A very sunny sky over Santa Cruz Island was an indicator that a fantastic expedition was about to begin in the Galapagos archipelago. Our goal was to get underway to the Charles Darwin Research Station in order to learn about the different giant tortoise breeding programs in captivity. Puerto Ayora, the biggest town in all of the inhabited islands, is where the headquarters for both the National Park and the Charles Darwin Station are located.
The visit to the rearing center of tortoises gave us the opportunity to witness one of the most successful projects the Galapagos Islands has had, The Española Island breeding program. The presence of land iguanas inside the corral revealed that efforts of restoration have happened with other Galapagos species as well.
Throughout the morning activities we learned about the conservation projects for the Galapagos Islands. Our experience was enhanced by interacting with local people from the different boutiques found along Main Street. We also had a lot of fun at the fish market where we observed many different species begging for leftovers.
Later in the morning we boarded buses to go to the highlands. It was quite impressive to see how the vegetation changes with the altitude on the same Island. Before going to the local restaurant for lunch, we stopped at El Trapiche, a sugar cane producing farm in order to experience the lifestyle of people from the highlands.
After our lunch we took the buses and went to an open field to look for giant tortoises in the wild. Chelonoides porteri individuals were found around the open areas of the private property we visited. Some of the big males were very active as they were eating the grassy plants distributed along the surface of the ground. Lava tubes were a bonus to our outings in the highlands. It was a memorable experience to venture into one of these impressive volcanic structures.
At the end of our journey, we had the satisfaction of having experienced the presence of iconic giant tortoises. We are ready for more adventures in the Galapagos Islands!
