Tortuga Bay is my favorite weekend getaway in The Galapagos. It is one of the most visited places in the island of Sta. Cruz. During weekdays, I was usually at my host family’s house in the highlands volunteering or working in front of my computer. Somehow I managed to do some freelancing gig here while I was volunteering, despite the really bad internet in the island. I mean, what do you expect? Galapagos is isolated from the rest of the world, and this is what makes this place really special. I felt like I was just living here normally instead of being a traveler. But staying in the Galapagos for 2 months gave me the chance to take my time to explore the best places of the archipelago.
It is very easy to get to Tortuga Bay from Bella Vista, which was where I was staying. Bella Vista is part of the highlands located 7km outside the town of Puerto Ayora. You can ride a bicycle up to the town, hitchhike or take the local bus which costs around .75 cents. By the way, in Ecuador, they use USD here as currency, and since the change, the prices of goods became relatively high, with some people still not educated to use US dollars. Sometimes the price of a product makes no sense as the people put price thinking like it was still their previous currency. So even very small stuff can all be $1 each and most of the time it won’t really get less than that.
Sometimes when I didn’t have time to cook, or when there were a lot of people in the house, which was usually the case, I would pass by some small local restaurants to have some “almuerzo”, or lunch. This is pretty cheap but don’t expect too much though. From $3.50 to $8.00, you’ll get a soup, main which is a typical Ecuadorian dish and “jugo” or juice, so I guess not that bad for all of that.
Now before coming to Tortuga Bay, make sure you have a hat, sunscreen or some sun protection and water with you. But I usually go here late in the afternoon when it’s cooler. From Puerto Ayora town, it’s a 20 to 30-minute hike through an improved path surrounded by cacti, Matasarno trees and Palo Santo trees, and with some iguanas and finches to greet you along the way. It’s nice to walk here as it’s like being taken to another world, with these animals coming out of nowhere and the amazing Galapagos flora and fauna surrounding the trail. The walk under the scorching heat of the sun is rewarded with a stunning white sand beach stretching across the southern coast of Sta. Cruz island. It’s a pristine shoreline that gradually descends into the Pacific Ocean.
Hearing the sound of the crashing waves from a distance is such a relief especially after a walk through a seemingly endless path. As you arrive, you’ll start taking off your flip flops to feel the soft powdery white sand of the beach. You’ll also see a few locals surfing, as this is a popular surf spot in The Galapagos. Waves are ok for people who are just learning to surf but can be pretty big depending on the season. When I came here for the first time, my Austrian friend was learning to surf here, so that time there was a decent beach break and the waves were pretty good for beginners. If you want to hang out with the cool locals of the Galapagos, then this is the place to be. You might even get invited to a party or to a few clubs in the town. So yeah, this small town has some fun places to hang out at night too, loaded with tourists as usual.
As I was enjoying the beach, I saw a marine iguana enjoying the surf as well. It was pretty amazing for me, especially after seeing an Iguana for the first time on my first day in The Galapagos. I was like wow Iguana! And the people were like, ahhh yeah another Iguana. So Iguanas are like the pigeons here, they are on the beach, on the street, at the pier, on the basketball court, on the road, on benches, like everywhere! They live in harmony with the towns’ people. So yeah, you’ll see a lot of Iguanas hanging around Puerto Ayora town, but they are protected. So you are not allowed to smuggle one back home in hopes of designing a purse made of Iguana skin.
At the end of the long stretch of beach is a hidden lagoon with calmer water good for snorkeling and kayaking. This beautiful lagoon reveals the richness of Galapagos’ marine life. Some friends from the Galapagos took me snorkeling here one time, and here I was able to spot some sharks lurking underwater, underneath those mangroves. The visibility was bad, but if you try to just hold your breath for a little longer and dive deeper, you’ll see some sharks hanging around underneath. And at the beginning, I was not really seeing any, as I was quite conscious of getting entangled by the complicated branches of the mangroves. So when the people were telling me that there were a lot of sharks under, like not baby sharks but big sharks, and I was like I have to see them! So I dove deeper to be in the good visible part of the water and there I saw, really big fat sharks, taking pleasure underneath human legs. It was such an exhilarating experience. It’s pretty normal to see some sharks here though, so don’t be surprised. But for me, it’s not every day that I get to see sharks like that, so I was a happy person.
Finally, I was able to see a blue-footed booby and I was able to hang out with it for a bit. The bird was just there, very curious and was just looking at my blue swimsuit with curiosity. We made some connection. It’s very cute to see this bird, with those light blue feet that make it so unique. This is why blue-footed boobies became a popular design on Galapagos t-shirts, as the bird symbolizes the uniqueness of the place.
Since the massive influx of tourists, Tortuga bay became controlled by the national park, creating some disappointment among the locals. As much as I wanted to stay here longer to watch the stars at night, I couldn’t as the guards will kick me out before 6 pm. If I don’t follow the rules, they might even kick me out of the island. So you’ll see a lot of people walking back to the trail during this time. I was even told that there was a time when the local dudes were hanging out here at night after surfing, watching the stars and just chilling. But it’s not the same anymore, so I guess it’s more for Tortuga Bay’s protection and preservation. I can understand as Tortuga Bay is a real paradise on earth, a must-see at least once in your life.