Today we disembarked at the pier of Puerto Ayora and made our way to the Darwin Research Station to visit the Giant Tortoise Rearing Center. This complex is located close to the sea and amid a forest of centenary giant cacti, some of them 30 feet high.

The place has a beautiful wooden trail and next to it some “corrals,” where baby tortoises are well protected. On our walk, we found several large tortoises of different shapes and sizes. Some have shells that resemble the saddle for a horse and are called “saddle backs.” Others had the rounded shape of a “camping tent.” Each giant tortoise can reach weights of 500 pounds or more.

Overall we saw about 100 tortoises from five different islands of the Galapagos. We capped our visit by paying respects to Lonesome George, the famous last member of the Pinta Island species, who died in 2012. After undergoing a careful taxidermy process in New York City, he is now displayed behind glass in the Giant Tortoises Rearing Center.

Later on, we walked along the main street of Puerto Ayora, where we stopped by the fishing dock. Local fishermen deliver their daily catch to the fish market where customers are joined by scavenging sea lions, pelicans and frigates trying to get a piece of a fish.

Afterward, we boarded a bus to visit a sugar cane farm, where we observed traditional methods for making sugar, “melaza” syrup, and “agua ardiente” a very strong alcohol. We also saw how coffee and cocoa is processed after being harvested.

After a wonderful lunch at a local farm, we walked for about an hour and saw many tortoises of different size in the wild. These giant tortoises were wandering around a water pond and along the trails located in this forested area of the Island of Santa Cruz. It was wonderful to see them in their natural environment, where some have lived peacefully for many, many years.

On the way back to the port, we stopped to examine a lava tube, a very interesting feature of these volcanic islands. In the evening, back on board our vessel, we enjoyed cocktails while watching a beautiful sunset.