We enjoyed a calm navigation from the previous stop. The ocean in the archipelago remains as calm as you can expect during this season. Early in the morning we dropped anchor and organized everything for an early morning expedition. By 7:30 a.m. the group was ready to disembark at the dry dock of the Galapagos Park Service with great expectations for today, knowing that it will be the giant tortoise day. At the station we stopped in almost every single exhibit, with only the intention of understanding these incredible creatures. As a plus, we know the intentions and effort the Darwin Station and the Galapagos National Park Service go through to keep up with the conservation of this very special natural corner of the planet.
We have seen the first corral of the six tortoises from Isabela Island, and talked about Super Diego and his fourteen tortoise friends sharing a common ideal. We walked by the enclosure of the iguana’s part of the breeding center, and soon after that we visited the area where Lonesome George lived for a little over twenty years, sometimes with a couple of females from Wolf Volcano Isabela Island. We saved the very best for last and visited the breeding center’s baby tortoises at the end of our visit.
For the afternoon the destination was different. After a great lunch at the highland restaurant, we rode the buses to stop in a privilege farming area where wild tortoises were all around. The combination of these incredible creatures and the natural scenery of the area made everything seem a bit unreal, but we certainly enjoyed the unique experience. We had a long time to observe and enjoy this animal in its own environment. With an explanation, we now understand that tortoises are migrating across the farming area of the island of Santa Cruz Island to reproduce.
Now its time to ride the buses back to Puerto Ayora, the largest town in Galapagos, to relax and enjoy the good time on board the National Geographic Endeavour and hear what special things we have on the agenda for tomorrow.
