Santa Cruz Island
The National Geographic Polaris took us back to civilization after several days of wildlife as our only direct contact. We anchored early in the morning at Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Although Puerto Ayora is not the capital of the Galápagos, it is the most populous town. There are more or less 18,000 people living in this town. They make their livings mostly from tourism, fishing and the agricultural zone in the highlands.
In the morning we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) facilities. It was impressive to witness the conservation programs they oversee, like the repatriation program with the “little giant tortoises” from several islands. Then we stopped at Lonesome George’s corral. He is the emblem for conservation efforts on the islands, because he is the last tortoise from Pinta Island in the north. After the visit at the CDRS we had the opportunity to go shopping in town.
By midday we took a bus ride to the highlands of Santa Cruz to have lunch in a restaurant. Before doing so, some of us took a bike ride to the restaurant. After a wonderful lunch we took the bus again to go higher to the Scalesia forest, one of the endemic genera of plants belonging to the sunflower family. Surrounded by these daisy trees, there were two impressive geological formations known as Los Gemelos (Pit craters). Once again we boarded the buses to look for the giant tortoises in the wild on private property that happens to be on a path that the tortoises take when they migrate. They were definitely shyer than the ones we saw in the morning. At the end of the afternoon we met at the municipal dock and drove back on the pangas to the National Geographic Polaris.
What an interesting day on Santa Cruz Island!
The National Geographic Polaris took us back to civilization after several days of wildlife as our only direct contact. We anchored early in the morning at Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Although Puerto Ayora is not the capital of the Galápagos, it is the most populous town. There are more or less 18,000 people living in this town. They make their livings mostly from tourism, fishing and the agricultural zone in the highlands.
In the morning we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) facilities. It was impressive to witness the conservation programs they oversee, like the repatriation program with the “little giant tortoises” from several islands. Then we stopped at Lonesome George’s corral. He is the emblem for conservation efforts on the islands, because he is the last tortoise from Pinta Island in the north. After the visit at the CDRS we had the opportunity to go shopping in town.
By midday we took a bus ride to the highlands of Santa Cruz to have lunch in a restaurant. Before doing so, some of us took a bike ride to the restaurant. After a wonderful lunch we took the bus again to go higher to the Scalesia forest, one of the endemic genera of plants belonging to the sunflower family. Surrounded by these daisy trees, there were two impressive geological formations known as Los Gemelos (Pit craters). Once again we boarded the buses to look for the giant tortoises in the wild on private property that happens to be on a path that the tortoises take when they migrate. They were definitely shyer than the ones we saw in the morning. At the end of the afternoon we met at the municipal dock and drove back on the pangas to the National Geographic Polaris.
What an interesting day on Santa Cruz Island!
