This morning by the time our guests got up we were anchored at Academy Bay at the south end of Santa Cruz Island. It was a beautiful morning and by 8:15 a.m. all of 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 Center. This is a program that 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 others to a cyber café.
By 11:00 a.m. our guests 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 guests had a fun experience with a local family and their lifestyle. We tried some of the sugar cane juice as well as the liquor that is produced at the farm. After this visit we got back on the buses and headed to 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. Here everybody had the chance to observe these magnificent reptiles in their natural habitat and learn about their natural history.
By 4:30 p.m. everybody got back to town. Some of the guests decided to return directly to the National Geographic Endeavour while others stayed later to spend time in the many souvenir shops or trying the streetside 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.
