Santa Cruz Island
It began as a misty day on Santa Cruz Island, however it was a day full of surprises. After disembarking, and as soon as we stepped on the dock, we found several marine iguanas, almost motionless. They were most likely waiting for the sun to come out; a big male already had the bright flashy colors characteristic of the beginning of the breading season. A few iguanas were swimming and getting away from the dock, well somebody had decided to try to get something to eat and work in that iguana colony.
These weather conditions are typical of this side of Santa Cruz Island. It is precisely this weather that allows the kind of vegetation we saw during our visit. Tall prickly pear cacti defined most of the landscape, surrounded by lots of green bushes. As we appreciated the size of a gigantic prickly pear cactus, a cactus finch began to work around a fruit and feed, right in front of us. As expected, we all took out our cameras and started taking pictures of it. The finch stayed for a while and then left.
After a short walk we started our visit to the Tortoise Breeding Center, run by the Galapagos National Park Service, with the help of the Charles Darwin Research Station. The little tortoises slowly crawled all over the rocks, and as we kept exploring, reached the area that is the home for the adults. It was definitely impressive to realize that these creatures begin so small, and end up as the giants of the islands.
Today we had lunch in the highlands. After that, it was time to find the giants of the islands again, but this time in an open field and closer. The misty weather stayed with us, but all we needed to cope with these conditions was a good raincoat and the rubber boots that they provided us.
We could see several giant tortoises feeding and resting in the field, probably enjoying the misty weather that provides the vital freshwater for all the vegetation that surrounds them and that they were grazing on. After this unforgettable experience it was time to go back onboard and take a little rest from a very active and adventure filled day.
