Santa Cruz Island
This has been a spectacular day to learn about the Galápagos giant tortoises. The morning was highlighted with the visit to the Rearing Center in the town of Puerto Ayora where the Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS) keeps one of the most successful programs to grow animals in captivity in the whole world. Giant Land Tortoises have been growing in captivity there since 1963. The GNPS has repatriated over four thousand baby tortoises to their islands of origin since then, and many of them are already reproducing freely in their home areas. Park rangers take care of baby tortoises which hatch in incubators heated by light bulbs and hair dryers! After this visit we had time to explore the picturesque and cheerful town of Puerto Ayora.
After we left the rearing centre, buses took us up to the lush greenery of the highlands of Santa Cruz. It was quite a spectacular change of scenery. Wild giant tortoises roamed freely around the restaurant where we had an open air lunch and we all had the pleasure to observe beautiful land birds such as finches, yellow warblers and the breathtaking bright colored vermillion flycatcher. Most of our guests also walked through a huge lava tube that took them on an adventure under ground. It is hard to choose a particular highlight for our second full day in this remote paradise.
This has been a spectacular day to learn about the Galápagos giant tortoises. The morning was highlighted with the visit to the Rearing Center in the town of Puerto Ayora where the Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS) keeps one of the most successful programs to grow animals in captivity in the whole world. Giant Land Tortoises have been growing in captivity there since 1963. The GNPS has repatriated over four thousand baby tortoises to their islands of origin since then, and many of them are already reproducing freely in their home areas. Park rangers take care of baby tortoises which hatch in incubators heated by light bulbs and hair dryers! After this visit we had time to explore the picturesque and cheerful town of Puerto Ayora.
After we left the rearing centre, buses took us up to the lush greenery of the highlands of Santa Cruz. It was quite a spectacular change of scenery. Wild giant tortoises roamed freely around the restaurant where we had an open air lunch and we all had the pleasure to observe beautiful land birds such as finches, yellow warblers and the breathtaking bright colored vermillion flycatcher. Most of our guests also walked through a huge lava tube that took them on an adventure under ground. It is hard to choose a particular highlight for our second full day in this remote paradise.
