worth the trip - Day started off with a taxi to the town where the reserve is located. From there, it was a short bike ride to the reserve. Cesar was a fantastic guide and is extremely knowledgable. Saw the giant tortoises and lava caves there. Cesar took me around his property and explained different plants and birds, as well as provided information about each of the turtles that we saw. There are some hills that you will have to bike up. But the ride back to town will be mostly downhill. Along the way you'll see farms and some cattle. You may even see a giant tortoise on the road. All in all, the tour with Cesar and his staff was great and I would highly recommend it if you want to get some good exercise while seeing the turtles. This tour included freshly made smoothies from fruit that one of his staff picked while on the tour. It also includes a delicious lunch. Well worth the visit

DON’T MISS THIS TOUR!!! Lots of tortoises in the wild! - My husband and I did the bicycle tour and saw so many tortoises in their natural habitat, we were in awe. While you can see them at the Darwin Research Center, it is so much more exciting to see them in the wild. We are guessing we saw at least 20, including a couple mating. In addition, Cesar gave us lots of information (through a volunteer interpreter who did a great job) and told us about many different birds and plants, both native and invasive. It was educational and interesting. Then we toured the lava tunnels which was also very cool. After the hike back, we had juice of some of the fruits collected as we toured. We then rode the bikes back to the shop with a quick stop at Las Ninfas. While at the reserve, we met Cesar’s son, Julio, who does the cooking classes and also did the artwork on the shirt he was wearing which he really needs to mass produce and sell. Frontier has not been operating long and tourism is down right now, so we really hope word will get around to draw some business for them. Today we were the only two on the bike tour with two more joining for just the walking part. This is an experience that needs to be shared by many more. If you’re not sure about the bike part, at least do the walking only version. Look on their website galapagosfrontierec.com for info on all the tours they offer. Enjoy!

Best Turtles & Lava Tunnel Tour - César, the owner of the ecofarm, is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. But not only his wealth of information, but also his animated and passionate delivery, is what really makes this tour the highlight on Santa Cruz. Included is a tour of the farm with all of its wild giant tortoises, endemic birds and plants followed by a stroll through the primordial forest of the Galapagos National Park leading to the ancient lava tunnel of Tito Alba.

Magical tour! - The most magical way to enjoy the tortoises of the Galápagos Islands! Once we arrived at the Reserva Galápagos Frontier, Cesar gave us a tour through some of his property and then into the National Park where we saw many tortoises, birds and other endemic animals and plants. Cesar is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, and he welcomed our questions. He also showed us a vast network of lava tunnels and explained the geology of the vicinity and islands. Then we were treated to delicious fresh juice before we rode bikes downhill back to town, ultimately stopping to see a tranquil lagoon where sea turtles were swimming. Such a great tour!!

A special part of Paradise - This visit has a little bit of everything! Local bus ride, cycling through lovely countryside, giant tortoises by the roadside, guided exploration of natural habitat of giant tortoises, guided tour of lava tunnels. And then freshly cooked lunch as an added extra! We finished by cycling back to Puerto Ayora and stopping off at the Laguna to watch the turtles.

Beautiful tour - Started the tour with a nice and helpfull presentation about the inlands and turtles. Continued with a beautiful walk though the land were the galapagos turtles live and fruits grows. Some nice information about the cave and ended with a lovely bike tour. Really recommended.

Great experience. - Saw lots of turtles and learned a lot about the forest. The Lava Cave was a great experience. The bike ride was awesome and not difficult.

Biking, tortoises and lava tube excursion all in one afternoon - My wife and I took this fun and educational tour, it was the highlight of our visit to Santa Cruz Island. We started by meeting with Julio Cesar in Puerto Ayora to select and test out our bicycles for the tour, as well as meet up with the only other participant. From there we headed by taxi to the starting point of the bike ride which was a short distance out of town and on a quiet secondary paved road. A short 2 mile ride along the quiet and mostly shaded roads (including sights of farms with glimpses of tortoises) brought us to the Galápagos Frontier entrance. There we were greeted by the owner and an assistant, Maddie, who outfitted us with rubber boots for the walk. A very informative and enthusiastic talk by the owner, in Spanish, with an English translation by Maddie was given before the walk began. Walking through the farm we saw closeup many giant tortoises, of various ages and sizes. Some were resting in the shade, others eating, some others cooling off in the shallow ponds on the property. The boots were necessary due to certain areas being muddy. After a while we entered national park land and soon came to the entrance to the lava tubes. An amazing walk with frequent explanations through the tube followed. Flashlights or personal lighting from individuals’ cell phones illuminated our progress, carefully avoiding touching the many stalagmites and stalactites present. We eventually exited the tube and returned to the building where we changed back to our shoes and enjoyed freshly squeezed tangerine juice, picked on the way through the orchard. We returned to town via our bikes, a mostly downhill 5 mile ride. I highly recommend the tour. For the bicycle sections you don’t have to be in great shape, just capable of riding. The trek through the farm/ ranch wasn’t too strenuous, but watching your footing amongst the occasional small rocks is important. Obviously claustrophobic individuals should decide on whether the lava tube is for them. There was one 25 foot stretch where you had to crouch for a low section, even my 65 year old arthritic knees coped with little assistance.

Magical experience - Absolutely incredible time exploring the Galapagos with Julio as our guide. The organization was smooth, and Julio is an absolute pleasure. The guided tour of the tortoises and lava tunnels was so authentic, and the guide was so clearly passionate about the Galapagos, tourism, and protecting the natural world. The reserve is pristine nature, and you can get up close and personal with tortoises in their genuine natural habitat. You walk ten meters and see three or more tortoises! It’s nothing like anything you’d find in Puerto Ayora, but yet such a short trip from town. This is a definite must-stop for all tourists and nature lovers!

Biking & tortoises- what a wonderful day! - Wonderful outing!! We took the local bus from Santa Cruz to Occidente then biked to the Galapagos Frontiers farm. We walked amongst the amazing giant tortoises, the birds, the fauna and through incredible lava tunnels! Our guides were very knowledgeable & safe. Cesar, the father, is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable re the tortoises & birds, the fauna, the geology, the evolution of the planet…!!! Gracias! We had an awesomely delicious lunch with freshly squeezed mandarin juice, chicken (veggies & rice) with beautiful sauces prepared by Julio, the son. Thank you Cesar, Julio & Fabricio for a fantastic day! Highly recommended outing. Muchas gracias!!