Seeing Galapagos Giant Tortoises at El Chato Ranch
Galapagos Giant Tortoises, El Chato, Santa Cruz
1. Exploring the Giant Tortoises in the Galapagos
2. A Taxi Driver as Our Guide
3. Driving into the Santa Cruz Highlands
4. Exploring Los Gemelos and the Scalesia Forest
5. Seeing Galapagos Giant Tortoises at El Chato
6. Charles Darwin Research Station
1. How to Explore the Giant Tortoises in the Galapagos Highlands
One of the must-do experiences in the Galapagos Islands is a visit to the Santa Cruz Highlands to see the giant tortoises. Instead of joining an organised tour, you can easily arrange a budget-friendly, self-guided tour to the ranch El Chato, or to other reserves such as Primicias or Terramar, by taxi. For a small fee, local farmers often allow visitors to explore their land, giving a unique opportunity to encounter Galapagos wildlife in a natural setting.
Photo: Travel In Culture
For conveniently located, locally run hotels in Puerto Ayora, the following options are worth considering.
2. A Taxi Driver as Our Guide in the Galapagos Highlands
We organise a local taxi driver through a contact at our hotel to guide us into the highlands. This approach is simple, convenient, and allows us to travel at our own pace, stopping wherever we wish. From the moment we set off, it is clear that he knows the island like the back of his hand. He greets people we pass on the road beyond Puerto Ayora, exchanging waves and offering insights into the local community. Using a taxi in this way feels relaxed and personal. Rather than following a fixed itinerary, we move unhurriedly, stopping when something catches our attention. It is an ideal way to experience the highlands while getting a glimpse of local life on Santa Cruz Island.
A beautiful rooster on the outskirts of Puerto Ayora.
3. Driving into the Santa Cruz Highlands
Leaving the busy streets of Puerto Ayora behind, the scenery quickly changes. We pass small farms, family-run coffee plantations, and volcanic-soil fields, forming a patchwork of rural life against lush greenery and rolling volcanic hills. Vegetation thickens noticeably. Along the route, we pass the villages of Bellavista and Santa Rosa, established in the humid highlands. Here, farmers raise cattle and cultivate fruits and vegetables such as pineapple, papaya, bananas, coconuts, sugarcane, coffee, avocado, oranges, lemons, and mandarins, mostly on a small scale.
Entrance to a lava tube in the Santa Cruz highlands.
Our driver points out a couple of coffee-growing areas and a small pineapple plantation. Lava tubes, formed when molten rock flowed beneath the cooled surface, are scattered across the countryside, offering short walks and a constant reminder of the volcanic forces that shaped the islands. The drive itself becomes part of the experience, providing glimpses of the natural habitats of Galapagos giant tortoises hidden among the vegetation.
4. Exploring Los Gemelos and the Scalesia Forest
Photo: Travel In Culture
Our first real stop in the highlands is Los Gemelos, the famous twin sinkholes formed by collapsed volcanic magma chambers. Walking along the wooden boardwalks, we enter the dense Scalesia forest, where light filters softly through the canopy. This cloud forest differs dramatically from the vegetation down at Puerto Ayora. Mosses cloak the trees, orchids peek out, and vermillion flycatchers and small finches make the forest their natural home.
Los Gemelos – Galapagos | Photo: Travel In Culture
Scalesia is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, consisting of 15 species and six subspecies. Each has adapted to specific vegetation zones. Around Los Gemelos, the species are unique to Santa Cruz. Once, the forest covered much of the island, but human settlements and invasive species have reduced it significantly. Conservation programmes aim to eliminate invasive species, allowing the Scalesia forest to recover.
The Scalesia forest is endemic to the Galapagos Islands.
Pausing at the rim of the craters, we peer into deep, forested depressions below. The atmosphere is calm and almost mystical, broken only by the occasional call of a Galapagos mockingbird. Cooler air carries the scent of damp earth and tropical plants, a striking contrast to the coastal environment of Puerto Ayora.
5. Seeing Galapagos Giant Tortoises at El Chato Ranch
Photo: Travel In Culture
We continue through Santa Rosa along a dirt road leading to El Chato Ranch. Almost immediately, our driver points out a giant tortoise grazing at the roadside, followed by another. These herbivores feed on cacti, flowers, grasses, leaves, and fruit. Our guide explains that the tortoises especially thrive on juicy guava fruits, which explains their abundance in the highlands around farms like El Chato. They may weigh up to 200 kilograms. Given this weight, it is unsurprising that the tortoises move slowly and spend long periods resting. According to our driver, around 4,000 wild giant tortoises inhabit the highlands of Santa Cruz.
The highlight of our Galapagos tour is when we see the giant tortoises at El Chato.
At El Chato Ranch, the tortoises roam freely in their natural habitat. One emerges from the grass, its domed shell catching the sunlight. We follow at a respectful distance, fascinated by the intricate patterns on its shell and the deliberate way it shifts its weight. Several tortoises rest in muddy ponds to cool off, while others lie across trails, forcing us to detour through surrounding vegetation. Visitors must wait or walk around them, as only locals are allowed to move tortoises blocking paths.
The giant tortoises take priority.
Observing these prehistoric-looking animals is extraordinary. Watching them grazing, we recall Charles Darwin’s 1835 visit, when he noted that tortoise shell shapes vary depending on their environment. In arid zones, saddle-shaped shells allow tortoises to stretch their necks to reach cacti, while in lush areas, domed shells suit feeding on low vegetation. On Pinta Island, saddle-shaped shells help tortoises reach scarce cacti and compete for food, whereas on Isabella Island, domed shells are adapted for abundant low-lying vegetation. These variations inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
Galapagos wildlife in the highlands.
The old Spanish word galapago means ‘tortoise’, giving the archipelago its name.
While we explore the ranch, keeping an eye out for the enormous tortoises, our taxi driver takes a moment to enjoy a quick cup of coffee with an acquaintance. With only around 20,000 inhabitants on Santa Cruz, it is easy to bump into familiar faces across the island.
Photo: Travel In Culture
Encountering fascinating giant tortoises in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island.
At a safe distance, we observe another giant raising its long neck and hissing as if sensing danger. Continuing through the forest, we find a group resting in a muddy pond, clearly relishing the cool water. The sheer number of tortoises around El Chato makes this visit the highlight of the day.
El Chato tortoise tour | Photo: Travel In Culture
6. Conservation and Research at the Charles Darwin Research Station
Returning to Puerto Ayora, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, inaugurated in 1964 to study and conserve endemic Galapagos species. Here, young giant tortoises hatch and grow under careful supervision before release into the wild, ensuring the survival of the species. Walking the grounds, we observe tortoises of every age, from tiny hatchlings to juveniles preparing for release.
As the naturalist Charles Darwin discovered on his voyage on the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836, one of the noticeable things was that each of the 13 larger islands of Galapagos had slightly different variations of tortoises. Sadly enough, sailors exploited the plentiful giant tortoises in the years to come. They went onshore and captured vast numbers of them to get a stock of fresh food on board, taking advantage of the ability of the tortoises to survive for a long time without food or water.
Charles Darwin Research Station.
Today, only a fraction of the giant tortoises remain on the islands, which makes the work at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora crucial. Through its carefully managed breeding programme, the station supports the conservation of the species and has successfully increased the population of Galapagos tortoises.
Visitors can observe how tortoises are monitored, bred and gradually reintroduced across the islands to maintain biodiversity. The station houses tortoises at every stage of life, from unhatched eggs and hatchlings to full-grown giants, all of which are eventually released back into their natural habitat.
Marine iguanas navigate slowly on land due to their heavy, compact bodies.
Outside, Galapagos iguanas bask in the sun, some posing for photos while others navigate the terrain slowly due to their heavy bodies. Nearby sea lions lounge lazily. Observing these animals alongside the tortoises highlights the interconnectedness of the islands’ ecosystems and the ongoing efforts to protect them. The experience leaves a lasting impression, showcasing both the fragility and resilience of Galapagos wildlife.
Get inspiration for what else you can experience in the Galapagos Islands: Exploring Puerto Ayora in 6 Days: Santa Cruz Island Itinerary
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Galapagos Giant Tortoises at El Chato Ranch, Santa Cruz
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Galapagos Giant Tortoises at El Chato Ranch, Santa Cruz:
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