Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island is the second largest Island in the Galápagos Archipelago and the most populated of all. We landed this morning at the main pier, and then boarded buses to go to the Charles Darwin Research Station. The rearing center for giant tortoises was the highlight for our guests; many tortoises were found, and it was outstanding to see the hatchlings and surprising to realize they would grow to tremendous sizes, with weights that exceed 500 pounds!
After the visit to the Darwin Station our guests had some free time to walk through town, and see how local people live in such a protected place.
In the afternoon we headed up to the highlands of Santa Cruz, where we had lunch in a local restaurant. Afterwards we explored a natural reserve looking for tortoises; some of us found four, and one was very big–it was estimated this tortoise could have been at least 90 years old!
The highlands of Santa Cruz gave us the chance to see a lot of land birds, especially Darwin’s finches and yellow warblers. Near the end of our day we stopped at a lava tube and explored this geological formation.
In the evening, after dinner, local musicians came on board to give us a show with dances and typical Ecuadorian music.
