Galapagos Islands travel visitor sites - Santa Cruz highlands

Hike to the higher parts of the island called Media Luna, Puntudo and Mount Crocker. The trail starts at Bellavista, 7 km from Puerto Ayora.

A round trip from Bellavista is 4-8 hours, depending on the distance hiked, 10-18 km (permit and guide not required, but a guide is advisable). Take water, sun block and long-sleeved shirt and long trousers to protect against razor grass.

Some of the birds that can be spotted are the vermillion flycatcher, short eared owls and woodpeckers.

The foot of Mount Crocker is where the broken lava rock begins to give way to soil. The mountain is covered in a dwarf forest with Miconia trees, shrubs, and ferns growing in the shallow, volcanic soil, there is no surface water to drink.

The slopes of the mountain have proven to be a fertile collecting ground for scientists