We wake up anchored at Academy Bay of Santa Cruz Island, the second largest of the group of islands and also the economic capital of the province of Galapagos.
This is also the home of the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. One male tortoise who lived in California, Diego, was named after the San Diego zoo where he spent many years and he helped reestablish the tortoise population. Now the population is substantially increasing into the thousands. It has become one of the most successful breeding projects that has been carried out. Other tortoises found here are from different islands for breeding porpoises, while others are here just for protection as they once were people’s pets.
After our tour we had time to visit town and do some shopping. This very unique town is quite picturesque with habitants from different regions of Ecuador and the world.
From there we boarded a bus that took us to a local farm with a sugarcane press where we are able to try different products produced artisanally like, brown sugar, bananas, melazas, coffee, chocolate covered coffee beans. Afterward we arrived at a restaurant in the highlands for lunch.
After this break we boarded the buses again, this time to go look for giant tortoises in the wild. This is an exiting part of the expedition because this time of the year the tortoises are abundant in the area, languidly eating grass in the mist. The vegetation is also impressive as this area is cultivated by local farmers, large trees paint the scene.
We returned to town after this fantastic excursion for a little more of time to explore and then we returned to the National Geographic Islander.
Another adventure has concluded successfully.
