Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado

About the site

Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado

The Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado, in the southeast of San Cristóbal, is a reserve where the island's own giant tortoise lives in a large enclosure of dry forest that recreates its natural habitat. Its breeding center, also known as the David Rodríguez center, raises young tortoises until they are strong enough to return to the wild. The San Cristóbal giant tortoise, Chelonoidis chathamensis, is found nowhere else.

The site is about 22 kilometers (14 miles) from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, around 40 minutes by road. An easy trail winds through the forest past the enclosures, where adult tortoises graze and rest, and the visit includes the nursery, where the youngest tortoises grow in pens by age, and a small interpretation center about their life and conservation. The first tortoise hatched here in 2005, and hundreds have been born since.

The dry forest is also a good place to see the San Cristóbal mockingbird, found only on this island, along with Darwin's finches, yellow warblers and lava lizards. The nearby hill of Cerro Colorado is one of the few places where the rare endemic plant Calandrinia galapagosa grows.

The walk is easy and flat. The visit is often combined with the highlands of San Cristóbal, El Junco Lagoon and Puerto Chino beach.

Highlights

• Giant Tortoises