BiciTour Giant Turtles and Lava Tunnel in Galapagos
Description
This experience combines 50% cycling and 50% hiking to actively explore the Santa Cruz Highlands. The normal bike option follows a mostly descent route, quiet and suitable for most travelers. For those looking for a more dynamic experience, the e-bike allows you to travel sectors with steeper slopes in greater comfort. We will start at Parque San Francisco de Puerto Ayora, where we will pick up bikes and helmets before moving to Los Guayabillos. During the tour we will cross rural landscapes, agricultural areas, fruit trees and coffee plantations of the Galapagos. Upon arrival at Galapagos Frontier we will continue with a guided hike through the nature reserve to observe giant turtles in their natural habitat and explore impressive lava tunnels formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. Ideal for those looking to combine adventure, nature and physical activity.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Would you like to see the giant Galapagos tortoises in their natural habitat? If your answer is yes, and you like adventures, this tour is for you. We encourage you to come and discover the Galapagos Frontier reserve by bike, where you will be received by a naturalist guide with more than 30 years of experience who will take you to discover the endemic forest of Galapagos. We'll meet at the dock to choose the bikes. We will take them on the bus and descend to the reserve, where we will have coffee and juice before the tour. On the way we will pass through the forest of the transition zone, where we will be able to observe giant tortoises. We will be able to see various species of endemic birds such as cucube or Darwin's finch among many others. Then we will see two lava tunnels, with recent formations of stalactites and stalagmites, where we will learn about the formation of the Galapagos Islands and, with luck, we will be able to see the Barn Owl. We will finish the tour by bicycle, in the Laguna de las Ninfas.
We will start the tour in the San Francisco Park to the municipal market where we will take the bus to the town of Guayabillos to ride our bicycles to the Galapagos Frontier Reserve and begin the walking tour in the reserve to head again to the Laguna de las Ninfas.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Travelers can find me in the stands of San Francisco Park with a black backpack, black glasses and a cap to see accompanied by a bicycle
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(45)
My wife and I had a great experience. We met our guide in town and we snagged bikes before a ~20min ride to the eco reserve. We saw some turtles on the way. There we got a quick history lesson from our naturalist before a trek to see turtles, birds, then a cave tour. Had a drink of coconut water then biked (downhill) back to town. Overall very enjoyable trip!
We enjoyed our biking tour for our family of four. The company was able to find a good sized bike for our 9-year-old son, and they were very accommodating when we said we wanted to bike more than the typical allotment. We biked about 16 km, instead of the original 2 km. The tortoises at Galapagos Frontier were fascinating to learn about, as was the cave. At the end, we had a delicious bowl of encebollado soup. The only hiccups were that the company messaged us the night before to tell us the original guide would not be available, and the alternate didn't speak very good English. It did not turn out to be a big issue. Also, our guide was about 15 minutes late at the start, but other than that, it went very smoothly. Thanks, Julio, for a fun time.
Very cool experience of nature wonderful nautical and animals pure nature had a lot of fun and were revisited were thrilled
It was a wonderful trip. We had a great time with our guides. Our bike guide made sure that we were safe and looked out for the pat holes along the way. He even took some pictures of us! When we arrived at the Tortoise Center we were greeted by our guides. One was the ranger in the national park and there were two volunteers who translated everything he said into English which was fantastic! We say a lot of big and old turtles and the ranger even attracted birds. After, our bike guide brought us to a woodworker and we saw the process of them making wood statues. The whole trip was a very good, interesting and pleasing experience!
We had a great time with our guide Julio on this fun and active tour! We spotted lots of Giant Tortoises while biking, then explored a beautiful reserve with native birds and tortoises in the wild. The lava tunnels were fascinating, and we ended the tour with tasty empanadas at the local market. Highly recommend!
We did the tortoise and lava tunnel tour, including bike ride and lunch and had an amazing time. We met JC at the marina and picked up the bikes. Then transferred by vehicle uphill for the first part of cycling to the reserve. We had an informative brief about the tortoises and set off into the reserve seeing many tortoises in their natural habitat. Then into the lava tunnel for a circular walk seeing the beautiful coloured stalagmites and stalactites. Then back to the reserve restaurant for amazing lunch with fresh local ingredients. To finish the tour we then cycled back to Puerto Ayora. The cycling is 95% downhill and easy and a nice way to see the local countryside. This is a family run business and they are passionate about nature and their work. We had an unforgettable experience and many thanks to JC and all the staff. We can highly recommend this tour.
Most intriguing day of scientific learning and awe inspiring fun. Highlight of our trip and highly recommend!
This was a good combination of a bike ride with a visit to the tortoise reserve. We were driven to a closer location to the reserve before we began our ride. When we arrived we listened to a talk about the history of the place then went for a walk to the lava tunnels. After this we had a refreshing blackberry drink before riding all the way back to the bike shop.
Great trip. The host was great and friendly. The walk was a bit long, but the lava cave was cool. Lovely trip. I do recommend.
Simply amazing trip, kind staff with lots of knowledge. Perfect for learing about the geology and biology of Galapagos
