On the opposite side of the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, you will find the Tortuga Bay of the Galapagos Islands. The further you get from the village centre, in search of the path to take you there, way off the main street, the more sceptical I imagine you get. Me on the other hand was not too concerned, as I actually stayed at a hostel not far away from there. When you finally get to the path leading to the beach, there is a climb up to a booth where you have to both sign in and out (upon your return), and you can fill up on some water and info. From there it is a 2.5 km long pathway leading to the beach. Even though it is a huge stretch of sand, it is, to be fair, not as beautiful as in this photo, and with no wildlife spotted, the walk to the beach was the best part for me. You can’t swim at this beach, but there seemed to be decent waves as there was a couple of surfers out there. If you can walk further down and cross the peninsula you’ll get to a smaller beach where you’re allowed to go for a swim.
More on Galapagos Islands.
Note: Photos are by Diego Delso (#1) and me (#2).
