|
If you're travelling independently, the highland sites are relatively easy to get to, though it's better to go with a guide , (ask any tour operator or at the Parque Nacional Galapagos offices) both to navigate and to spot creatures and plants in the undergrowth. If you're on a boat tour , the itinerary may give you half-day to explore the highlands area, while tour agencies in Puerto Ayora offer day-trips to the highlands for around $20, often less if you can get a group together. Buses going all the way to Santa Rosa, stopping at Bellavista, leave the traffic triangle on Darwin in Puerto Ayora (Mon-Sat 6.30am, 12.30pm & 4.30pm), returning immediately. Allow plenty of time to hitch a lift back to town if necessary. The flora and fauna of the highlands of Santa Cruz are quite distinct from the parched coastal areas. Leaving Puerto Ayora, the main road over the island ascends from the lowland scrub and cactus fields, and by the time you reach the cattle village of BELLAVISTA , 6km north of the port, introduced elephant grass, plantains, papayas and avocados grow from the fertile red soil. From Bellavista, a trail leads north through farmland, miconia forests and pampa grass for about 8km (a 2hr 30min trek) to the summit of the island, Cerro Crocker (864m). When the mists disperse, the panoramic views are spectacular. About 5km into the walk you'll reach the crescent-shaped Media Luna and nearer the summit Puntudo , old volcanic cones grown over with thick vegetation. The trail can get very muddy and hard to follow in places, so getting a guide is a good idea. Around 9km further on from Bellavista, the farms of SANTA ROSA sit in abundant fruit orchards and cedar trees that dwarf the native vegetation. Nearby is a restaurant , Narwhal , offering excellent three-course lunches and dinners for $16-18 (minimum of four people) in a farm with astounding views from the greenery down to the sea. Ask at Media Luna in Puerto Ayora to make reservations. From Santa Rosa, a track leads through 3km of farmland dotted with white cattle egrets and smooth-billed anis to the edge of the El Chato Tortoise Reserve on the southwestern corner of the island, among the best places in the Galapagos to see giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Here, trails lead west through dense endemic scalesia forest up to Cerro Chato (about 3km), or east to a small lagoon (2km), where tortoises wallow in the company of white-cheeked pintails. Vermilion and Galapagos flycatchers are common sightings, but you'll need more luck to spot the secretive Galapagos rail . A guide , water bottle, sturdy shoes and wet-weather gear are all recommended for visiting the reserve. A couple of kilometres beyond Santa Rosa on the way to Baltra, the road passes between Los Gemelos , a pair of yawning pit-craters swathed in emerald scalesia forests. Trails here lead from the road to viewpoints overlooking each, and finches and flycatchers inhabit the forests.
Your Tip for Santa Cruz highlands
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Santa Cruz highlands - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Santa Cruz highlands - visit the main Santa Cruz highlands forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Santa Cruz highlands webguide section below! Thanks.
|
