Located on the southern end of Santa Cruz, Puerto Ayora is a bustling little town with plenty of restaurants, shops, and hotels to meet any tourist’s needs. We passed through Santa Cruz on our initial arrival to the islands and had time for lunch in town before catching the afternoon ferry to Isabela. We returned at the end of our trip and spent three days here and really enjoyed the change of pace after our time in Puerto Villamil.
The pier is the central point of town. Of course, inter-island ferries and day trip boats come and go from here, but it is much more than a utilitarian port. The scenery is stunning and there is an abundance of wildlife, making it a great place to wander around. We saw pelicans diving for fish, marine iguanas swimming across the bay, and sea lions lazing around. There are so many wildlife viewing opportunities here – just don’t expect the sea lions to give up the bench for you!
The pier is also worth visiting in the evening. The pier is lit up at night, and the strange green glowing lights attract schools of fish, which is turn attract hungry pelicans and reef sharks. We watched pelicans perched on the railing, carefully scanning the waters and plunging in after schools of fish. We saw both turtles and reef sharks swim underneath us. And of course, the ever-present sea lions were lounging on the docks.
The main street of Puerto Ayora, Ave Charles Darwin, runs along the waterfront from the pier to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Located about halfway between the pier and the Research Station, the Fish Market is an entertaining stop along the way. It’s great fun to watch the sea lions and pelicans harass the fishermen for scraps as they clean their catch. (A visit here is best timed around the return of the fishing boats in the afternoon. It was not especially active when we were there but still cool to see the pelicans and sea lions anxiously waiting.)
The town itself is interesting to walk around and explore. There are some cool architecture details, interesting storefronts and unique sculptures around town.
We were lucky enough to be in Puerto Ayora during the Ecuador vs Brazil World Cup Qualifier. Although Ecuador lost the match, it was a fantastic experience to walk around town during the game. People were dancing in the streets, restaurants and bars were packed with people, TVs and chairs were setup outside for passersby to stop and watch. Ecuador is much more passionate about soccer than the US so it was neat for us to get to experience the excitement surrounding the game. We enjoyed walking around and taking it all in. (But we were sad that we never figured out what the slightly creepy caterpillar bus was… perhaps a safe ride home for partiers?)
Since the Hotel Fiesta only served breakfast, we ate our other meals out while we were on Santa Cruz. We had a few meals on the main strip but also were repeat customers at the Galapagos Deli on Thomas de Berlanga. We also did some souvenir shopping in Puerto Ayora. There were plenty of places to buy T-shirts and other typical souvenirs, but we all loved Hera’s Gallery and each chose a cedar wood carving to bring home.
I would have loved a few more days to explore Puerto Ayora. We had hoped to walk to Tortuga Bay, which is supposed to be the most beautiful beach on the island. But we didn’t have the time or the energy for the roughly 40 minute walk and the pool was calling our boys’ names instead. Other free attractions that were recommended but we didn’t get a chance to explore include Las Ninfas Lagoon and Las Grietas (The Cracks). Despite missing a few sites, I felt like we made the most of our short time on Santa Cruz by visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station, El Chato and Los Gemelos, as well as taking a day trip to North Seymour.
Almost everybody who comes to the Galapagos Islands will at least pass through Santa Cruz. Baltra is the main airport on the islands and most cruises leave from Santa Cruz, so most people spend some time on the island whether they are coming for a cruise or a land-based trip. Puerto Ayora is the largest and busiest town on the islands and offers the most in terms of hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and shopping. But it also has lots of natural beauty as well and is the launching point for lots of great day trips. There is plenty to do to keep you busy here for a few days or a week.
