Making One's Way to Tortuga Bay

Tortuga Bay is arguably the most beautiful beach on the island of Santa Cruz--with fine sand, perfect waves, and bobbing green sea turtles. It has no road access, which is part of its charm.

In 1988, when Jorge first started working as the Park Guard at the entrance to Turtle Bay, the 2.5 km trail to the white sandy beaches was walked fewer than 5000 times that year. In 2006 more than 60,000 visitors made their way to Tortuga Bay. But Jorge's baseline is outdone by that of Jacqueline de Roy, one of the pioneers of Galapagos who has been living on the island of Santa Cruz for more than 50 years. She remembers when there was no trail and she hiked the coast to Turtle Bay. It took two hours meandering over lava rocks that had been grazed by the island's goats. Today, at a brisk pace, the walk takes 20 minutes.