Santa Cruz Island
Today we woke up anchored off Puerto Ayora, located on the southern side of Santa Cruz. This vibrant little town is home to more than 18,000 inhabitants; all of them depend on the tourist industry which is the main income for the locals.
Santa Cruz Island is the second largest of the islands in the Galápagos. Here, you can find different vegetation zones according to the altitude of the terrain. It starts with the lush mangrove forest at sea level, and a few feet above sea level we have a dry forest made up of Palo Santo trees and prickly pears. At an altitude of 600 feet you are exploring evergreen vegetation, and the area looks like a rain forest. There is a lot of diversity and a lot to see.
In the morning we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoises. The highlights of this place are the giant tortoises’ breeding center and the legendary “Lonesome George.” This giant tortoise has become an icon of conservation because he is the very last individual remaining from a once thriving population on Pinta Island. He is the only one that escaped the dark whaling years when tortoises became a source of food for thousands of hungry seamen.
In the afternoon we explored the evergreen highlands with a nice cool mist typical of the season. Here we visited the pit craters with the lush giant daisy trees endemic to the islands and considered one of the many showcases of evolution in the famous archipelago.
Later we had the opportunity to walk in gorgeous grasslands with big trees, and dotted with giant tortoises. These reptiles live in this cool region due to abundance of fresh grass and ponds where they wallow whenever it gets a little hot.
It was a great day and I can’t wait to see more!
