Santa Cruz Island
We have reached the second largest Island in the Galápagos and also the home of some seventeen thousand people. This place is also the home for the Galápagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station, which are partners in conservation in the Archipelago.
This morning we went out to learn a bit more about the different programs they are running among them the protection of reptiles in captivity; we are all very proud of its success, because thousands of baby tortoises have been repatriated to their original islands ever since the program started.
Afterwards our guests had some time to enjoy the great atmosphere of this picturesque town of Puerto Ayora via shopping at the main street.
Our lunch took place in one of the local restaurants located literally in the middle of nowhere in the highlands. This was a nice location, as we had the mountains surrounding us, as well as a wonderful view of some islands in the distance.
After a delicious lunch, we went to take a look at the emblematic species of the enchanted island, the Galápagos giant tortoises – and indeed we had a great success, as we saw many of them up close.
We also visited the giant Scalesia forest, also known as the Giant daisy forest. There were two big sink holes near by that we explored fully, enjoying one of the best bird watching opportunities of the trip. Later on, we visited the area where giant tortoises are found in the wild. We all had a wonderful time birding and giant “tortoising”!
We found the famous woodpecker finch, vermillion flycatcher and yellow warblers, and of course many, many giant tortoises!
We have reached the second largest Island in the Galápagos and also the home of some seventeen thousand people. This place is also the home for the Galápagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station, which are partners in conservation in the Archipelago.
This morning we went out to learn a bit more about the different programs they are running among them the protection of reptiles in captivity; we are all very proud of its success, because thousands of baby tortoises have been repatriated to their original islands ever since the program started.
Afterwards our guests had some time to enjoy the great atmosphere of this picturesque town of Puerto Ayora via shopping at the main street.
Our lunch took place in one of the local restaurants located literally in the middle of nowhere in the highlands. This was a nice location, as we had the mountains surrounding us, as well as a wonderful view of some islands in the distance.
After a delicious lunch, we went to take a look at the emblematic species of the enchanted island, the Galápagos giant tortoises – and indeed we had a great success, as we saw many of them up close.
We also visited the giant Scalesia forest, also known as the Giant daisy forest. There were two big sink holes near by that we explored fully, enjoying one of the best bird watching opportunities of the trip. Later on, we visited the area where giant tortoises are found in the wild. We all had a wonderful time birding and giant “tortoising”!
We found the famous woodpecker finch, vermillion flycatcher and yellow warblers, and of course many, many giant tortoises!
