Meet a 150-Year-Old Giant Tortoise in the Galapagos Highlands

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The Giant Tortoise Experience begins at the pick up point with a warm welcome from your certified Galapagos Naturalist Guide. During the private air conditioned transfer, immerse yourself in the enchanted Galapagos ecosystem and learn about the captivating history and geology of the archipelago. Discover Los Gemelos twin sink holes, the most impressive sink holes in The Galapagos Islands. Hike along this scenic 1-mile loop trail and observe these amazing volcanic formations that make Santa Cruz so special. Walk through the magical Scalesia Cloud Forest, an endemic humid environment where local plants, giant tortoises and birds thrive. Take opportunities to spot and photograph the iconic Darwin’s finches.

   30 min

2. Continue to the Giant Tortoise Reserve and meet the largest living tortoises in the world and the most iconic species of Galapagos! Gain exclusive insights into their habits and ecology, and take incredible pictures with hundreds of giant tortoises wandering around in their pristine natural habitat.

   3 hAdmission included

3. Be ready for an impressive underground discovery following the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Experience Galapagos inside-out by stepping into stunning Lava Tubes. Appreciate how lava flows have carved and sculpted the most remarkable structures and shapes over thousands of years. Your Giant Tortoise Experience terminates at the original pick-up point.

   20 minAdmission included

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Reviews

Ratings come from 46 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 4Good tour with initial hiccup

  We had a wonderful time! However, there was a hiccup with the beginning of the tour. You pay at the time of booking, and I was nervous to have not received a confirmation of the tour as the days got closer…and I had emailed to confirm the meeting point but got no response. We arrived at the meeting point at the tour start time, but no one else was there. I googled a WhatsApp number and sent a copy of my receipt, and they sent a driver for us. The driver picked us up about 45 minutes after start of tour, we then picked up our English speaking guide, and were on our way. Los gemelos were amazing and we had a drizzly time in the rainforest. Saw lots of finches, mockingbirds, and doves. Then we went to El Chato Tortoise Reserve - a must see! And saw many wild tortoises and walked through an underground lava tunnel. Rain boots are provided. Cesar was a great guide! I highly recommend the contents of the tour, but the organization in the beginning seemed off.

  122mollyzSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 4Great experience!

  Fantastic experience and a great guide and driver. A little unsure as to why it was so expensive but still excellent.

  Ray_LJuly 2026via Viator

• 5Galapagos highlands

  Competent, clear and attentive guide! 👍

  giuliomO6940XWApril 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Very good tour

  In depth tour, lots of tortoise/botany/Galapagos history all mixed together. First tour of our trip and it was a great way to start off. Went early, beat most of the crowds. Astrid was an exceptional tour guide, highly recommend her to others.

  David_CMarch 2026via Viator

• 5Great tour to see Giant Tortoises

  Wonderful tour!!! We met outside the Cressi dive shop. Van was very clean and air conditioned. Driver was great! Our tour guide, Astrid, was very knowledgeable and so interesting! We learned so much about the history of the Galapagos Islands on the tour. First stop was El Chato where we saw so many giant tortoises! We learned a lot about the giant tortoises and gor some great pictures. We also went into lava tunnels which was interesting. Final stop was Los Gemelos, 2 giant sink holes. We saw woodpeckers and finches. Highly recommend!

  kavithat2019February 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Tortoises Galore 🐢!

  We went on the Giant Tortoise Experience on January 20th, 2026 with Luis, and it was a fantastic tour! Luis was very well informed, friendly and knowledgeable! He kept our kids (12.5 and 10) entertained and engaged! And he was able to answer all our questions! This is definitely a must do tour; we had a great time!

  triciahJ4894BMJanuary 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Santa Cruz

• Its from-price is 49% below the median of the 110 experiences we list in Santa Cruz.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 9 of 110.

About Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is the most populated island of the Galápagos, a volcanic island of lava tunnels, giant tortoises and sea lions on the harbour front.

Santa Cruz lies at the centre of the Galápagos Islands, about a thousand kilometres west of mainland Ecuador. Puerto Ayora is its main town, where sea lions doze on benches and pelicans wait at the fish market. The Charles Darwin Research Station, on the edge of town, runs breeding programmes for giant tortoises, and a walking path leads to Tortuga Bay, a long white beach where marine iguanas feed on the rocks.

See all 110 experiences in Santa Cruz