Today we went on an all-day exploration of Santa Cruz Island. We started the day by visiting the Fausto Llerena Giant Tortoises Breeding Center, which houses both juvenile and adult tortoises from different islands and populations. Mid-morning, we traveled to a local farm and learned about coffee and raw sugar production. We also met a local family of farmers who settled around the mid-sixties on Santa Cruz Island and made it their forever home. This was a great opportunity to see how local farmers live and work in the highlands.
After lunch, we had the pleasure of seeing Galapagos giant tortoises roaming free at another local farm. Tortoises migrate every year from the coast to the highlands as soon as the rainy season is over. These giant reptiles will migrate once more to their breeding grounds at the beginning of the hot season. Today more than sixty were spotted around the area!
We returned to National Geographic Endeavour II for dinner and had a great time listening to some typical music from the Galapagos and the Andes.
