Santa Cruz Island
Today we anchored in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. After breakfast we visited the giant tortoise breeding center. On our way we observed the interesting vegetation in the coastal or littoral zone. This zone includes cacti, mangroves and halophyte plants.
In the Darwin Center we learned about the breeding program and got to see the giant tortoises that live there. Amongst them are saddleback tortoises from Espanola Island. This group includes a famous inhabitant, Diego. This individual came back from the San Diego Zoo to help with the restoration of this species.
We could not miss Lonesome George who is by far the most famous tortoise in the Galápagos. He is, unfortunately, the last survivor from the island of Pinta, which is located in the northern area of the archipelago. We also enjoyed watching the baby tortoises at the Rearing Center. The eggs that are being incubated in the Center here hatch and live there for a couple of years before being repatriated to their original islands.
After this visit we moved to the highlands where we were served a succulent meal at "Altair" Restaurant which is located in the highlands of Santa Cruz. From the restaurant it is possible to see Puerto Ayora town and some of the surrounding islands. Right after this we drove a bit higher into the highlands to look at the incredible pit craters and the giant tortoises in the wild. The giant tortoises were seen roaming through the lush forest of the island. We observed several individuals walking through the exuberant vegetation while a light rain covered the area.
The whole day was an exciting and interesting experience.
