Santa Cruz Island
After exploring the western realms of Galápagos Islands we were back to the central part of the archipelago. This morning we visited the second largest island in Galápagos, Santa Cruz or Indefatigable Island. This island has the largest human population in the archipelago. Puerto Ayora, its capital, is where the head quarters of the Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS) and the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) are located. We headed ashore to visit the “Fausto Llerena” giant tortoise breeding and rearing center. The facilities are named after this individual, who with a lot of care and passion for his job, has been in charge of this breeding center for decades. He has helped to save many giant tortoise generations for more than 30 years. Fausto has tracked hundreds of baby tortoises from the moment they hatch until they are released in the wild. We can consider him to be like a proud father of thousands of Galápagos giant tortoises that are now roaming free on the islands.
In the afternoon we went to the highlands to have lunch in “Altair” a remote local restaurant. Before lunch some of us had the opportunity to bike or walk to the restaurant. A wonderful view of the luxurious green country side and the refreshing cool temperature accompanied us. After lunch we continued with our expedition heading to a higher elevation. The highlands of Santa Cruz have optimal conditions for food, water and temperature making this area one of the best in the archipelago to observe Galápagos giant tortoises in the wild. In addition to giant tortoises we observed Darwin finches and some endemic plant species. We returned on board the National Geographic Polaris for our evening recap. After dinner we participated in a colorful show that local musicians and dancers from Puerto Ayora performed.
After exploring the western realms of Galápagos Islands we were back to the central part of the archipelago. This morning we visited the second largest island in Galápagos, Santa Cruz or Indefatigable Island. This island has the largest human population in the archipelago. Puerto Ayora, its capital, is where the head quarters of the Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS) and the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) are located. We headed ashore to visit the “Fausto Llerena” giant tortoise breeding and rearing center. The facilities are named after this individual, who with a lot of care and passion for his job, has been in charge of this breeding center for decades. He has helped to save many giant tortoise generations for more than 30 years. Fausto has tracked hundreds of baby tortoises from the moment they hatch until they are released in the wild. We can consider him to be like a proud father of thousands of Galápagos giant tortoises that are now roaming free on the islands.
In the afternoon we went to the highlands to have lunch in “Altair” a remote local restaurant. Before lunch some of us had the opportunity to bike or walk to the restaurant. A wonderful view of the luxurious green country side and the refreshing cool temperature accompanied us. After lunch we continued with our expedition heading to a higher elevation. The highlands of Santa Cruz have optimal conditions for food, water and temperature making this area one of the best in the archipelago to observe Galápagos giant tortoises in the wild. In addition to giant tortoises we observed Darwin finches and some endemic plant species. We returned on board the National Geographic Polaris for our evening recap. After dinner we participated in a colorful show that local musicians and dancers from Puerto Ayora performed.
