We left Floreana soon after midnight and navigated north on a calm sea towards the southeastern coast of Santa Cruz Island. When we awoke we found ourselves back in “civilization!” Academy Bay was full of yachts and ships and there were buildings all along the shoreline; we could see the farms way up in the highlands. The sun was shining bright - what a lovely - but HOT- morning!
After a bountiful breakfast we stepped into the Zodiacs and landed on the main town dock. We boarded three buses and drove to the Charles Darwin Station and headquarters of the Galapagos National Park. Our naturalists Jose, Silvia and Juan Carlos took us along a cobble paved road and showed us the native gardens of the Darwin Station. We identified the fourth mockingbird species and several of the gray and black Darwin’s finches. We learned that the large saddleback tortoises housed in a rocky enclosure have been brought from the slopes of Wolf Volcano and are new additions to the captive breeding program. “Super Diego,” an enthusiastic male tortoise and excellent breeder from the island of Española, has helped to increase the population on that island, and brought this tortoise species back from the brink of extinction!
We walked along the shoreline road and through the town of Puerto Ayora. The fish market was busy and eager pelicans were begging for scraps! At The Rock café, we were delighted to rest and sip fresh pineapple juice in the shade. Then we boarded our buses for a 20 minute drive into the lush cool green highlands of Santa Cruz. We visited a small family run coffee and sugar cane plantation called El Trapiche. Here we learned how the coffee is roasted and processed and sampled the results. Sugar cane juice is extracted and boiled to make molasses and brown sugar and we enjoyed tasting the cane juice, cane liquor and sugar products. Best of all were the bananas hanging by the bunch and sweet as could be!
We climbed back on the buses for a 20 minute drive further into highlands to a restaurant where we had a delicious lunch of grilled chicken and vegetables. And on our final outing for the day, we drove down the southwestern slopes Santa Cruz in search of giant tortoises. Dozens of these huge, ancient reptiles were wandering and feeding, slowly moving through the lush green grasses, free to come and go as they had for millennium. There was plenty of time to photograph the tortoises, and some of us ended up taking dozens and dozens of pictures! We followed our guides into a lava tunnel and learned that volcanic islands are crisscrossed with these structures.
In the late afternoon we descended by bus to the town of Puerto Ayora. Many of our guests returned to the ship for a late “siesta” before our evening recap; a few stayed on shore to people watch or for a last chance at shopping. Tonight after dinner we were thoroughly entertained by a music and dance group, EcoArte. The group is organized by a high school art and music teacher and his dance teacher wife –and the show was delightful. I was amazed that our guests still had energy to spare and eagerly joined in the dancing! We have had another full, different and interesting day in the Islas Encantadas of Galapagos!
