Located on the southern end of Santa Cruz Island, the bustling seaside town if Puerto Ayora is the largest town and major cruise port in the Galapagos Islands. Here you’ll find waterfront hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, as well as plenty of places for getting information on and booking your nature tours, including scenic flights, water activities, hikes, diving and horse riding. It is also the location for the famous Charles Darwin Research Station which works to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands. Learn about the archipelago’s unique ecosystem and the incredible work that goes into protecting it, and check out the giant Galapagos tortoises at the on-site breeding centre.

The number one attraction on Santa Cruz island is Tortuga Bay, famous for its resident marine iguanas which like to go for swims, walk along the shore and sunbathe their scaly selves on the rocks. They are the only marine lizards in the world, and while they may look scary and spiky, they are pretty chilled out herbivores, existing on a nutritious diet of seaweed and other marine plants.

In addition to the giant lizards roaming about, Tortuga Bay’s two beaches are quite a sight to behold in themselves. Soft, white sand, black volcanic rocks, electric blue water and bright green mangroves make for some awesome photo opportunities. While the main beach Playa Brava is not recommended for swimming, Playa Mansa, located just past the end of the bay, features a beautiful turquoise lagoon and a variety of bird and sea life, including turtles, sea lions, rays and white-tip reef sharks. Its an excellent spot for snorkelling, swimming and kayaking.

With an incredibly diverse range of birds, many of which aren’t seen anywhere else in the world, the Galapagos Islands are a bird lover’s paradise. The most famous of the lot is undoubtedly the blue-footed booby, named after its large, webbed, bright blue feet. They’re very common and tend to nest in an open spot, so you’re very likely to encounter them, and their fancy courtship dance for attracting a mate makes for quite a spectacle. Keep an eye out also for pelicans, nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, albatross, finches, flamingos, frigatebirds with their distinct bright red crest, and the remarkable Galapagos penguin.

The geology of the Galapagos Islands is just as fascinating as its wildlife. Santa Cruz island is full of lava tunnels, formed by lava that once flowed through solidified surface lava, leaving behind cave- and tube-like formations. In Bellavista Village, you can access and trek through these ancient geological wonders, which run for about two kilometres underground. You can also check out Los Gemelos, or Twin Craters, which are not actual craters but sink holes created from a volcanic collapse. The area is surrounded by lush scalesia forest, home to many different plant and bird species. On Isabela Island you can hike right up to rim of the Sierra Negra volcano, one of five volcanoes on the island, walking through an other-worldly landscape of lava fields, fumaroles and sulphur mines.

Sea Lions can be encountered on most beaches and coastlines of the Galapagos Islands, all year round. On San Cristobal island, the aptly named La Loberia, which means sea lion, is home to a large sea lion colony which likes to hang out on the beach’s coral sands and rocks. Playful and inquisitive, they’ll often swim up to you in the water and check you out, checking them out! Other great places to snorkel and swim with sea lions as well as myriad other marine life, are Kicker Rock and Lobos Islet on San Cristobal, and Los Tuneles, Laguna Concha y Perla, Las Tintoreras Islet on Isabela Island.

Scuba diving with the biggest fish in the world is another hugely popular activity for those visiting the Galapagos Islands, and while they are found here year-round, their numbers significantly increase during their yearly migration from June through November. Because whale sharks swim slowly and so close to the surface, you can get a really good view of it as you swim alongside it, just remember to keep a distance and bring an underwater camera for capturing the magic.

Giant tortoises that is! The giant Galapagos tortoise is quite possible the archipelago’s most iconic mascot, and one of the most well known endangered species in the world. At the El Chato Tortoise Reserve on Santa Cruz island, you can watch these old giants roam freely throughout the reserve. You can also see them at Rancho Primicias, and Rancho el Manzanillo both located in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island.