Early this morning we arrived to Academy Bay on the southern part of Santa Cruz Island. After breakfast we landed on the Galapagos National Park Service dock and headed to the Galapagos Giant Tortoises Breeding Center. This center has been named “Fausto Llerena Breeding Center” after the park ranger who has worked in this center for more than 35 years and looked after late Lonesome George until he died two years ago.
This was a great day as we enjoyed observing the most emblematical animal in Galapagos: the giant tortoise. The eggs are collected from the corrals where tortoises lay them and then incubated for 3-4 months. The juveniles will stay here for about 4 years and are then released in the wild, to the same islands of their parents’ origin. Another species that is unique to Galapagos, and is endangered like tortoises, is the Galapagos land iguana. We got to see a few iguanas in their corrals this morning.
As we left the rearing center, we walked through town and supported the local economy by shopping for some of the handicrafts made here. Later in the morning we had a few options; we had a chance to go on a bike to a local farm where coffee and sugar cane are grown, or go to a local school with a great system of having classes in contact with nature, or just to go directly to this colorful farm and experience how locals live in the highlands of Santa Cruz.
As we left the school or the farm we drove further inland and went to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch we got on buses and had a great time exploring an area where we encountered some wild Galapagos giant tortoises roaming free. We were able to observe tortoises of different ages and sizes; some were small while others were quite large. Most tortoises were actively feeding on the vegetation that grows around the humid zone. At this time of the year the tortoises are still migrating to the highlands where food and water is plentiful. After observing these emblematic animals we returned to town. We spent the evening enjoying a lovely show with local dancers and musicians that came aboard to entertain everyone.
Great day with tortoises in Galapagos!
