El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve

About this place

A farm and reserve in the green highlands of Santa Cruz, where giant tortoises roam free in their natural setting, plodding through pastures, grazing and relaxing in muddy pools, so you see them up close as they truly live. Some weigh over two hundred kilograms and live more than a century, moving between damp highlands and dry coasts with the seasons. Walking among them on the farm trails is unforgettable, with their heavy breathing and slow, dignified movement. The reserve has lava tunnels you can walk inside, formed when lava flowed underground and cooled. There is a small café and large empty tortoise shells visitors climb into for photos. Keep at least two metres from the tortoises and do not touch them. The highlands are cooler and damper than the coast, so bring a light jacket, and the ground may be muddy. Foreign visitors pay the US$200 national park fee and the US$20 transit card to enter the Galápagos, per 2026 visitor guides.