Santa Cruz Island
This day was the day to see the spectacular Galápagos giant tortoises and the friendly “Galapagueños” the people from the Galápagos Islands. For me, it was a very special day because I was excited to show everybody the island where I was born.
In the morning, I took my group to the Galápagos Tortoise Rearing Centre and went straight to the corral of the big males. The guests stood there with astonished faces, realizing that the tortoises were bigger than they had imagined. Right after that, I led them to see Super Diego, Lonesome George and the tiny little baby tortoises. We spoke of how successful the breeding program has been over the years.
Later in the morning, my group had time to wander around Puerto Ayora to get a feel for what it is like to live on this isolated and peaceful island. This occurred just before going to the highlands to walk through a long lava tunnel at El Chato Reserve. Here, at an altitude of approximately 400 metres above sea level, we had a delicious lunch and enjoyed the scenery from the top of the island. Then with our energy fully recharged, I took them on a hike to look for tortoises in the wild and to explore “The Twins,” two pit craters that are surrounded by Scalesia, an endemic tree of the Galápagos Islands.
After such an outstanding visit we all came back on board, where a brown pelican sat watching our every move to prepare for our journey west.
This day was the day to see the spectacular Galápagos giant tortoises and the friendly “Galapagueños” the people from the Galápagos Islands. For me, it was a very special day because I was excited to show everybody the island where I was born.
In the morning, I took my group to the Galápagos Tortoise Rearing Centre and went straight to the corral of the big males. The guests stood there with astonished faces, realizing that the tortoises were bigger than they had imagined. Right after that, I led them to see Super Diego, Lonesome George and the tiny little baby tortoises. We spoke of how successful the breeding program has been over the years.
Later in the morning, my group had time to wander around Puerto Ayora to get a feel for what it is like to live on this isolated and peaceful island. This occurred just before going to the highlands to walk through a long lava tunnel at El Chato Reserve. Here, at an altitude of approximately 400 metres above sea level, we had a delicious lunch and enjoyed the scenery from the top of the island. Then with our energy fully recharged, I took them on a hike to look for tortoises in the wild and to explore “The Twins,” two pit craters that are surrounded by Scalesia, an endemic tree of the Galápagos Islands.
After such an outstanding visit we all came back on board, where a brown pelican sat watching our every move to prepare for our journey west.
