This morning, by the time our guests awoke, we were anchored at Academy Bay at the south end of Santa Cruz Island. It was a beautiful morning and by 8:15 our guests already landed and were on their way to visit and learn about one of the most successful and iconic programs on ecological restoration of the islands, the Giant Tortoise Rearing Centre. This program is jointly run by the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station. After this visit our guests had the chance to walk across the community of Puerto Ayora where some of them did some souvenir shopping, others went for ice creams and other to a cyber café.
By 11:00 am our guest boarded buses and headed to the high lands of Santa Cruz Island to enjoy a visit to a sugar cane mill called El Trapiche. Here our guest had a fun experience with a local family and their lifestyle. We tried some of the sugar cane juice as well as the moonshine that is produced at the farm. After this visit we got back on the buses and headed the Aquelarre restaurant were we had a delicious lunch.
After lunch our guests continued by bus until we reached a private property owned by local Galapagueños which is located at the boundary of a Giant Tortoise Reserve. Everybody had the chance to observe these magnificent reptiles in their natural habitat and learn about their natural history. It was a bit muddy so people had to wear rubber boots for the hike.
By 4:30 in the afternoon everybody arrived back in town. Some of the guests decided to return directly to the National Geographic Islander while others stayed later to spend time visiting the many souvenir shops or trying the street side cafés of Puerto Ayora. By sunset everybody was back on board.
At the end of the day, right after dinner, our guests joined our visiting musicians and dancers for some entertainment at the lounge. It was another wonderful day in the Galapagos!
