Today is the only day we visited a populated area, the town of Puerto Ayora located at Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island, the third largest Island in the Galapagos.
It is always surprising for our guests to see the amount of boats on the harbor and the amount of houses and activity on this Island, but this is where the headquarters of the National Park and the Darwin Research Station were placed over 50 years ago, two entities dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Islands.
Our day started by landing at the dock of the National Park, to visit the Breeding Centre of Galapagos Tortoises run at the beginning by the Charles Darwin Station and now managed by the National Park. Here, our guests learned about the enormous efforts to bring these reptiles back to healthier populations, once and still threatened by the presence of introduced predators such as rats, pigs and cats.
At the Breeding Center visitors can see little hatchlings from different islands and different ages and sizes, which eventually are going to be repatriated back to their islands of origin. Along with the hatchlings, full size adult tortoises and land iguanas were seen at the center.
Afterwards, our guests had some time on their own to explore the exotic town of Puerto Ayora and its wonders, and of course for some this free time became a great shopping opportunity. Lots of souvenirs, some locally made, are found at the various shops, while beautiful art pieces are found in some of the fancy art galleries and shops.
On the way to our meeting point before boarding the local buses to discover the highlands of Santa Cruz, everybody had the chance to go by the fish-market where locals, sea lions and pelicans were fighting over the catch of the day!
Once we boarded the buses and after a short ride, the landscape started changing into a very lush forest. Cactus forests and mangroves were left behind as balsa, cedar and avocado trees were the predominant trees among a variety of endemic and native plants, including the famous Scalesia trees.
We visited a local farm, were the owners cultivated sugar cane and coffee, producing “melazas” and the local “guarapo” or “caña” a sort of moonshine. Then it was time for lunch at the beautiful restaurant “Narwhal” and after a healthy lunch with roasted chicken and vegetables, with a nice breeze and a sea view, all guests went in the search of the giant creatures, the famous Galapagos tortoises. It was a successful outing, as many tortoises were seen eating, resting and walking along the green pastures.
An exceptional day, with a good mix of science, conservation, culture, wildlife and shopping!
