I was in Ecuador earlier this summer and had one of the most amazing times! We stayed on Santa Cruz Island in Puerto Ayora, but took a day trip on a boat to Santa Fe Island. So I figured I’d share why I think you NEED to visit as soon as possible.

1. Giant Tortoises

I knew about the giant tortoises, but I didn’t realize how BIG they actually are! We went to this super cool park for the tortoises on our way to our, not so little, house for the week (we had a 3 story place with a pool and everything, mostly because we were at my family’s full capacity of 8 people and needed the space).

2. Snorkeling

This was by far my favorite thing we did on the trip. I had never been snorkeling before so I may or may not have struggled at first trying to figure out how to breathe through the mouthpiece instead of drinking the water LOL. But once I figured it out and could see the sea life it was so unreal! We snorkeled off the island of Santa Fe, which is a completely uninhabited island. It truly was incredible and I can’t wait to go snorkeling again sometime.

3. Tortuga Bay and hidden beaches

Tortuga Bay was the beach close to where we stayed for the trip so we took the 45-minute walk to the beach. First, let me say that you NEED to put sunscreen on AND REAPPLY! I did this and still got burnt even though it wasn’t super sunny and hot outside. I am a sucker for beaches so it’s no surprise this was another favorite thing of mine that we did. We also went to a hidden and exclusive beach when we went out on our boating excursion.

4. Iguanas on a lava rock beach

Okay, not going to lie I was a little freaked out by all the Iguanas because they have sharp claws and they are in their natural habitat and we were just walking right next to them. With that being said it was super cool to see them just hanging out and if you are like my brother and are a science nerd you will love it! We also went to the Charles Darwin Research Center which is right next to the Iguana beach!

5. Sea Lions

The Sea Lions might be why I loved snorkeling so much because they swam right by us and under us! It was so crazy and surreal. We probably could have reached out and touched them as they swam around us. And then there was another one when we went to the fish market that was just hanging out looking for scraps!

If you have been to the Galapagos before, let me know what island you were on and what you did!