Tortoise Breeding Center and Highlands, Santa Cruz Island
We anchored in Puerto Ayora Bay where the Tortoise Breeding Center is located. Puerto Ayora is one of the four towns in the Galápagos, and it is the economical capital of the Province. The Galápagos Archipelago is another province of Ecuador, nonetheless considered a special area under the Ecuadorian Constitution.
Our morning started at the Tortoise Breeding Center. The center is located at the south of Santa Cruz Island, its geographic location and other abiotic factors make the lowlands lusher than any other visitor site we have been. Our hike towards the center was pleasant; it’s native flora such as giant prickle pears (Opuntia echios var. gigantea) and other plants were fine sightings. At the center, we could see tortoises of all ages and different morphotypes. Certainly, the Galápagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Station have worked very hard to restore the tortoise’s populations from different species. The total tally of rearing tortoises at the tortoise center is about four thousand individuals so far!
Afterward, we had some free time in town. We walked through the main street (Charles Darwin Street) looking around and doing some shopping. Later on, we took a bus ride to the highlands where we had lunch.
After lunch, our next excursion was to the twins (pit craters). On our way to the craters we could appreciate how the vegetation was changing with the altitude of the island. In fact, it was completely different from the lowland vegetation. Also, we could appreciate, at some extent, how the galapagueños (people from Galápagos) live in the Galápagos Islands.
Last but not least, we went to Mariposa Ranch to search Galápagos tortoises. We saw so many tortoises that we could not believe it!
After dinner, we had a lovely surprise. A folk band (eco-arte group) from Puerto Ayora got aboard the National Geographic Islander and performed Ecuadorian and Andean music.
