Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz looks a bit overcast, but we know this means good news. It will be cool and fresh, ideal for a walk through Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galápagos. Above all, it is great for finding tortoises at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. As the good reptiles they are, they are out of the bushes and become more active during cool mornings.
We have many families on board. As younger explorers disembark, they eagerly take with them their scavenger hunt lists for the day. They have to look for three people on the same bike, a tortoise the size of a donut and a bird with red feathers, among other things. As the day passes by and as they visit the different areas of this island, they go finding everything, and more, as Galápagos is a wonderful mind-opening place, not only for kids, but for everyone.
Tortoises in the wild, the pit craters, and a walk through the endemic Scalesia forest are a few of the many highlights of the day. Younger explorers get their prizes, great bracelets made in Ecuador, but we all get the biggest gift, which is being here exploring one of the most pristine places on Earth.
