Today we began our day on Santa Cruz Island, the second largest island in the Galapagos archipelago. This island is also the location of the “Fausto Llerena” giant tortoise breeding center.
We left the ship after breakfast and went to the giant tortoises breeding center, where we found these reptiles in different corrals. We had the opportunity to see tortoises at various different life stages, from tiny babies, to mid-sized juveniles, and finally to large adults. After taking care of the juveniles for about four years, these tortoises will return to their natural habitat, back to the same island that their parents came from. We also observed lots of land birds, such as Galapagos mockingbirds, Darwin finches and the very colorful yellow warblers. The recent rains have brought a lot of fresh water, and food is abundant for all land birds, therefore mating season is at its highest peak.
At the end of our walk around the breeding center and towards the end of the morning, we boarded some local buses and went to the highlands to visit a local farm. Some of our guests chose to bike from town to the same local farm; where we learned about the way of life for these highland farmers, and we had the opportunity to observe the whole process of making coffee, and how the sugar cane is made into alcohol and molasses. After this presentation, we left the farm and went to have lunch at a local restaurant in the highlands, surrounded with the most beautiful gardens. After lunch, we drove further into the highlands to the giant tortoise’s reserve, anxious for an opportunity to see wild tortoises roaming freely. We walked around the area and encountered several tortoises in their natural habitat, with many actively feeding of the green grasses and wallowing in the mud ponds.
At the end of our day on Santa Cruz Island, we returned to the National Geographic Endeavour and enjoyed a presentation of music and dancers from Galapagos and the Andes. What a fun way to end another exciting day in the Galapagos!
