Today we visited Santa Cruz Island, which is home to the largest human population in the Galapagos. This was our chance to visit the very famous Charles Darwin Research Station and the breeding center, where the giant tortoises are bred in captivity in order to repopulate the islands. It was great to see the efforts to support and protect these huge animals that can be as heavy as two grown men. We were also able to see the different types of tortoises in close proximity, both the dome types as well as the saddleback types, which are the ones inspired the word Galapagos.
The land iguanas also contributed to making today’s show even better. We observed them eating and wandering around their pen, not at all disturbed by all of the visitors who had come to see them and take pictures.
Later in the afternoon, we offered several options. Some of our guests chose to visit a school in the highlands called Tomas de Berlanga, while other preferred to go on an extended bike ride. But as the morning continued, our bikers got trapped with the rain. We all came together for a presentation at a local coffee and sugar cane farm, where we had the chance to see their production and sample some local artisanal products.
Eventually, we moved to a restaurant for delicious lunch up on the highlands of Santa Cruz. During our meal, the weather changed again to a pouring rain, but many of us continued to our last excursion, a visit to a private farm where giant tortoises in the wild are found.
There is nothing better than going to a place with overwhelming encounters with the amazing animals and landscapes, but it is also interesting to do it in moody weather! Today’s experiences showed us what an incredible place the Galapagos is, in rain or shine!
