Ecuador > Galápagos Islands > Isla Santa Cruz > Los Gemelos

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island is one of the Galápagos Islands with an area of 986 km² and a maximum altitude of 864 metres. Situated in the center of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is the second largest island after Isabela. Its capital is Puerto Ayora, the most populated urban centre in the islands. On Santa Cruz there are some small villages, whose inhabitants work in agriculture and cattle raising. This island is a large dormant volcano. It is estimated that the last eruptions occurred around a million and a half years ago. There is a gigantic lava tunnel that is over 2000 meters long on the island that many tourists visit and walk through. As a testimony to its volcanic history there are two big holes formed by the collapse of a magma chamber: Los Gemelos, or "The Twins". Named after the Holy Cross, its English name was given after a British vessel HMS Indefatigable. Santa Cruz hosts the largest human population in the archipelago at the town of Puerto Ayora, with a total of 12,000 residents on the island.

Tortuga Bay is located on the Santa Cruz Island, a short walk from center of Puerto Ayora where you can view Marine iguanas, birds, galapagos crabs and a natural mangrove where you can spot white tip reef sharks and the gigantic galápagos tortoise.

Points of interest

• Charles Darwin Research Station
• Headquarters of the Galápagos National Park Service
• Lava tubes
• El Chato and Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserves
• Itabaca Channel
• Black Turtle Cove
• Cerro Dragón
• Tortuga Bay
• Playa El Garrapatero
• Los Gemelos
• Stand of Scalesia - daisy trees

Twin towns – sister cities

On June 19, 2002 the cities of Seabrook, Texas and Santa Cruz Island finalized a sister city status during a ceremony at Seabrook City Hall.

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All content originates from the English Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0