Santa Cruz Island
This was a day devoted to the Galápagos – the giant tortoises - from which the islands’ got their name. We landed this morning in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the archipelago and the main business center. Our first stop was the Charles Darwin Research Station on the far edge of town, the center for scientific study in the Galapagos, and site of the giant tortoise breeding and re-introduction program. Here we were able to see tortoises from several of the islands, each subspecies differing somewhat in size and in the shape of their carapace, or shell. The most famous of these is Lonesome George, the last living tortoise from the island of Pinta, where introduced goats ravaged the vegetation that these great reptiles depend on. An effort is now being made to breed George with tortoises from other islands to try and preserve his unique genetic heritage – and perhaps one day return his offspring to Pinta once more.
Late in the morning we left the busy harbor behind and traveled inland, up into the cool, moist highlands, a lush green landscape very different from anything we have seen so far on this voyage. Our first stop was a private home and restaurant, surrounded by flowering trees, where we had a vast and delicious lunch in the cool, open air.
Afterwards we drove even higher in search of wild tortoises, which migrate up into the highlands this time of year to feast on the lush grasses and luxuriate in seasonal pools. A short walk led us to some open pastures, dotted with tortoises happily munching away like so many reptilian cows. Photographers were delighted by the many photo opportunities, including a duckweed-covered pond filled with more than half a dozen animals in what seemed a state of aquatic bliss. Elsewhere many of us saw a Vermillion Flycatcher, a tiny bird as bright as a Cardinal, using the back of tortoise as a perch to look for insect prey.
After several hours, we reluctantly returned to town, with its t-shirt shops and outdoor bars, and re-boarded Polaris – a fantastic day, among one of the world’s most extraordinary animals.
This was a day devoted to the Galápagos – the giant tortoises - from which the islands’ got their name. We landed this morning in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the archipelago and the main business center. Our first stop was the Charles Darwin Research Station on the far edge of town, the center for scientific study in the Galapagos, and site of the giant tortoise breeding and re-introduction program. Here we were able to see tortoises from several of the islands, each subspecies differing somewhat in size and in the shape of their carapace, or shell. The most famous of these is Lonesome George, the last living tortoise from the island of Pinta, where introduced goats ravaged the vegetation that these great reptiles depend on. An effort is now being made to breed George with tortoises from other islands to try and preserve his unique genetic heritage – and perhaps one day return his offspring to Pinta once more.
Late in the morning we left the busy harbor behind and traveled inland, up into the cool, moist highlands, a lush green landscape very different from anything we have seen so far on this voyage. Our first stop was a private home and restaurant, surrounded by flowering trees, where we had a vast and delicious lunch in the cool, open air.
Afterwards we drove even higher in search of wild tortoises, which migrate up into the highlands this time of year to feast on the lush grasses and luxuriate in seasonal pools. A short walk led us to some open pastures, dotted with tortoises happily munching away like so many reptilian cows. Photographers were delighted by the many photo opportunities, including a duckweed-covered pond filled with more than half a dozen animals in what seemed a state of aquatic bliss. Elsewhere many of us saw a Vermillion Flycatcher, a tiny bird as bright as a Cardinal, using the back of tortoise as a perch to look for insect prey.
After several hours, we reluctantly returned to town, with its t-shirt shops and outdoor bars, and re-boarded Polaris – a fantastic day, among one of the world’s most extraordinary animals.
