Santa Cruz
To our surprise this morning, as the sun rose and the pink light of dawn spread across Academy Bay, we realized that there were at least 50 sailing yachts anchored beside us. Later we spoke to the yachtsmen and learned that they were on an around-the-world regatta. Yachts are allowed 48 hours in this port town and then they continue on either south towards the Marquesas or north to the Panama Canal.
After breakfast we motored into the National Park dock and headquarters, and walked to the tortoise breeding center of the Charles Darwin Research Station. Here we were delighted to see tiny hatchling tortoises clambering around in lava enclosures where they were getting use to the rough habitats that they would soon be released into. Tortoise eggs from the endangered populations are incubated in captivity, and when the young emerge they are raised until they will be safe and tough enough to be returned to the wild.
Super Diego, a large male tortoise of the Española species, was returned to Galápagos from the San Diego Zoo over 30 years ago. He has fathered hundreds of tiny tortoises and we were amused to see him in amorous action this morning mounting a much smaller female. Over 2000 tortoises have been repatriated to Española; from an adult population of only 15 individuals they have been brought back from the brink of extinction!
After the visit to CDRS, our guides pointed us in the direction of the town of Puerto Ayora and we made our way along a cement cobble paved road, passing dozens of bright boutiques, shopping and photographing as we went. At The Rock café we had a refreshing drink of cold blackberry—or mora—juice and then boarded small buses for a 10-minute drive to the agricultural town of Bella Vista. Here we tasted locally grown organic coffee and watched sugar cane juice being pressed. The juice was sampled with a squirt of lemon and a splash of cane liquor.
At the Rancho EL Chato farm, we descended into a dark, damp lava tunnel, crossed a quarter of a mile underground, climbed steep rough stairs to emerge again into the light, and then helped ourselves to a much deserved and lavish lunch buffet. We had fun and many laughs watching the intrepid among us back into a huge, empty tortoise shell for a one-of-a-kind photo. Our eldest guest George, at 85 years young, made the best giant tortoise of us all!
Some chose to return to the ship for a relaxing afternoon on board while many others opted to “do-it-all.” They visited the Gemelos pit craters, walked in the Scalesia forest (giant daisy trees endemic to the Galápagos) and search for Darwin finches. Naturalist Jean-Roch pointed out the rare woodpecker finch and someone caught a glimpse of a bright red vermillion flycatcher. On another farm at a lower elevation we searched and found a few wild tortoises in wide green pastures and then we returned by bus to the town.
This evening, as I write of the day’s adventures, a local group of musicians and dancers, EcoArte are entertaining us with Andean and Galápaguean songs and dances. Our guests are laughing, smiling and dancing! It has been another great day in Las Islas Encantadas!
