Galapagos frontier — Attraction in Parroquia Bella Vista

I was disappointed with my experience of the Galapagos Frontier turtle and lava tunnel tour as the main guide only spoke Spanish to us and didn't leave enough time for the volunteer to translate. Apparently this is not typical on the tour but since one of the three tourists spoke spanish, the guide engaged only with him and ignored the other two of us. To note, this tour is also not one of the main turtle refuge (Charles Darwin or El Chato) centres on the island that most people visit. Perhaps I should have realized that but it wasn't clear from the Trip Advisor information. Some people might prefer this as the tour is more intimate but you don't get to see young turtles or the extinct species. The guide also zipped passed the turtles and didn't give much time for us to take photos. The tour focused much more on the plant and bird species as well as the tunnel formation. If this interests you than I think you would enjoy the tour.

I am still giving three stars as the volunteer was really kind and informative, was happy to take pictures and really made the experience for me. Not sure how these tours would work if they don't have volunteers that day.

Recommendations: Wear long socks and long pants. There are biting fire ants and they give you boots but I only had short socks and shorts on so wasn't prepared. Bring your own flashlight or headlamp if you have one for the tunnels in case they don't...

Galapagos frontier is a wonderful place to see the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We saw so many different ages and sizes, and learned a lot of surprising facts from the guide, Cesar, who has a wealth of knowledge to share! Aside from the tortoises, we learned about endemic and introduced plants unique to this area of the island, saw lots of endemic birds and had a lovely walk through the national park. The final section took us through the lava tunnel, which was much larger and more impressive than we expected! It really is an amazing volcanic structure to see (it was only opened to the public recently). Cesar provided insights and explanations throughout, and I would highly recommend taking his tour if you want to learn something new. Finally, the juice provided at the end was incredible and made with fruit from the trees we passed.

The site is easy to reach from the town as it is very close and can be visited in half a day - we travelled by bike but there were buses passing. We arrived around 1:30pm not having booked, and were offered the option to either walk around the property alone, but opted to wait for the next tour at 2pm. We felt the price was really good considering how expensive some tours can be! Also, I would recommend wearing socks and shoes because there are...

We got picked up and dropped back off at the hotel, the ride alone was beautiful. At the Galapagos Frontier we went on a small hike around the forest and lava caves. Julio is an amazing guide, with vast experience and knowledge of just about anything concerning galapagos nature, volcano and seismic activity, uses of native plants, the life cycle of tortoises and how they benefit and influence the environment. We learned so much in the time, down to the elements present in the lava caves. This place is his passion, and you can feel it in every part of the journey! We could not recommend it any higher, we had a great time! Plus, he takes great pictures if you ask nicely ;) at the end we got a juice made from the reserves own trees, and he organised the ride to the craters, which were also really gorgeous, and you're already halfway there from the reserve, just make sense to add that...