Santa Cruz Island
We had our usual early morning wake-up call, this time to take a bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz Islands. Islander anchored at Academy Bay and we took a bus ride from the town of Puerto Ayora to the highlands of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago. It was a wonderful and green morning, very different from the usual mornings we have had in the past days. As we were driving up towards the volcano’s flank, we enjoyed the lush green vegetation, fresh drizzle and cool weather - typical of these months in the high grounds.
Our guests enjoyed wearing mud boots and wandering around the giant land tortoises. The gentle giants stared at us with surprise; some of them were really anxious and hid their heads and extremities inside their huge shells. After the visit to the tortoise island, our guests along with their naturalists went across a lava tube for about two thousand and three hundred feet. What a great experience!
Only after all these calisthenics we found a great buffet breakfast was waiting for us at a restaurant in the highlands. It was the most delicious breakfast one could ever have!
After this active morning, our guests had the time for shopping in Puerto Ayora. Once we were all back on board, we enjoyed our wonderful buffet lunch. In the afternoon we visited North Seymour Island, where a large amount of Frigate birds greeted us together with sea lions, land iguanas and blue-footed boobies. We ended this fantastic day with an extraordinary sunset, and the adventure continues tomorrow.
We had our usual early morning wake-up call, this time to take a bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz Islands. Islander anchored at Academy Bay and we took a bus ride from the town of Puerto Ayora to the highlands of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago. It was a wonderful and green morning, very different from the usual mornings we have had in the past days. As we were driving up towards the volcano’s flank, we enjoyed the lush green vegetation, fresh drizzle and cool weather - typical of these months in the high grounds.
Our guests enjoyed wearing mud boots and wandering around the giant land tortoises. The gentle giants stared at us with surprise; some of them were really anxious and hid their heads and extremities inside their huge shells. After the visit to the tortoise island, our guests along with their naturalists went across a lava tube for about two thousand and three hundred feet. What a great experience!
Only after all these calisthenics we found a great buffet breakfast was waiting for us at a restaurant in the highlands. It was the most delicious breakfast one could ever have!
After this active morning, our guests had the time for shopping in Puerto Ayora. Once we were all back on board, we enjoyed our wonderful buffet lunch. In the afternoon we visited North Seymour Island, where a large amount of Frigate birds greeted us together with sea lions, land iguanas and blue-footed boobies. We ended this fantastic day with an extraordinary sunset, and the adventure continues tomorrow.
