Santa Cruz & North Seymour Islands
Our nature oriented trip took a little detour through one of the most populated areas in the Galápagos, Puerto Ayora. This harbor is located in the southern most part of Santa Cruz Island, and its vibrant community is dedicated mostly to fishing and tourism.
After an early morning wake up call, a short bus ride took us through town and up to the highlands of Santa Cruz to our encounter with the ancient and pre-historic looking Giant tortoises! It was a very successful outing since lots of tortoises were found already in the middle of the trail only a few feet after exiting the bus. Some of them were pretty young tortoises, while others were very old but they were all big enough!
Once down in town, we walked along the main road of Pto Ayora adorned with a collage of signs advertising souvenirs. We all had the chance to pick one or two t-shirts along the way, but the most interesting part was to see how a community located in the middle of nowhere developed so successfully.
The afternoon on North Seymour was tremendously successful, as well. We encountered a large number of species not too far away from the main landing site. Sea lion pups were definitely one of the main attractions, but we cannot deny that the frigate birds, with their red gular sacs inflated, were spectacular!
Days are passing by here in this incredible paradise with lots to see and learn, and we are enjoying every minute of it. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Our nature oriented trip took a little detour through one of the most populated areas in the Galápagos, Puerto Ayora. This harbor is located in the southern most part of Santa Cruz Island, and its vibrant community is dedicated mostly to fishing and tourism.
After an early morning wake up call, a short bus ride took us through town and up to the highlands of Santa Cruz to our encounter with the ancient and pre-historic looking Giant tortoises! It was a very successful outing since lots of tortoises were found already in the middle of the trail only a few feet after exiting the bus. Some of them were pretty young tortoises, while others were very old but they were all big enough!
Once down in town, we walked along the main road of Pto Ayora adorned with a collage of signs advertising souvenirs. We all had the chance to pick one or two t-shirts along the way, but the most interesting part was to see how a community located in the middle of nowhere developed so successfully.
The afternoon on North Seymour was tremendously successful, as well. We encountered a large number of species not too far away from the main landing site. Sea lion pups were definitely one of the main attractions, but we cannot deny that the frigate birds, with their red gular sacs inflated, were spectacular!
Days are passing by here in this incredible paradise with lots to see and learn, and we are enjoying every minute of it. Looking forward to tomorrow!
