Early this morning we woke up anchored by the largest town of the Galápagos archipelago, Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Daybreak was quite a spectacular scene. The low golden light from the emerging sun made the many white boats of different sizes turn into hues of orange and yellow, while a complete rainbow framed the distant misty hills, rocky multilayered cliffs, and the center of Puerto Ayora.
Our main goal today was to experience some of the local culture of the inhabitants of this very remote place, and to see, learn about, and photograph the iconic animal that gave its name to these islands, the giant tortoise of Galápagos.
After disembarkation we visited the famous Charles Darwin Research Station to see the successful program for the breeding and restoration of these giant reptiles and the last home of “Lonesome George,” the last of the Pinta Island giant tortoises. Later we walked the main road in town, stopping at the fish market with its regular local customers—sea lions and brown pelicans. Our guests had the opportunity to do some shopping in the many nice little stores that sell local handmade crafts. Around noon we rode private buses toward the highlands on our quest to see giant tortoises in the wild.
Half way up we stopped to visit a small farm, have lunch and sample some of the products of Puerto Ayora. After lunch we drove a little more to the highlands, where we were pleased to observe what appeared to be very large moving boulders. We were impressed with how successfully the tortoise have been protected and looked after, and how plentiful they are at this elevation. Needless to say, we all had great views of these incredible prehistoric-looking creatures. The mission was accomplished!
Aside from the giant tortoises, we had nice views of lava lizards, Galápagos mockingbirds, yellow warblers, white-cheeked pintails, common moorhens, and different species of Darwin finches including the elusive woodpecker finch.
Today was slightly different from the others. We had a mostly land-based experience with local Galapagueño culture and food, and visited the highlands where we added a few new and unique species to our wildlife sightings list and enjoyed a particularly close encounter with the giant land tortoises of Galápagos.
Another great day!
