Los Gemelos
Los Gemelos
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4.0
246 reviews
Excellent
60
Very good
112
Average
65
Poor
8
Terrible
1
Leaky B
Boulder, CO350 contributions
Jan 2020
This probably depends on your interest. If you’re interested in the forest, it will be good. But you really only see a couple of giant cavities in the earth, walk along a little trail (birds are hiding), and get back on the road.
Written 18 January 2020
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.
County-Hunter
Tacoma, WA3,751 contributions
July 2021 • Family
Located about half way between Canal Itabaca and Puerto Ayora and right off the main road, this makes for an easy visit and stopping point. We ended up touring it with a guide on our last day on Santa Cruz Island. We only spent half an hour walking around the top of the collapse craters as there is no access to the forested bottoms. It was ok, but there are other more exciting things to do if time is short.
Written 16 August 2021
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.
Archie
Glenmoore, PA7,744 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
This is a unique experience in the higlands. We took a taxi to visit. Ivang was a very helpful driver. Its a loop. We parked the car in one end. We took a walk. Its a burst of Scalesia trees, Moss, greenery and amazing vegetation. There is a sunken crater and tunnels you can observe as you walk around. There are multiple craters and paths to walk around. You also cross the road and come onto the other side. We saw birds along our way. Its definitely worth a visit..free entry.
Written 27 December 2021
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.
Heather
Las Vegas, NV1,299 contributions
Sept 2022 • Solo
This was really cool to see and I wouldn't have known it was there if it weren't for my taxi driver because there isn't any signage from the road. There are two gemelos and as you walk to both of them you walk through forest with owls and Darwins's finches. It's a quick stop, but one worth doing.
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.
floriferous18
Westchester County, NY12 contributions
Feb 2018 • Family
Here's an idea for a great cheap day while in Puerto Ayora: 1. Rent bikes. We found a very good place up Ave. Baltra (a few blocks up on right side, somewhere near the first stop light). It's an actual bike shop that has decent rental bikes in the back (we paid $10 for 6 hours). 2. Grab a taxi truck and head for Los Gemelos. 3. Hike around and experience a totally different landscape than the arid zone along the coast. 4. Zoom down and head to El Chato or Las Primicias in Santa Rosa and check out the tortoises. You can eat lunch at either place. 5. Slog back up a picturesque but decidedly uphill dirt road for about 1K to get back to the main drag. 6. Coast down into Bella Vista. 7. Go straight through town and look for Los Tuneles de Bellavista on your right. 8. Pay $3.50pp and walk through a very tall, dark and cool1K lava tunnel. It will feel like an abandoned subway tunnel. It is dark so make sure you get flashlights from the attendant. When you exit the tunnel go LEFT on the dirt road to end up back where you started. 8. Coast the remaining 5K or so back into PA. There is a bike path for about 90% of the road between PA and Los Gemelos. The day we did this trip we got dropped at El Chato and then rode up to Los Gemelos. If you want some exercise, do it this way because it's a good uphill ride from Santa Rosa up to Los Gemelos.
Written 9 March 2018
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.
rodvilencia
Bellflower, California, USA563 contributions
June 2017 • Solo
The Highland Tour on Santa Cruz Island takes you to "Three" Interesting key points on the island. If you do not speak Spanish I would advise that you book it through one of the tour operators in town and they will insure that you get a bilingual driver. If you are fluent you can try to book it directly with a cab driver as the cabs are the ones who conduct the tour. The entire tour takes 2.5 to 3 hours and takes you to several key points of interest on the island. The first stop is three collapse craters caused by active volcanoes eons ago. Volcanic explosions caused. The ground to collapse In on itself leaving the affected areas with a giant hole in the ground that you would never be able to crawl out of if you were a mammal or Tortoise. The craters are amazing and two of them are MASSIVE! You are allowed to walk (on the designated path) to view them. They highly recommend that you stay on the path! If you fall in one, you aren't coming back out! The guide gives you about 30 minutes there to explore the area which is plenty of time. The next stop is at the same location as the final stop basically. El Chato Preserve. The second stop on the tour is The Volcanic Tunnels. These are very interesting but I would caution that if you have limited mobility issues and are not able to Hike and Climb you should skip this part of the tour altogether. You will climb down a set of wooden stairs into the first tunnel which is dark and a little tough to navigate. A light on your phone or flashlight will help a good deal in tunnel one. The next tunnel has a natural skylight and is much easier to see in and navigate. The first two Tunnels are pretty short. The third tunnel is lit with lights all the way through and easy to walk through and navigate. Tye last one is about 400 meters concluding with another set of wooden stairs ascending to the El Chato Reseve which is the third stop on the tour. The Tunnels were carved by molten lava and so it is interesting to see them! It is quite humid and even moist with dripping water in some areas so bring a Banda or something to dry off with. Once you have. completed the Tunnels you will be on the El Chato Reserve which is a working cattle ranch AND THE STOMPING GROUNDS OF THE GIANT SANTA CRUZ GALAPAGOS TORTOISES! No doubt this will be the highlight of the Highland Tour. El Chato is frequented by about 25 to 30 really big Tortoises. I was on several of the islands and without doubt the biggest ones I saw were at El Chato. The ranch is covered with Guava Fruit Trees which of course the tortoises love! So they hang around there most of the time. They are not fenced in, so they come and go as they please. They are wild so there is no guarantee where they will be, you have to explore and find them. Look for the mud wallows and you should see plenty of them wallowing to cool off. You will also bump into a few cows and some horses out there so don't be surprised when you do. Give them space and don't try to pet them. They are lose and could spook if you get too close. I really loved El Chato it was the best part of the tour. They also have a coffee bar so you can have a cup before your tour ends and you head for town. Lastly, please tip your tour guide! They don't make that much on the tour so if your enjoyed it, be generous! It's a definite must do on Santa Cruz! The cost will vary from 35.00 to $60.00 fit this tour.
Written 5 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin P
Sydney, Australia369 contributions
Nov 2019
Los Gemelos (twin craters) is located about 2km from the town of Santa Rosa on Santa Cruz Island. The site comprises two huge sink holes quite close to the road but are shrouded in vegetation – they are about 280 M deep. The Galapagos Islands are formed by magma flows under the ocean once the volcanic activity ends. Geologists call them collapsed craters which were caused by cooled liquid rock having contracted leaving unstable areas which ultimately collapsed to become holes or craters. It is a beautiful site rich in bird life and plant life native to the Galapagos Islands. A main feature here is the Scalesia (giant daisy tree) which grows as shrubs or trees and is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. There are 15 species and it has been compared to Darwin’s Finches because it shows a similar pattern of evolution.
Written 4 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacob L
Aarhus, Denmark121 contributions
Oct 2019 • Family
We rented bikes in the city and brought them on the bus to Santa Rosa, the price for the bus is 1$ (yes, one). We then booked around the highland which is really cool.
If you do that, Los Gemelos are clearly worth a stop. When we were there, the craters were in the clouds, so visibility came and event which only added to the magic. We were the only ones there, really nice for a good half hour.
If you do that, Los Gemelos are clearly worth a stop. When we were there, the craters were in the clouds, so visibility came and event which only added to the magic. We were the only ones there, really nice for a good half hour.
Written 21 October 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.
Jia
Toronto, Canada240 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
it is typical you hire a taxi from town for 50us per car, the the driver take you here, you walk a circle, see 2 huge sink holes, no water, then back to your taxi, then the taxi will take you to see reserve el chato, inside there are 2 lava tunnels and 100 giant turtles every where as they wish. then the taxi will take you back to town, half day tour.
Written 2 September 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.
gacelle
Buenos Aires, Argentina100 contributions
Jan 2018
Instead of booking a $40-60 highlands tour from Puerto Ayora, you can negotiate with the taxi (actually white Toyota Pickups) drivers at the end of the short ferry from Baltra to take you to Puerto Ayora and stop here and in Rancho El Chato (read separate review). Cab from North Santa Cruz to Puerto Ayora (down south) usually $25. You can pay $50-60 for the transfer and include Los Gemelos and Rancho el Chato. You will save a few bucks but more importantly time. Los Gemelos (literally identical twins) are a couple of volcanic collapses that look like small craters. Very short walk from the road.
Written 15 January 2018
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.
What is the cost of a taxi from Puerto Ayora to gemelos
Written 10 March 2019
Sorry Margaret but we had included in our hotel pckg so I coul not precise it to you the cost :(
Written 15 March 2019
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