters. Gabriel shared so much information about everything we saw and did. Once in a lifetime experience. There are a lot of these tours to choose from. So glad this is the one we picked.
Santa Cruz Highlands
darcyh319,,May 29, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This tour was FANTASTIC ! It was a private tour. My mom and I were picked up at our hotel and taken to 3 spots in the highlands; tortoise conservatory, sinkholes and an underground tunnel cave. Yazmany was our guide and he was extremely passionate about the Galapagos which made everything a lot more enjoyable. He also took a lot of pictures for us. The nature and landscapes in the highlands are beautiful!
Walking with giant tortoises
261andr su,,Mar 21, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
My son really liked the Charles Darwin center and of course he loved being there in the mountains walking with these giant Galapagos tortoises, the guide explained to us about feeding, reproduction and took some photographs of us.. The lava tunnel was very nice to walk underground, the Galapagos Owl and the two craters..