# Santa Cruz Canton, Galápagos Province – Parishes & Villages > Source: https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/santa-cruz/ Canton · Galápagos Province # Santa Cruz Canton Santa Cruz Canton is a canton of Ecuador in Galápagos Province. It covers **1,008.4 km²**. It is divided into 3 parishes. 29 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 353 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 1,008km² - 3parishes - 353mapped services ## Where is Santa Cruz Canton? Santa Cruz Canton lies in [Galápagos Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/), [Ecuador](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/). By area it is the 76th largest of 221 cantons in Ecuador. It covers 15.6% of [Galápagos Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/). The centre of Santa Cruz Canton is about 1,317 km in a straight line from Quito, the capital. It is about 89 km from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the main town of Galápagos Province. The centre point is at 0.6285° S, 90.3645° W. Source: [INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-ecu). ## Things to see in and around Santa Cruz Canton OpenStreetMap lists 56 named sights in Santa Cruz Canton: 30 attractions; 8 museums; 6 viewpoints; 6 beachs; 2 monuments; 2 caves; 1 gallery; 1 nature reserve. - CASA DE LOS SUEÑOS · museum - Centro de Interpretación Van Straelen · museum - Charles Darwin Exhibition Hall · museum - Galapagos Conservation Center · museum - La casa de los sueños · museum - La cueva de GUS · museum - MAPRAE · museum - Museo del Mar · museum - Charles Darwin Research Station · nature reserve - Las Bachas Beaches · beach - Playa El Garrapatero · beach - Playa Mansa · beach - Playa Roja · beach - Playa de Los Perros · beach - Tortuga Bay · beach - Cerro Mesa · viewpoint - Exit to the Pirates lava tunnel · viewpoint - Giant Tortoise Reserve TERRAMAR Ranch · viewpoint - Grieta de las Tintoreras · viewpoint - Viewpoint of Garrapatero beach and Puerto Ayora · viewpoint - outcrop with small peak · viewpoint - Ceramic Garden · attraction - Crater Tour · attraction - Cráter the Tiplets and Cerro Cabuya · attraction - El Puntudo · attraction - Entry to the pirates lava tunel · attraction - Galápagos frontier · attraction - Giant Tortoise Reserve · attraction - Laguna de las Ninfas · attraction - Laguna del Chato · attraction …and 26 more. Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: Santa Cruz Canton - Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · Pacific/Galapagos - CurrencyDollar (USD) - Country calling code+593 - LanguagesSpanish - Plug typesType A, B · 120 V - Driving sideRight - Postcode format6 digits (######) ### Nearest airports - Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport (GPS) · Isla Baltra22 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Dec (about 12.2 hours, sunrise around 05:51) and shortest in Jun (about 12.1 hours, sunrise around 05:58, sunset around 18:04). Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Parishes of Santa Cruz Canton Parish Area km² Localities Services [Bella Vista](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/santa-cruz/bella-vista/) 433 14 30 [Puerto Ayora](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/santa-cruz/puerto-ayora/) 2.8 13 301 [Santa Rosa](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/galapagos/santa-cruz/santa-rosa/) 572 2 22 Source: [INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-ecu); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). ## Villages and localities in Santa Cruz Canton Open gazetteers list **29 villages, towns and localities** in Santa Cruz Canton. The largest with a recorded population: Puerto Ayora (12,696). Settlements here lie between about 15 m and 633 m above sea level (median 405 m). - Arrayanes - Bellavista - Cactus - Cascajo - El Camote - El Carmen - El Cascajo - El Cedregal - El Mirador - Jardines de Bellavista - La Alborada - La Cascada - La Unión - Las Acacias - Las Palmas - Los Guayabillos - Matazarnos - Miconia - Miraflores - Occidente - Orquídeas - Pampa Coloradas - Puerto Ayora - Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz Garden - Santa Rosa - Scalesia - Tomás de Berlanga - Urbanización El Bosque Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). ## Landscape and landmarks of Santa Cruz Canton Named natural and historic features inside Santa Cruz Canton, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Coast and islands 9 headlands; 8 beaches; 2 islands; 2 lagoons. - Baltra Island - Isla Santa Cruz - Playa Brava - Playa Garrapatero - Playa Mansa - Playa Tortuga Bay - Playa de Las Bachas - Playa de Los Alemanes - Playa de Los Róbalos - Playa del Director - Poza de La Pate Mula - Poza de Los Flamingos - Punta Carrión - Punta Cordero - Punta Estrada - Punta Noboa - Punta Núñez - Punta Robles - Punta Tamayo - Punta Tortuga - Punta del Norte ### Hills and mountains 42 hills; 1 mountain. - Cerro Chontillo · 801 m - Cerro El Precioso · 799 m - Cerro El Colorado · 747 m - Cerro El Puntudo · 744 m - Cerro La Bandera · 738 m - Loma El Mirador · 729 m - Cerro Crocker · 722 m - Cerro Picachos · 702 m - Cerro El Mirador · 700 m - Cerro Media Luna · 700 m - Cerro Granillo Rojo · 680 m - Cerro La Maternidad · 667 m - Cerro La Mora · 658 m - Cerro El Camote · 656 m - Cerro Chontilla · 652 m - Cerro Santa Rosa · 628 m - Cerro El Cabuyal · 626 m - Cerro Salasaca · 624 m - Cerro Pirámide · 623 m - Cerro Quishpicacha · 622 m - Cerro Los Lechozos · 621 m - Cerro El Mirador · 619 m - Cerro Picacho · 616 m - Loma de Los Chapis · 614 m …and 19 more. ### Getting around 1 airport. - Seymour Airport Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in Santa Cruz Canton and the best time to visit In Santa Cruz Canton, the warmest month is Mar (average 27 °C) and the coolest is Sep (22 °C). About 303 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Feb (64 mm) and the driest Sep (7 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **January to December**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 25 44 Feb 27 64 Mar 27 53 Apr 27 60 May 25 17 Jun 24 10 Jul 23 9 Aug 22 9 Sep 22 7 Oct 22 8 Nov 23 9 Dec 24 12 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in Santa Cruz Canton Places mapped inside Santa Cruz Canton in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals3 - Banks13 - ATMs3 - Petrol pumps1 - Hotels155 - Schools10 - Colleges and universities3 - Pharmacies20 - Restaurants137 - Police stations5 - Dental clinics3 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is Santa Cruz Canton?In Galápagos Province, Ecuador - What is there to see in Santa Cruz Canton?CASA DE LOS SUEÑOS, Centro de Interpretación Van Straelen, Ceramic Garden, Cerro Mesa - What time zone is Santa Cruz Canton in?UTC−6 - What currency is used in Santa Cruz Canton?Dollar (USD) - What language is spoken in Santa Cruz Canton?Spanish (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Santa Cruz Canton?29 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Santa Cruz Canton?Settlements lie between 15 m and 633 m - What is the highest point in Santa Cruz Canton?Cerro Chontillo (801 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Santa Cruz Canton?January to December - How many hospitals are in Santa Cruz Canton?3 mapped - How many banks are in Santa Cruz Canton?13 mapped - How many ATMs are in Santa Cruz Canton?3 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in Santa Cruz Canton?1 mapped - What is the P-code of Santa Cruz Canton?EC2003 (OCHA common operational dataset)