Centro de Crianza Arnaldo Tupiza
Centro de Crianza Arnaldo Tupiza
Centro de Crianza Arnaldo Tupiza
4.5
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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See what travellers are saying
- Julia MLake Geneva, Wisconsin30 contributionsWorth a Visit!The center itself is smaller than the ones in San Cristobal and Santa Cruz but the guide was very knowledgeable and we still felt like we learned new things even after having visited the centers on the other islands. Admission was 10$ per person which was worth it to us to support them in their efforts to raise and reestablish the tortoise populations. And as other people said, the boardwalk to the center itself is worth doing on its own. Plus right around the corner past the center is the lagoon where you can see flamingos. We got lucky and saw a handful flying in just as we arrived.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 29 October 2023
- Brendan SArlington, Virginia2,150 contributionsTortoise breeding centerThis is a small tortoise breeding center. You can traverse it via a boardwalk that goes past several enclosures of breeding tortoises (large, lumbering and impressive) and various-aged juvenile tortoises. The baby tortoises are protected from predators by multiple layers of screens. While I understand why this is necessary, you can't see any of the babies as a result. There's also a very small exhibit and information gallery at the visitor's center. There's plenty of other wildlife at the center. I saw a racer snake and many lava lizards, among other animals.Visited December 2023Travelled soloWritten 20 December 2023
- swoodrufMuskegon, Michigan1,663 contributionsTortoise Breeding Center ... A MUST DO!This is a really amazing place! It was so interesting to see the various tortoises and the efforts that the Galapagos National Park system has done to preserve and protect these awesome animals. If you are in the Galapagos, you really shouldn't miss this. There is a small museum inside the building as well.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 6 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
496 reviews
Excellent
223
Very good
199
Average
63
Poor
8
Terrible
3
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Joe G
112 contributions
Oct 2022
Had visited in the past. You used to be able to take a leisurely tour around the facility. Now you have to pay a guide $10 per person and take a tour. It is a very short walk around the center, so a guide is really not needed.
Written 6 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob H
South Chailey, UK59 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
It’s a $10 entrance but worth it as they need the money to keep going. A small but brilliant sanctuary where they have already repatriated 2000+ tortoises! Lots of babies to see and stories about the older ones saved from volcano eruptions etc. chatted to volunteers from usa/ italy doing a few weeks there to help out. They used volunteer.com. A worthwhile cause. Go see the flamingoes round the corner afterwards.
Written 1 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sunny i
Málaga57 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
The work they do in this center is admirable. You can see hundreds of turtles of different ages and learn about the species' conservation efforts. Unfortunately, our guide Omar was terrible, it was obvious that he didn't care about his job. It is so necessary to raise the level of interpretation/pedagogical mediation in a paradisiacal place like Isabela where thousands of tourists attend and a great impact could be achieved. Likewise, much more should be invested to improve museography.
Written 5 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter R
Dartford, UK1,361 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
Although we had been to other tortoise sanctuary’s, this one was still worth a visit. There are huge walled enclosures where the tortoises can wander. The tortoise’s range in age from just year old ones, which are in protected enclosures through to some that are over a hundred years old. There is also a small visitor centre which describes the work done by the rangers to help increase the population of the tortoise’s.
Written 27 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
swoodruf
Muskegon, MI1,663 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
This is a really amazing place! It was so interesting to see the various tortoises and the efforts that the Galapagos National Park system has done to preserve and protect these awesome animals. If you are in the Galapagos, you really shouldn't miss this. There is a small museum inside the building as well.
Written 6 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PSchicke
Livermore, CA339 contributions
Dec 2013 • Friends
Centro de Crianza “Arnaldo Tupiza” is one of the three tortoise rearing centers in the Galapagos Islands today (Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands are home to the other two).
The center was located just a mile away from the main town of Puerto Villamil and can be accessed either by foot or by vehicle. We learned that the center was created to restore the tortoise population of the southern part of Isabela Island (Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes) and is currently home to over 330 tortoises, between juveniles and adults. The tortoises here are being bred and taken full care of in captivity for re-introduction into the wild. It was amazing to see all of this happening in person!
If visiting Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, then this is a highly recommended place to visit.
The center was located just a mile away from the main town of Puerto Villamil and can be accessed either by foot or by vehicle. We learned that the center was created to restore the tortoise population of the southern part of Isabela Island (Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes) and is currently home to over 330 tortoises, between juveniles and adults. The tortoises here are being bred and taken full care of in captivity for re-introduction into the wild. It was amazing to see all of this happening in person!
If visiting Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, then this is a highly recommended place to visit.
Written 24 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dianedinky
Dunfermline, UK1,347 contributions
May 2023
It does what it says on the tin, ie there are alot of tortoises getting down to business, and making quite the noise about it too! Unfortunately, there is not much else at the sanctuary and I found the lack of information boards a disappointment. You will learn much more about these creatures in other tortoise centres in Santa Cruz and San Cristobal.
However, it is still worth heading to this area.
Purely for the beautiful boardwalk trails through the nearby wetland.
I took the path from outside the sanctuary and followed it for a leisurely walk back into town - you come out at the far end of the main street.
Saw some great birds and would definitely recommend doing this walk even if you skip going into the tortoise place. You can walk part of the pathway from town and then turn back and not actually go to the tortoises (you will hear them though!)
However, it is still worth heading to this area.
Purely for the beautiful boardwalk trails through the nearby wetland.
I took the path from outside the sanctuary and followed it for a leisurely walk back into town - you come out at the far end of the main street.
Saw some great birds and would definitely recommend doing this walk even if you skip going into the tortoise place. You can walk part of the pathway from town and then turn back and not actually go to the tortoises (you will hear them though!)
Written 20 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
champkis
Dublin, Ireland1,679 contributions
Went here as part of a day trip to Isabella island from Santa Cruz. It's a nice place, lots of turtles of different ages and they're repopulating them. We had been to the El Chato reserve on Santa Cruz already which was a better experience though as the turtles are roaming around the whole area and it feels more real if that makes sense. I know it's different but I preferred El Chato for that reason. That said, this was an interesting stop to see especially the little turtles and to get some information.
Written 12 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pachi073
Santiago, Chile44 contributions
Feb 2014 • Solo
The breeding center makes the story of the Galapagos tortoises very clear. And it is an amazing story, from the extinction and near extinction of different species to the gallant efforts of this and other centers to ensure the survival of these magnificent reptiles. Their success is seen in the number of tortoises of different species at different stages of their development,from adults to babies. The information boards are very helpful as you walk through the center. The rescue of 18 adult tortoises from the Cero Azul Volcano when it erupted in 1998 makes an impact. As does the fact that there were over 200 babies hatched from these adults only two years after they were evacuated. What a success story. I loved watching the tortoises at feeding time as I had no idea they could move so quickly. There is also a nice path back to the town through wetlands. I highly recommend visiting this center.
Written 16 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary K
Grand Junction, CO515 contributions
Nov 2019
This is an easy walk from the edge of town and is close to the flamingo lakes. If you are going to the Wall of Tears, the center is on the way. You can see the different types of giant tortoises which are found on Isabela's volcanoes. They are in enclosures and easy to see. It's not large - an hour is less is sufficient time. There is a larger facility on Santa Cruz, but this place is more laid-back.
Written 21 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
que es maravilloso definitivamente poder palpar y observar todo el proceso evolutivo de las especies, dando razĂłn a -charles-darwin como entregĂł su vida entera al estudio de toda los seres vivientes que hasta hoy habitan en todas y cada una de las islas.
Written 18 October 2015
yo mismo me respondo ampliando el panorama alentador que se vive en nuestras Islas Encantadas, pues deberá ser una visita obligada el conocer este Centro de Crianza puesto que con su ardua pero fructĂfera labor están asegurando la existencia de cada una de las especies ya que su objetivo principal es repoblar las islas con las tortugas que estan en serio peligro de extinciĂłn.
Written 18 October 2015
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