Santa Cruz Island
Early this morning we anchored in Academy Bay, which is located in the southern realm of Santa Cruz Island. We disembarked after breakfast on the Galapagos National Park dock and headed towards the Galapagos giant tortoises breeding center. Along our way we observed some of the species of Galapagos finches as well as mockingbirds and lava lizards.
As we arrived to the breeding center, we saw the corrals where the small tortoises are kept and protected under the careful eye of the park rangers that work here. We learned about the conservation projects to repopulate the islands with giant tortoises and the different challenges that are faced while trying to do this.
Later, our guests had some time to explore the town on their own and observe how the locals make their living here through tourism, agriculture and fishery.
Right before lunch we stopped in the small village of “Bellavista” and learned about the local production of coffee and alcohol. This is the time of the year when the coffee beans are ripe and entire families are now picking up the fruits. The local coffee in Galapagos is very good and is often exported to other countries where is very well appreciated for its flavor.
We also went to a local farm where we explored a lava tunnel and had lunch surrounded by colorful vegetation and a gorgeous view of the ocean, even though there was some mist in the air. As we left the farm we headed to an area where wild Galapagos giant tortoises are found; we saw several of these animals feeding, walking, sleeping and – most exciting of all – roaming free!
Our afternoon was not over as we headed further up to the pit craters where we walked through Galapagos giant daisies in a cloud forest. It was a wonderful day with new experiences in a unique archipelago.
