This morning we anchored at Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island. A large extinct volcano covered with clouds welcomed us. We could see the highlands from the bay, green and lush, an environment that we haven’t seen yet on our journey through Galapagos.
Our first visit was to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where we learned about the conservation efforts that the Galapagos National Park and this institution had been working on, for decades now, in order to preserve the Galapagos for the future. Among the main projects, we were able to visit some emblematic giant tortoises and we learned about the breeding program that takes place on several islands throughout the archipelago.
In the highlands later this afternoon, we were able to witness the results of these programs. As we made our way up the main road in our buses, we spotted already many of these giants wandering. Our first stop was a farm known as El Trapiche. Here we saw how the farmers lived in the past in Galapagos. We met the local family that runs this farm, and we tried the coffee and sugar cane alcohol that they make here. Afterwards, we had lunch in a beautiful restaurant, and finally we went to the limits of the National Park property to look for more tortoises.
After we had the chance to enjoy some time with these amazing creatures in their natural habitat, we headed back to town. After a full day away from our floating home, we were ready to go back to the National Geographic Endeavour! Once aboard, we were greeted by a nice surprise—some endemic music performed for us in our lounge, along with local dancers. At the end of this exciting day, we headed back to our cabins with smiles on our faces.
