Santa Fe Island

Operation Day: Every Monday
Meeting point: At the entrance of Puerto Ayora’s Church, in front of the pier and next to the restaurant “El Descanso del Guía”
Departure hour: 08:30 AM
Return location: Puerto Ayora’s pier
Approximate return time: 4:00 PM

Our group will assemble at the Puerto Ayora pier during the early morning hours to start our journey toward Santa Fe Island. Our journey begins when we step onto the Galaxy Daily which will take us through two hours of sailing while we watch the beautiful scenery and feel the mild Galapagos ocean breeze.

The geology of Santa Fe Island dates back to the early times of the archipelago because scientists found rocks underneath the water which probably formed about four million years ago. The land remains mostly level because of the upward movement of tectonic plates.

The island presents the Santa Fe land iguana as its main attraction because this yellowish reptile serves as a symbol for the island. Scientists have recorded only a few observations of the nocturnal Santa Fe rice rat which remains hidden throughout daylight hours.

The tour will show us the Galapagos islands biggest cactus species Opuntia and the island's top predator Galapagos hawks and blue-footed boobies and Galapagos sea lions and marine iguanas and magnificent frigatebirds and marine iguanas which Galapagos dragons because of their distinctive look.

Our arrival at Santa Fe will involve a wet landing which allows us to walk straight onto the untouched white sand beach. Visitors can see sea lions at this location because they lead visitors to discover the wildlife that lives on the island.

The trail leads us to La Encañada where we can dive into the water for a cooling swim. The warm clear waters of snorkeling allow visitors to watch sea turtles and rays and sea lions and vibrant reef fish.

The Galaxy Daily will present a tasty lunch experience during which we will take a brief pause before starting our return trip to Santa Cruz Island.