We are going to Galapagos and there are two optional tours. We would like to see the giant tortoises in their most natural habitat. We realize neither are fully natural as they are for tourists but we don’t want to see them caged. Our options are El Chato Reserve on Santa Cruz Island or La Galapaguera on San Cristobal. Any recommendations? Too expensive to do both.
You'll find many more reviews of both in the Reviews section of TA than on the forum https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294310-Activities-Galapagos_Islands.html
Thank you
It’s a tough call. Neither place gives the impression of completely wild, nor ‘caged.’ The environments are different, Santa Cruz is higher and grassy, San Cristobal is dry brush where you walk on manicured gravel pathways. Sometimes the tortoises will be right on the walkway. It looks more ‘wild’ where on Santa Cruz with all the grass it felt more like a farm environment. So maybe I felt like they were less wild in that setting. The real place for wild is on Isabela. On the way to the wall of tears there is an area where you are somewhat likely to see unconfined tortoises. You also might see what I think are unconfined tortoises on Santa Cruz on the road to the airport. But with wild/unconfined animals, sightings are not guaranteed. They are quite guaranteed at the two places you mentioned
Welcome
for what its worth, on Baltra, we went to a reserve? for the Tortoises in the hills.
from what our guide stated, the Tortoises have free range of the area/island and also the farmers are in agreement since they dont fence in the lower part of their fences and it allows the tortoises to cross the properties.
note sure how "natural" you want.
And for what its worth, on the road up to the reserve, there were 2 of them on the road. Our bus/shuttle had to stop and wait for them to move to one side or the other in order for the bus/shuttle to pass.
good luck
You should look into Rancho Primicias on Santa Cruz. No cages, no man made trails for the tortoises. They come and go freely from the highlands. There are some benches located nearby the mud pods where they rest during the day. You could spend hours watching them. Absolutely worth to visit!
Johanna.
