Right in the heart of the archipelago we find the island of Santa Cruz. Being one of the four inhabited islands, it is the one that harbors the largest human population. With its houses lined up along its shores, it made us realize we were back in civilization.
This morning we set off to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, an internationally funded non-profit organization that has been established here since 1964. For almost five decades, the Research Station has joined efforts together with the Galapagos National Park Service to protect this fragile environment. Among their various goals is the restoration of the giant tortoise dynasty. Tortoise populations throughout the Galapagos were endangered or close to extinction and in order to prevent this from happening, this emblematic creature has been bred in captivity. The program has proved successful and today we witnessed this fact among the various corrals. Eggs are artificially incubated at the Breeding Center, called Centro Fausto Llerena, and young tortoises are kept here until their shells have hardened enough to protect themselves against introduced predators once they’re repatriated back on their original islands.
We saw these wonderful creatures at different stages of their lives, as well as several adults of both morphotypes- dome-carapaced and saddle-backed, belonging to this diverse archipelago. After the visit to the Darwin Centre, our guests had some time to explore the town at their own pace.
In the afternoon we headed out to explore of the humid regions of Santa Cruz Island by buses, which took us to the highlands. First we visited a local family of farmers that have 32 hectares and make products from their sugar cane plantation and organic coffee from Galapagos. It was a great experience to meet a local family and learn from them to be self-sufficient.
And just before our delicious lunch at a local restaurant, we explored a territory covered by giant tortoises. The humid zone of Santa Cruz is very interesting and very different as it stays moist during most of the year and the tortoises like this environment as foraging grounds. We visited one of the various farms that are in the migratory path of this amazing species which is unique to this archipelago, and we were able to find a few of them. The sighting of these real giants, relics of the past, is unforgettable. Perhaps due to their respectable size, they didn’t seem to mind us observing them from nearby.
In the late afternoon local musicians joined us on board and after dinner they performed for us and showed the way Galapagueños dance and enjoy music. It was a perfect ending for a big day!
