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South Plazas Island

Sea Lions and Land Iguanas

A tour to South Plaza Island puts you face to face with Sea Lion pups, Land Iguanas, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, and various nesting sea birds. South Plaza Island is half of a pair of islets off the east coast of Santa Cruz. The channel between the two islands provides the perfect haven for California Sea Lion pups.

Sea lion pup South Plazas island.
Sea lion pup South Plazas island.

In fact, South Plaza has one of the largest Sea Lion colonies in the entire Galapagos Archipelago. Often you can see bulls defending their harems in the azure waters of the channel.

Male sea lion protecting its harem, South Plazas Island.
Male sea lion protecting its harem, South Plazas Island.

On land, you can see Red and Yellow Land Iguanas, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Nazca and Blue-footed Boobies, Frigates and more.

Cactus flower on South Plazas island.
Cactus flower on South Plazas island.

On the return cruise you will stop for a snorkel just outside of the Ithabaca Canal, a refreshing way to end this interesting day tour.

"We are so happy we decided to do a land based tour with Galapagos Alternative. It's the best way to go! They make the process of traveling to the islands simple and don't overcharge. Their use of local tour companies stimulates the local economy and gets you right in the middle of all the action on the islands."
- Sarah P.
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