Puerto Ayora

Puerto Ayora is a town in central Galapagos, Ecuador. Located on the southern shore of Santa Cruz Island, it is the seat of Santa Cruz Canton. The town is named in honor of Isidro Ayora, an Ecuadorian president. The town is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Santa Cruz. It has the best developed infrastructure in the archipelago. The larger of the two Galapagos banks is located in Puerto Ayora, as well as schools, hotels, restaurants, clothing stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, marine stores, tourist shops and night clubs. It is the best place in Galapagos for communicating with the outside World via numerous cybercafes with Internet access or telephone offices. Puerto Ayora emergency medical facilities include a new hospital opened in 2006 and the island\'s only hyperbaric chamber. Home to both the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park, Puerto Ayora is the center of the Galapagos conservation efforts. Island visitors may visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn the history of the islands and future conservation plans.