Santa Cruz Island
Early this morning we dropped anchor in Academy Bay, where the largest town in Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, is found. For us this is one of the most beautiful places, because here giant tortoises are found in the wild and this is also the home of the Charles Darwin Research Center.
After breakfast we left our ship and went ashore to visit the captive breeding center; there we learned about the different conservation programs for land tortoises and land iguanas. We were fortunate to see the famous tortoise, Lonesome George, and his two girlfriends from Isabela Island. We are all eager to know if eggs laid a couple months ago by these females are fertile or not. We also met another tortoise, known as Diego; he comes from Española Island and he shares his corral with five females from the same island. This morning, we had his full attention; he stood at the gate and lifted his neck for a better look at us. The females in contrast were more concerned with their meals and they paid us little attention.
After visiting the Darwin Center we went in to town, where we walked along the streets of Puerto Ayora. We had time to observe and photograph and got a real feel for the lifestyle in Galápagos.
One of the most amazing things about this island is the variety of things one can see and do in just one day. We boarded buses and headed to the highlands to explore a lava tunnel and eat lunch in an open air restaurant. As we dined we could see the lush highlands, distant islands and several species of finches, warblers, and flycatchers singing, flitting and nest building around us. After lunch we searched for giant tortoises in the wild, and we discovered the nest of a rare Galápagos rail. We admired white cheek pintail ducks floating in a shallow pool and the gorgeous volcanic landscape. We drove higher up the slopes of Santa Cruz and visited the pit craters of “Los Gemelos.” Here many of us had great views of woodpecker finches, tree and warbler finches, doves, and the unique Galápagos giant daisies, or Scalesia trees. We had a wonderful time today and during our recap everyone had a different experience to share.
Early this morning we dropped anchor in Academy Bay, where the largest town in Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, is found. For us this is one of the most beautiful places, because here giant tortoises are found in the wild and this is also the home of the Charles Darwin Research Center.
After breakfast we left our ship and went ashore to visit the captive breeding center; there we learned about the different conservation programs for land tortoises and land iguanas. We were fortunate to see the famous tortoise, Lonesome George, and his two girlfriends from Isabela Island. We are all eager to know if eggs laid a couple months ago by these females are fertile or not. We also met another tortoise, known as Diego; he comes from Española Island and he shares his corral with five females from the same island. This morning, we had his full attention; he stood at the gate and lifted his neck for a better look at us. The females in contrast were more concerned with their meals and they paid us little attention.
After visiting the Darwin Center we went in to town, where we walked along the streets of Puerto Ayora. We had time to observe and photograph and got a real feel for the lifestyle in Galápagos.
One of the most amazing things about this island is the variety of things one can see and do in just one day. We boarded buses and headed to the highlands to explore a lava tunnel and eat lunch in an open air restaurant. As we dined we could see the lush highlands, distant islands and several species of finches, warblers, and flycatchers singing, flitting and nest building around us. After lunch we searched for giant tortoises in the wild, and we discovered the nest of a rare Galápagos rail. We admired white cheek pintail ducks floating in a shallow pool and the gorgeous volcanic landscape. We drove higher up the slopes of Santa Cruz and visited the pit craters of “Los Gemelos.” Here many of us had great views of woodpecker finches, tree and warbler finches, doves, and the unique Galápagos giant daisies, or Scalesia trees. We had a wonderful time today and during our recap everyone had a different experience to share.
