Las Grietas

Las Grietas

On the island of Santa Cruz in Galápagos  is literally a canion-like crevice in the volcanic rock. Sea water enters the canyon via a pathway that is chock full of mangrove trees, and fresh water enters from the opposite direction. The roots of the mangroves filters the sea water and help create a magical turquoise blue, crystal clear pool that is favorite destination for swimmers and snorkelers alike .
Though, be warned there is little live to see in the canyon. the mixture of salt an fresh water limits the amount  of sea life that could possible survive  in this extreme microhabitat. Las grietas is one of the most popular destination after Tortuga bay beach in Santa Cruz; therefore we recommend an early morning show time to enjoy the location with fewer turists.

The trail winds its way along lava rocks and between the endemic Opuntia cacti.

you will hike past a salt mine, a place where salt is harvested from seawater.  Basically, water is trapped when the tide comes in and left to evaporate in shallow pools.  The salt left behind is collected.There is a short hiking trail near Las Grietas that takes you through cactus fields to a lookout point with a great view across the bay.  there is a platform to view it from above.  This is well worth the extra few steps as it gives a great perspective of the fact that this waterhole is just a giant crack between massive walls of lava rock!

While there isn’t a ton of life in Las Grietas, the water is so clear and blue that looking at the rock formations, the fish and even each other underwater is still a really cool experience.

The trail winds its way along lava rocks and between the endemic Opuntia cacti.

Las grietas son parte de una fractura volcánica que se extiende desde punta estrada al extremo oeste de bahía academia y se prolonga por varios kilómetros tierra adentro.
En ella se mezclan agua de mar y agua de lluvia, creándose un ecosistema salobre y así larvas de peces como el pez loro , logran desarrollarse en estas grietas y aquí quedan atrapados hasta su edad adulta. Su recorrido es  de casi 2 kilómetros desde el puerto,y su caminata es  entre rocas éste sendero pasa por zonas habitadas por donde se asentaron colonos de Santa Cruz y bordea una mina antigua de sal .
La flora en éste lugar es muy diversa se camina entre manglar, helechos, scalecias, muyuyo, bambú gigante… y finalmente se llega hasta encontrar éstas tres maravillosas piscinas volcánicas de formación natural que conforman las grietas; es un sitio de privilegio para nadar en sus límpidas y cristalinas aguas, sus plataformas ubicadas en lugares estratégicos permiten al turista disfrutar de una maravillosa vista de todo el Puerto .