Early in the morning we all woke up to the sight of the picturesque town of Puerto Ayora on the horizon. Today was dedicated in its totality to the incomparable Galápagos giant tortoises. All of our guests had high hopes to see the giant reptiles of the Galapagos in the wilderness. Right after breakfast we started our expedition. Santa Cruz Island is the base for the two main institutions that work as partners in the preservation of this enchanted archipelago. The Galapagos National Park Service, which is an Ecuadorian governmental organization, and the world renowned Charles Darwin Research Station were both established in 1959. The institutions work together to collect, incubate, reproduce, repatriate, and ultimately save from extinction some of the vanishing Galapagos Giant tortoises subspecies.
Today this visitors’ site is undergoing a major change since they are under construction with new additions. There will soon be a section containing hybrid tortoises from Pinta and Floreana Island. Those individuals in the future may repopulate the aforementioned Islands after a long absence.
After visiting the Darwin Centre we had the opportunity to go on a delightful stroll along the colorful streets of Puerto Ayora, capital of Santa Cruz Island, to enjoy and take part in the routine activities of the community. The fisherman’s wharf is one of the most interesting places to visit. Today dozens of Brown pelicans were around the fishermen, who were cutting fish, with the hope to win a morsel. At around noon we went by bus to the highlands to continue with the planned activities of the day. Before lunch we made a brief, but interesting stop before arriving at the restaurant. We visited a sugar cane press at Bellavista Town where a local Galápagos family showed us how they process and make a living by growing sugar cane and coffee on their farm, “Finca Trapiche”. We even had time after this visit to cross a long lava tunnel, which is strategically located for it ends right in front of the restaurant’s entrance.
