Santa Cruz Island
Early in the morning we arrived to Puerto Ayora, the economic capital of the Galápagos Islands. Big waves and sunny breezes welcomed us. We had a tasty breakfast and afterward disembarked at the main town’s dock. We headed our footsteps toward the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station. Once there, we saw some scientists passing by and curious buildings, donated by people from all over the world, some with Swiss-style roofs or with cozy chimneys. Then we went directly to our Ecuadorian counterpart, the Galápagos National Park, where all the action is: the breeding and repatriation program for giant tortoises.
Here, many of these animals are kept in captivity so they can breed, and repopulate the islands. Introduced animals, such as goats, have produced devastating effects in the tortoise ecosystems. We saw Lonesome George as well, probably the most famous tortoise in the world because, unfortunately, he is the last one of his kind.
After the visit, we walked back to the center of town. All the shops and cafes were open and full of smiles, waiting for us. We boarded buses to go the highlands, where we had our lunch in a local restaurant among birds and misty rain, known locally as “garua”. I particularly loved the vegetarian choices and the desserts!
Some Galápagos giant tortoises were waiting for us in the wild, so we obliged. As an extra perk, we visited a geo-morphological formation known as the Twin Craters...having identical twins in the group as well was the cherry on top of the cake.
