El Garrapatero, Santa Cruz
Short answer
El Garrapatero is a beach on the eastern coast of Santa Cruz with a brackish lagoon behind it where flamingos feed. It needs a taxi from Puerto Ayora, and that small friction is why it is far quieter than Tortuga Bay.
On this page — 7 sections
Tortuga Bay is free and you can walk there, so everyone does. El Garrapatero costs a taxi, so almost nobody does. Same island, and one of them you get to yourself.
El Garrapatero at a glance
| Island | Santa Cruz, east coast |
|---|---|
| How you get there | Taxi from Puerto Ayora, then a short walk |
| Guide | Not required |
| Cost | The taxi. The beach is free |
| Behind the beach | A lagoon with flamingos |
| Facilities | None — bring water and shade |
- 1
El Garrapatero is a beach on the eastern coast of Santa Cruz with a brackish lagoon behind it where flamingos feed. It needs a taxi from Puerto Ayora, and that small friction is why it is far quieter than Tortuga Bay.
How you get there
- Taxi from Puerto Ayora
- Agree a pickup time before you get out — there is no phone signal and no taxis waiting. People have been stranded here.
It sits on Santa Cruz, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.
What you actually see
The beach
Calm, wide and usually near-empty. Safe swimming, unlike the first beach at Tortuga Bay, and there are kayaks for hire on some days.
The flamingo lagoon
A short walk behind the sand. Smaller than the Isabela lagoons and often with birds close to the path.
The mangrove edge
Turtles and rays come into the shallows at the northern end, and there is nobody there to disturb them.
What goes wrong
We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.
- Getting stranded
- No signal, no taxi rank. If you have not agreed a return time you may be walking. This is the one thing that actually goes wrong here.
- No shade, no water, no kiosk
- Nothing at all. Take what you need from town.
- The flamingos are not always there
- It is a small lagoon and it dries. Some visits see none.
Who this is not for
Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.
- Anyone unwilling to pay for a taxi both ways and pre-agree the pickup.
- Visitors who want facilities of any kind.
- People short on time who have not yet seen Tortuga Bay.
What lives here
- American flamingo — In the lagoon behind the beach.
- Green sea turtle — In the shallows at the mangrove end.
- Marine iguana — On the rocks at both ends of the sand.
- Whimbrel and other shorebirds — Working the lagoon edge.
Nearby
Tortuga Bay
Santa Cruz
What it is →The Santa Cruz highlands
Santa Cruz
What it is →Las Grietas
Santa Cruz
What it is →Black Turtle Cove
Santa Cruz
What it is →Las Bachas
Santa Cruz
What it is →Charles Darwin Research Station
Santa Cruz
What it is →Every visitor site we have written up → · Santa Cruz, the whole island →
Questions people also ask
How do you get to El Garrapatero?
By taxi from Puerto Ayora, then a short walk from the car park. Agree your pickup time before the driver leaves — there is no signal.
Can you swim at El Garrapatero?
Yes. It is calm and safe, which is not true of the first beach at Tortuga Bay.
Is it better than Tortuga Bay?
It is quieter and you can swim anywhere on it. Tortuga Bay is more spectacular and free to walk to. They are different days.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
Planning this trip yourself?
Send us the dates and what you actually want to see. A planner in Cuenca reads it and replies within one business day — not a template, and not a bot.
Plan your trip