On Day 10 of my trip to Ecuador, Sierra and I went snorkeling in Tortuga Bay and Las Grietas on Santa Cruz Island.
Tortuga Bay
Tortuga Bay is easily accessible from Puerto Ayora if you don't mind walking. The entrance to the bay is about 2 miles (3.4 km) on a stone walkway. There's a small hill at the beginning but the rest of the walk is mostly flat.
The bay is beautiful and you're sure to see marine iguana's along the way and sunbathing on the sandy beach. These black iguanas blend in well with the stone walkway so watch your step!
The sea was rough when we arrived at the bay and red flags along the beach prohibited entry into the water. Following the shore to the right is a small protected reef and beyond that is another small bay. Both of those spots were safe for swimming.
The water in the small bay is lined with mangroves. A few lava rocks below the surface attract fish. The water was a little murky when we were there, so the snorkeling wasn't great. But, we did see several black tip sharks swimming around us.
Snorkeling at the small reef was much better. We didn't see a huge variety of fish but there were plenty of the ones we did see. And, the highlight, was the occasional marine iguana swimming in from the beach.
After enjoying our morning in Tortuga Bay, Sierra and I returned to Puerto Ayora for lunch. After lunch we caught a water taxi across the harbor to a part of Puero Ayora that is only accessible by water. From there we walked to the entrance for Las Grietas.
Las Grietas
Las Grietas means "the cracks" in Spanish. And, on Santa Cruz Island, Las Grietas is a beautiful set of swimming holes that formed in a series of volcanic cracks. The clear pools contain a cool mix of sea water and fresh water. High crevice walls provide shade from the hot Ecuadorean sun making Las Grietas a perfect place to cool off.... especially after the 20 minute walk to access it.
Visitors to Las Grietas are required to pay an entrance fee of $10 and follow a guide. The guide leads visitors down a rocky path describing sites along the way. It was well worth the money and effort to visit these beautiful pools and to snorkel with the fish that call them home.
Slideshow
Here are pictures from Day 10 of our trip to Ecuador.
Expenses
I'm doing my best to track expenses in this spreadsheet for anyone that's interested in a similar, relatively low-budget trip.
Ecuador Fun Fact
Marine iguanas are the only lizards in the world that spend time in the ocean and they only exist on the Galápagos Islands.
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