Santa Cruz Island
This was the day of the giants, our encounter with the Galapagos giant tortoises; first thing we all noticed was the misty weather, which eventually evolved into some strong showers. So we all got our rain jackets and raincoats out of our bags and it was the time to test them. One strong rain later in the day was the best test any of our rain protection gear could get. As we approached the dock through the narrow and shallow channels a great blue heron majestically stood on a lava rock, probably waiting for some naïve fish or Sally Lightfoot crab to get close and become its breakfast. Upon landing on the dock several male marine iguanas laid on the cement motionless, during cool mornings these reptiles do not move so much until they get warm enough to get into the ocean and eat the algae growing on the rocks.
The visit to the Tortoise Breeding Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station began with a walk along the typical coastal zone vegetation; the first impressive creatures we saw were the gigantic Opunthia or prickly-pear cactus, actually the tallest in the world, but the most expected moment was when we met the giant Galapagos Tortoises. However our first encounter really began with the juvenile giant Galapagos Tortoises, and these animals begin life as small creatures that eventually grow to become giants, reminding us that all great things also have humble and small beginnings. In the first corral the little juvenile tortoises moved around, quite active, some were just a few weeks old, as the sign next to each corral mentioned the year when they hatched, and we could read 2013 on one sign. These little animals moved around very actively, some literally crawling on top of another. In a few years they will be repatriated back to their ancestor’s island and in some decades after that they will turn into giants.
As we walked along this area we saw the giant tortoises, including the famous “Dieguito,” a male tortoise originally from the island of Española that was living in the San Diego Zoo for a while, this animal was send back to the Galapagos to contribute to the breeding program and it has become the father of several hundred tortoises, that eventually were returned to their island and now are breeding on their own. As we finished our visit and walked along the streets of Puerto Ayora the weather Gods decided to test our rain gear: a strong tropical rain arrived, it was refreshing and kept us cooler. We all met at a small restaurant and got onboard the buses that took us to the highlands, this time to meet the giant tortoises again and to walk among them.
After lunch we visited the giants but in the wild, walking among them and being close showed us how big they really are, and it was really impressive to see them walking along the vegetation, slowly but decisively. Later a visit to a lava tunnel was a great time to appreciate the dynamics of earth and its geology.
This was a long day, and after all these emotion-filled times it was time to return onboard. Although the days was not over yet, as after dinner a local musical group along with dancers has a presentation onboard. We all needed some rest to review in our mind all of these unforgettable memories.
