Las Grietas as it's always sunny in Puerto Ayora

​It’s always sunny in Puerto Ayora, and I do not say that sparingly, I wholeheartedly believe this. Everyday since we arrived the weather has been cloudy at Jimmy’s place, super-hot but overcast mostly then the second we pass the ‘Welcome to Puerto Ayora’ sign then sun is splitting the sky with not a cloud in site.
Today was exactly that. We woke up - me before Leo as I felt something staring at me, and yes, it was a goddam huntsman spider above my bed, the size of my hand. I hopped into Leo’s bed had a mini freak out then made breakfast. Our adventure plan for the day was Las Grietas which we have read is amazing and the beach on the way is pretty epic too, so we decided to make a day of it.
Today we hoped in a taxi as the bus was taking for ages and it cost the same price which made us question why we hadn’t done it sooner? Anyway, upon arriving in the sunniest place on Earth we boarded a water taxi across the Laguna to the bay on the other side of the port – the gateway to Las Grietas. It costs 80c pp and takes less than 5 minutes, but you cannot go by foot and the journey it pretty nice. We saw heaps of sealions at the port as well as black tipped reef sharks, fish and of course marine iguanas. 

From here you can start the 20-minute walk to Las Grietas which is essentially a lave rock crevice which had made an amazing crystal-clear lagoon below which has waterflow from the sea deep below the ground. On the we passed Playa de los Alemanes – we have read it is a must do but to be honest we would rate it a 4/10. You have to pass it on the way though so in retrospect you will see it regardless and can tick both off in the one day.

Upon arrival there were already a lot of people at the crevice, so we would recommend going as early as possible. The site itself is lovely, the water is cold but refreshing after the walk there and there are fish you can snorkel and dive in to see while swimming in the crystal-clear waters. If you are feeling adventurous then you can also jump off many of the rocks surrounding the lagoon and Leo did a few times, but I am a shit the bed, so I just took the photos…as per always, Leo takes risks, I take photos.
After some exploring we took the walkway to check out the full crevice from above and it was actually better than the pool itself as the views are epic and you can also find better swimming spots with less people further on.  Overall for $1.60USD pp it was a great morning trip, but we were done before 12pm so headed back to sunny Puerto Ayora for some lunch and a coffee.
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We decided to try the local’s special lunch which you can find in most cafes and restaurants off the main strip. They call it ‘Almuerezo’ which literally translate to lunch. It costs $5USD pp and for that you get a choice of soup and a main with a fresh juice. SO WORTH IT. Just try it at least, you only live once, and we loved it. I had meat broth and then to follow fish with rice and curried beans with a pineapple juice. We hoovered it down however, then both felt awful afterwards as we were too hungry when we ate so our tummies didn’t even have time to register we were eating let alone start to expand.

Back to 1835 for a coffee, I still managed to scoff down a freshly baked banana bread – god knows how as I was feeling sick ready to burst just before we arrived, but it was a great food filled afternoon. Overall, if you have time then Las Grietas should be on your list as a cheap activity and we definitely liked it, however, if you are short for time then I wouldn’t beat yourself up if you miss it. I guess you can make your mind up after looking through the pics.
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Before I head off I need to tell you about our bus journey home! In NZ, you pass signs all the time about kiwi birds and to watch out for Kiwi birds, and that overwhelming excitement rushes through your veins thinking you may actually see one – even though it’s like 1 in a million chance. Well… in Galapagos we have the same signs but for tortoises so me and Leo thought nothing of it …UNTILL… we saw 6 on the way home getting ready to cross the road. 6 GIANT TORTOISES CROSSING THE ROAD! This is by far the best place I have even been in my whole life and I do not want to leave. This post also marks 1 week since we have been living here, with 3 more to go I can’t wait to see what the next stage in the adventure will bring.