Today the National Geographic Islander dropped anchor in Academy bay on the island of Santa Cruz. We spent the entire day enjoying the wildlife found here, and also, as most of the inhabitants in Galapagos live here, it was a great opportunity to see what it’s like to live in harmony in such a unique place.
In the morning the first stop was at the breeding center for Giant tortoises that the National Park Service has been running since the 60s. Here we found many individuals of different species kept in captivity. Eventually they will provide us with eggs and through a process that takes a couples years, those young individuals will be released onto the islands their parents came from. We also found some land iguanas which are part of the project for recovering their numbers in the places where they have suffered the effects of alien species. After this visit our guests had time to explore the biggest town in the archipelago. The highlight of the waterfront boardwalk was the fishermen’s market, where the fishermen bring their catch to clean it. The fun is in watching all of the creatures gathering for scraps – sea lions, pelicans, gulls, etc.
Later we took buses to visit two places in the highlands of Santa Cruz. The first option was to visit the place where two local artisans make art out of recycled glass and paper. The other option was to visit a very interesting coffee plantation that is trying to change the productive matrix of the Galapagos.
Afterwards we moved to a restaurant before we visited a private farm. This property is in the migration path of the Giant tortoises that live here, so our guests had the opportunity to have a quiet and private moment with them. Also we went inside an ancient lava tube where molten rocks used to flow.
The day went by so fast that by the time we returned to the ship it was time for dinner and a show performed by local musicians.
