Day 330: Las Grietas & Tortuga Bay
There are quite a few free-ish swimming/snorkling activites around Puerto Ayora, so we decided to rent a snorkel from our host for USD $5 for the day and explore the Las Grietas swimming hole and the beach at Tortuga Bay.
To get to Las Grietas, you do have to pay for a water taxi to shuttle you across the marina, but it’s only USD $0.80 per person. A 20min walk along a path that is mostly well-marked will lead you to a narrow canyon filled with pristine, turquoise water. However, if you want to experience the natural beauty in peace and serenity you have to get there EARLY. We arrived around 9AM and we were the second couple to arrive, so not that bad. By the time we left around 10:30AM, the place was crowded with close to 30 people, including some who came with tour guides (why…?).
The water itself is amazingly clear, but don’t expect to see any cool fish – while the Las Grietas swimming holes are connected to the ocean, there are a series of rock piles that block the majority of sealife from coming in. The big draw for many tourists is the ability to jump from the platform or from the rocky sides into the deep water (easily 10+M).
Walking past a small area of salt flats on Santa Cruz – the local community gathers the salt after the tidewater evaporates and uses it for dry-salted fish
We spot a Giant Blue Heron hunting for fish as we walk along the trail
The trail to “Las Grietas” – a swimming hole located inside volcanic crevasses
We are (almost!) the only ones here this early in the morning
The visibility is absolutely perfect! The water here is brackish – a mixture of salty seawater and rain runoff from the highlands. Too bad there isn’t a single fish!
Igor takes his turn in the swimming hole and discovers that there are more swimming holes beyond the rocky end – you just have to get out of the water and walk (very carefully!) over the slippery stones
*There* are the fish! Igor finds several schools in the hidden pools at the back of the swimming hole
Lindsay tries to keep a cool head as we explore the cactus-covered trail and viewpoint near Las Grietas
We walk past the near-empty German Beach on our way back to the marina. It looks laid back and serene, but don’t let your guard down! We overheard a teary tourist the next day complaining that someone stole her cellphone out of her bag when she was swimming here. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
CIGARETTE BUTTS. One of Lindsay’s pet peeves is when smokers toss their cigarette butts on the ground as if their trash it somehow not considered littering. Well, this artist shared her frustration and beautifully illustrated that all those tiny butts add up to a LOT of trash that is poisoning our oceans and cluttering up our landscapes. Well done!
Since we were still wet and had our swimsuits on, we decided to stay out and walk over to the beach at Tortuga Bay. The 2KM hike was pretty punishing in the hot mid-day sun, and neither the (mostly uphill) path nor the beach offered any shade. What made it worse, was that the water in the beach was strictly closed to swimmers – it’s another surfers beach! We each found a way to get into the water for a much needed dip regardless, but the beach itself was pretty disappointing. In hindsight, we should have returned to the Charles Darwin Center where the popular Playa de la Estacion is located. Sure, it’s overrun with tourists, but there are cool fish and sea lions to play with.
It’s a loooooong walk in the sun to reach Tortuga Bay
The white sand beach is big and pretty, but has zero shade. We find some sticks someone left in the sand and use them to build a little shelter. It helped a lot, until a douchebag park ranger tells us it’s “not allowed.” WTF? Is a little red wrap going to scare off a turtle or something?
The surf is really strong and signs warn that swimming is too dangerous. Lindsay walks all the way down the beach and finally finds a sheltered tidal pool where she can take a dip to cool off. Igor flat-out ignores the warning signs and jumps into the waves. He lived.