Santa Cruz Island
Well here we are again, another day in paradise. It is early in the morning and we are starting with a cloudy and rainy day. Regardless, we are going to see giant land tortoises no matter what!!
We arrive in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. This is the most central island in the archipelago and the most populated at the same time, with some 15 thousand people who make a living from agriculture, fishing, and of course tourism. We are landing in this town where the Charles Darwin Research Station was established in 1964. There are around 200 scientists from all over the world here working in different subjects. Its main duty is the investigation, conservation and education, especially of the local community.
Finally we are all facing these beautiful, enormous reptiles; we came at just the right time: they are eating now. These tortoises are fed some three times a week but it is a fact that they can spend one year without water and food. We saw many of them, from very young (only two years old) to a very mature tortoise of more than one hundred years. It was possible to also see the famous Lonesome George, the last member of the population from Pinta Island. After this we had the opportunity to visit the town and to go around increasing the local economy (shopping). This time our lunch took place in the highlands in a private farm, we had a nice BBQ. And after this, we prepared for visiting the highlands and the main attraction was this giant tortoise again, but in this case we found them living in the wild. Nobody brought them there but they have been living there for millennia; in the past there were no roads or vehicles to transport these tortoises from the highlands to the ships, so they were left in this natural refuge where they are still living in good conditions. Lots of land birds can be also seen like finches, egrets, and ducks. After all this we went back on board, ready for dinner; we finished our day with a nice folkloric music group from the local community.
Well here we are again, another day in paradise. It is early in the morning and we are starting with a cloudy and rainy day. Regardless, we are going to see giant land tortoises no matter what!!
We arrive in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. This is the most central island in the archipelago and the most populated at the same time, with some 15 thousand people who make a living from agriculture, fishing, and of course tourism. We are landing in this town where the Charles Darwin Research Station was established in 1964. There are around 200 scientists from all over the world here working in different subjects. Its main duty is the investigation, conservation and education, especially of the local community.
Finally we are all facing these beautiful, enormous reptiles; we came at just the right time: they are eating now. These tortoises are fed some three times a week but it is a fact that they can spend one year without water and food. We saw many of them, from very young (only two years old) to a very mature tortoise of more than one hundred years. It was possible to also see the famous Lonesome George, the last member of the population from Pinta Island. After this we had the opportunity to visit the town and to go around increasing the local economy (shopping). This time our lunch took place in the highlands in a private farm, we had a nice BBQ. And after this, we prepared for visiting the highlands and the main attraction was this giant tortoise again, but in this case we found them living in the wild. Nobody brought them there but they have been living there for millennia; in the past there were no roads or vehicles to transport these tortoises from the highlands to the ships, so they were left in this natural refuge where they are still living in good conditions. Lots of land birds can be also seen like finches, egrets, and ducks. After all this we went back on board, ready for dinner; we finished our day with a nice folkloric music group from the local community.
