Snorkeling in Las Grietas, Galapagos: Is It Worth It?

Las Grietas is a stunning spot in the Galapagos, offering crystal-clear waters perfect for swimming and snorkeling. With so many incredible tours available in Santa Cruz, though, you might be wondering if it’s worth your time.

In this travel guide, I’ll share my personal experience with the Las Grietas tour and whether it is worth visiting or not.

General visiting information for Las Grietas in Santa Cruz, Galapagos
📍 Location: 6MVM+4RF, Puerto Ayora, Equador
💵 Cost: $12
⏰ Time: 07:30 to 5:00 PM

What can you see at Las Grietas?

At Las Grietas, you’ll find a beautiful salt-water swimming spot with crystal-clear, turquoise water located between two tall volcanic rock formations.

While snorkeling or swimming, you might see small fish darting through the water, though marine life here is not nearly as abundant as in other parts of the Galapagos.

Apart from the main swimming area, the walking trail to Las Grietas also offers nice views of the mangroves, lava rock formations, and a salt lake.

How to go to Las Grietas

Las Grietas can only be visited via guided tour, and there are two main tour options to choose from:

1. Las Grietas independent tour

💵 Tour Cost: $10 per person and can be booked in person in any Galapagos tour agency or purchased at the trail entrance (cash only)
⛵️ Transportation costs: $2 per person for round-trip water taxi fare (cash only)
⏰ Time needed: 2-3 hours

In this option, all you do is visit Las Grietas. This option is available every 30 minutes and does not need to be booked in advance. All you need to do is head to the entrance of the Las Grietas Trail and purchase the tour ticket there.

As a traveler who does not like sticking with a fixed schedule, this was the best option for me!

How to get to Las Gritas (click to see)

To get to Las Grietas, all you need is to grab a 1-minute water taxi ($1 per person each way) from Puerto Ayora’s Gus Angermeyer Pier to a pier next to the Angermeyer Waterfront Inn. If you just tell them “Las Grietas” they’ll take you to the right place!

From there, you can walk a straight line until you reach the entrance to Las Grietas which is unfortunately not signed. But no need to worry, you’ll know where to stop because there will be tourists and uniformed naturalist guides sitting and waiting for their tour to start.

2. Las Grietas as part of the Santa Cruz Bay Tour

💵 Tour Cost: 60$ if booked online in advance or $40-50 per person if booked in person in any Galapagos tour agency
⏰ Time needed: 4 hours

Las Grietas is one of the 3 stops included in the half-day Santa Cruz Bay Tour. This tour typically goes out twice a day, typically starting around 9AM and 2PM.

If you like optimizing your schedule to see as much as possible, you’ll like this tour!

What to pack to a day tour to Las Grietas?

Though Las Grietas is a short tour, it is helpful to bring:

• Cash: At least $12 for the water taxi and tour fee, but I recommend bringing more in case you’ll want to grab something to eat.
• Snorkeling mask: Not all tour agencies offer good snorkeling gear – and since you’re going to spend of your time in the Galapagos underwater, I highly recommend bringing your own affordable and high-quality pair.
• Microfiber towel: This tour does not include towels, and you’ll surely want one after getting out of the cold water! I absolutely love this lightweight microfiber towel that folds to the size of a case of sunglasses.
• Comfortable shoes: There is no need to bring sneakers, though they’re a good idea for sun protection. Something as casual as crocs or flip flops will work on this easy trail, just be sure they’re comfortable because you’ll be walking for at least an hour.
• UV-Protective clothing: Sunscreen works great, but I cant keep reapplying it on my whole body throughout the day. UV-protective clothing allows me to stay go about my day without worrying about the sun!
• Underwater camera equipment: Tour to Las Grietas typically don’t include underwater photography, and since you’ll be seeing some interesting stuff underwater, it is a good idea to bring your own action camera.

My experience visiting Las Grietas

Getting to Las Grietas

As the lazy traveler I am, I slept in, grabbed breakfast, and headed to Puerto Ayora’s Gus Angermeyer Pier to grab a water taxi.

Because there are no signs at the pier, I ended up waiting at the wrong spot until I started asking around and was directed to the correct platform.

The water taxi costed $1 and only takes one minute to complete the route, but I had to wait about 10 minutes for the water taxi to fill up.

Getting to the other side, there was again no signage, but I was able to find the way to Las Grietas because there is only one main street in that side of town, so it is basically a straight shot!

On the way, I noticed a very empty beach called Playa Los Alemanes where Kayaks could be rented. I stopped by to enjoy the scenery for a bit before continuing the ~15 minute walk to the entrance of Las Grietas.

At a certain point, a naturalist guide stopped me and told me I’d need to pay for a tour to continue. I paid $10 in cash and waited for the next tour in a bar by the trail entrance.

While waiting, I enjoyed a nice view of a salt lake across the street!

Going on the Las Grietas Tour

The naturalist guide on the tour spoke both English and Spanish, alternating between the two languages while teaching us about the salt lake and the local flora and fauna.

The walk to Las Grietas took about 20 minutes, and once we arrived the naturalist guide told us that we’d have 30 minutes to swim.

I initially thought that 30 minutes was too little, but after getting in the water I noticed that Las Grietas is not particularly large. The area was just about 4 meters wide seemed to only have the lenght of an olympic swimming pool, so 30 minutes was definetely enough time to explore everything!

In fact, I spent the first 10 minutes just taking some pretty pictures with the landscape!

Jumping in, I was impressed by the depth of the water and played around with free diving!

Though the snorkeling session was fun, there is not much to see underwater other than a handful of small fish, so don’t expect the same richness you’d see in other Galapagos snorkeling tours (like the awesome Los Tuneles)

After snorkeling, I dried myself up, took a few more pictures and started heading back to my hotel in Puerto Ayora to relax!

Las Grietas Day Tour FAQs

Do you need a guide to go to Las Grietas?

Yes! Before the COVID pandemic, visitors could freely explore Las Grietas, but now the only way to visit is in timed and guided group. Typically, there is no need to book the tour in advance as tours go out every 30 minutes or so.

Near the entrance to Las Grietas you’ll find at least one agency selling selling spots on their next tour!

How much does it cost to go to Las Grietas?

Visiting Las Grietas costs $12 per person, with need to be paid in cash.

That includes round-trip boat taxi ($1 each way) and a spot on a Las Grietas guided tour, which costs $10.

Can you walk to Las Grietas, Galapagos?

You cannot walk from downtown Puerto Ayora to Las Grietas! It is necessary to take a quick $1 water taxi from Puerto Ayora’s Gus Angermeyer Pier to a smaller pier next to the Angermeyer Waterfront Inn.

From there, you can walk to the entrance of the trail to Las Grietas, where you need to buy a spot on a guided tour to proceed.

Is it worth it to go snorkeling at Las Grietas?

For me, it definetely was, but I don’t think this tour is a good idea for everyone!

I found other half-day Santa Cruz tours and activities like the Highlands tour ($45), Charles Darwin Research Station ($15), and snorkeling at Tortuga Bay (free) to be more worthwhile than Las Grietas.

Not to mention the epic full-day tours that go out of Santa Cruz, like Bartolomé Island and Isabela’s Las Tintoreras offer much more unique landscapes and vibrant wildlife.

If you have extra time and want a short and budget-friendly activity, Las Grietas is very worth it. But if you’re short on time, I recommend prioritizing Santa Cruz’s more wildlife-rich or scenic experiences instead.

Explore other incredible activities in Santa Cruz!