El Chato - Giant Tortoise Reserve, Puerto Ayora

Great place to see giant tortoises in Santa Cruz. We visited the place as a group and had our own guide. Rubber boots were provided. Short walk 30-40 minutes to see the huge turtles and the lava tunnel. Decent lunch was included. Impressive giant tortoises.

It was cool to see these giant tortoises, and the setting is different than the rest of the islands we saw. The bathrooms were clean, and they had refreshments and food for purchase. I like that they provided boots for us to wear because it can get so wet and muddy. There was a lava cave which was cool to see. It was probably our least favorite excursion though.

We had a few hours between ferries going from San Cristobal to Isabela. This was the perfect excursion to fill that time instead of hanging around in town. $40 cab ride, and the driver waited to take us back when we were done. You get to see the Giant Tortoises up close and in their natural environment along with the lava tubes.

The entry cost $5 with an additional tip you have to pay to your guide (we left $15 for a group of 3 people). You can eat here (we recommend the muchines) and drink tea or coffee for free. Very nice staff. We loved meeting the Galápagos turtles.

The El Chato Ranch is a beautiful place to walk around and see the famous giant tortoises of the Galapagos. We met several of the tortoises and we were able to get within about 6 meters of them per the rules of El Chato (no closer, don't disturb the wildlife). We took a bus in and we had a nice time walking around the ranch and then walking through the Lava Tunnels