Santa Cruz Highland Tour: reuzenschildpadden, lavatunnel en Gemelos
Beschrijving
Tijdens deze tour kun je de hoogtepunten van de hooglanden van Santa Cruz zien, waaronder de reuzenschildpadden in hun natuurlijke habitat, een indrukwekkende ondergrondse lavatunnel en de beroemde Twin Craters "Los Gemelos". Dit is absoluut een lonend bezoek voor natuurminnende mensen en een must-do als je in Galapgos bent. Het weelderige groene landschap van de hooglanden staat in schril contrast met de meer dorre laaglandkusten, wat een heel andere Galapagos-ervaring oplevert.
Rondreisopties
Reisroute
Een van onze deskundige gidsen leidt je rond de prachtige schildpaddenranch Las Primicias, die in de hooglanden van Santa Cruz ligt en een weelderig contrast biedt met de stranden en dorre gebieden die elders op het eiland te vinden zijn. Hier kunt u de beroemde Galapagos-reuzenschildpad zien rondzwerven in zijn natuurlijke habitat, een bad nemen in een van de vele waterpoelen, een flinke hap groen gras nemen of, als u veel geluk heeft, zelfs paren. Je kunt er zo dicht mogelijk bij zijn (vergeet 2 meter afstand!) en je gids helpt je graag om geweldige foto's te maken terwijl je poseert met deze fascinerende reuzen. Je leert veel over hun gedrag, hun roofdieren, en eigenlijk alles wat er te weten valt - en natuurlijk is er voldoende tijd om vragen te stellen en een kopje heerlijke biologische koffie te proeven, geproduceerd door de familie die eigenaar is van deze plek. Als het regent of als de grond modderig is, krijg je rubberen laarzen.
De tweede stop is een spelonkachtige ondergrondse lavatunnel waar je (gemakkelijke toegang met trappen) naar beneden kunt klimmen, een van de geologische wonderen van de vulkanische eilanden van Galapagos. Het zien van deze indrukwekkende plek en de uitleg van je natuurgids helpen je de immense kracht te begrijpen die deze lavastromen hadden. Je kunt omkeren en de tunnel verlaten op dezelfde manier waarop je naar beneden kwam, of je kunt door de tunnel lopen (niet aan te raden voor iemand met rug-/mobiliteitsproblemen of claustrofobie, omdat er een heel krappe plek is waar je eigenlijk doorheen moet kruipen) en ontmoet de rest van de groep aan de andere kant.
De laatste stop op deze tour is "Los Gemelos", wat de Twins betekent; dit zijn twee enorme dubbele kraters (eigenlijk stort enorme lava in - je natuurgids zal je er veel meer over uitleggen). Om hun schaal beter te kunnen waarderen, hebben Los Gemelos een diameter van ongeveer 1,6 km, met een diepte van 280 meter. De donkergrijze vulkanische muren contrasteren prachtig met de groene vegetatie, maar je hebt een groothoeklens nodig om alles in één opname te passen. De twee uitkijkpunten over deze enorme lava-instortingen laten het adembenemende landschap zien, en er zijn ook genoeg interessante vogels om naar uit te kijken, aangezien dit dichte bos de thuisbasis is van een goede variëteit aan Galapagos-vogelsoorten. Een indrukwekkende 8 van de 13 Darwin Finch-soorten zijn hier te zien. Uw gids zal u laten zien hoe u ze correct kunt identificeren. Vogelaars kunnen ook opvallende vermiljoen vliegenvangers, velduilen (als ze geluk hebben!), de mooie Galapagosduif en meer spotten.
Hoogtepunten
Wat is inbegrepen
Beoordelingen van reizigers
Belangrijke informatie
- Baby's en kleine kinderen kunnen in een wandel- of kinderwagen mee
- Opties voor openbaar vervoer zijn in de buurt aanwezig
- Kinderen moeten bij een volwassene op schoot zitten
- Niet aanbevolen voor reizigers met een slechte cardiovasculaire gezondheid
- Geschikt voor alle condities
- Reistijd is inbegrepen in de totale reisduur.
Beoordelingen(7)
I booked this tour for 2 adults and an 8 year old. We had a fantastic time on this tour visiting the turtle ranch, best turtle experience as they aren't in breeding pins like other locations. It was a very cheap and easy trip that was very enjoyable and only takes the morning. We all crawled into the turtle shells and took pictures and tried to walk around in them. The tour guide was very energetic and spoke perfect English. It was a totally private tour with just my family. I booked many other tours with Guiding Galapagos on this trip and recommended them to other friends travelling with us. Felipe and Omar were amazing and very accommodating to my last minute reservations. They also spoke perfect English which is somewhat difficult to find on the islands. Very highly recommended!
We travelled as a group of three, my wife, my friend and I. All of us were truly amazed by the quality of the entire trip from beginning to end. The organization was outstanding. Communication with the team was excellent at every stage, they were always available, extremely kind, responsive and helpful with absolutely everything. Special thanks to Stephanie for the amazing planning and organization before the trip, and to Omar, who was fantastic on site and took great care of us throughout our stay. The hotels were excellent, transportation between all islands and activities was perfectly organized, and every detail was handled professionally. They also fulfilled additional requests without any problems and arranged wonderful tours for us. As swimmers, we were especially impressed by the snorkeling experience. All equipment provided was high quality and well prepared. Every dive exceeded our expectations, we saw sharks, seahorses, thousands of fish, dozens of sea turtles and so much more. Truly breathtaking underwater experiences! The land tours were equally incredible: giant tortoises, flamingos, marine iguanas, countless birds and amazing landscapes everywhere we went. We especially loved Isabela Island overnight, Santa Cruz and Pinzon, every excursion was unique and unforgettable. This was honestly one of the best organized and most enjoyable trips we have ever had. We highly recommend this company to anyone planning a visit to the Galapagos! Thank you again for an amazing adventure!
We went on a wet day which made it less enjoyable than on a sunny one (like most things). We had a lovely informative guide (Erica). That said, it felt very expensive for what it was. If you've never seen giant tortoises, this would add great value. You do see a good amount, close up and with the ability to photograph. The lava tunnels were interesting. Los Gemelos were OK. All together, a little underwhelming for us and overpriced. That said, they delivered what was promised and we're cheaper than others.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience - we truly appreciate your honest and balanced feedback. We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with our excellent naturalist guide Erica and found her guiding informative - we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. We’re sorry to hear that the weather didn’t fully cooperate on the day of your tour. As much as we wish we could arrange sunshine on request, this is unfortunately one aspect beyond our control, and we understand how much it can influence the overall experience. Regarding the pricing, we completely understand your perspective and would like to offer a bit more context for future guests reading this. Our tours are fully private and designed to provide a highly personalized experience. This means you are accompanied by a licensed naturalist guide authorized by the National Park, who works exclusively with you throughout the day. These guides are highly trained professionals with significant expertise, and their daily rates reflect that level of qualification. We intentionally do not offer standard group tours, where guests often travel in larger groups and may need to wait their turn for viewpoints or photos. Instead, we focus on flexibility, individual attention, and a more intimate connection with the environment - which many of our guests find makes a meaningful difference in their overall experience. Thank you again for joining us and for your thoughtful review - it helps both us and future travelers.
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!
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.
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!
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..
