Rancho El Manzanillo — Local services in Parroquia Santa Rosa

We came here with our two small children. It was a wonderful wonderful place and I highly recommend coming here over the other tortoise reserves (such as el chato). This is a small family run farm. If it is muddy, they have big rubber boots to borrow while you are walking around. Just lie in a hammock and have the tortoises walk by. See them in the grass and in the mud and in the water. See tortoises crossing the dirt road on your way into the property. It is wonderful to see so many tortoises happy in the wild. The food is amazing, extremely reasonably priced, and there are so many options, whether you are a child or meat eater or vegetarian or have an allergy, there will be something for you. They make a wonderful juice/tea and also have water. You get a choice of appetizer (soup or salad or ceviche) and a wonderful main and amazing desserts (although after all your lunch, you may no longer have room for the desserts). Then walk off your lunch around the property. Not only is there amazing giant tortoises and wonderful food, but they also regularly donate to the Charles Darwin Research Station, who's research and work is so important for the Galapagos Islands. They also have a shop with things from the research station that you can buy. When I found out about them regularly donating to the research station, that made me like this place even more, as they are really concerned about the Galapagos and care for it. On the way out of their driveway, you can stop at two small lava tunnels. One is lit up and the other is not, but you can still make it through without a flashlight. If I could rate this place as 10 stars, I would, as the experience was really perfect. Highly...

Our HX group enjoyed a private buffet lunch and up-close visit with Galapagos tortoises here. They were roaming freely around El Manzanillo farm which is now a tortoise refuge. For lunch, we were offered a tasty buffet selection of hot and cold veggies and salads, plus chicken or fish and rice for the main course. Their chocolate mousse dessert was yummy. After lunch, we exchanged our shoes for rubber boots from their boot wall. Then, we ventured out around the grounds with our HX tour guides for about 30 minutes. We spotted a group of tortoises cooling off in a brackish green pond. We tracked more than a half dozen tortoises roaming the grounds. You could get even close enough to snap a photo with them. The highlight was when a male tortoise pursued a female for 5 minutes. She gave him the slip by hiding in a bush. I got a photo of the tortoise’s angry face. The Farm has helpful billboards explaining the basic facts about Galapagos tortoises. There is a nice little gift shop with Galapagos and tortoise-themed items. The farm is close to a volcanic lava tunnel which is free to visit if you...

WARNING: make sure you visit the Rancho El Manzanillo with a guide. This is an amazing place if you want to see tortoises. It is an enchanting and tranquil estate to observe the tortoises. Unfortunately, we rented bikes and just went biking into the highlands. When we arrived at the ranch, we were told we could only get a tour around the estate if we were with a guide, which we didn't know and thus didn't have. Nonetheless, the hostess was kind enough to let us stay, rest and even gave us free homemade juice. So I would definitely recommend this place, but make sure you book with a...