Santa Cruz Island

Early in the morning, we began the day visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station. It is one of the most famous places in Galápagos because it is where giant tortoise breeding programs were started in 1964. Today was not a day of marine animals, but of the highlands and the giant tortoise, the emblematic creature that gave the name to the islands.

As soon as we arrived in Puerto Ayora we disembarked at a brand new main dock that opened just a few days ago. Already at the Darwin Station, we started our visit at the small interpretation center where we saw the different morphotypes of carapaces from the different species of tortoises. It is interesting how different these reptiles are depending on the topography of the islands. Afterwards, we visited the baby giant tortoise corrals where we could really appreciate just how successful breeding programs in Galápagos have been.

Of course, a special mention must be made for the most famous giant tortoise of all: Lonesome George. We were excited to hear the news that one of Lonesome George’s female friends laid 5 eggs a few days ago. It gives us hope to think that this time the eggs will be fertile and save Lonesome George’s linage. Another famous giant tortoise we visited today was Diego. He was taken from Hood Island to the San Diego Zoo in 1905, and then brought back to Galápagos in the 1960’s. Everyone enjoyed the story of how he helped repopulate his kind, increasing the populating to more than two thousand.

When we finished our visit at the Darwin Station, we boarded a bus that took us to the highlands. Once there, we crossed the lava tunnel which is about 300 meters long. Inside we saw stalactite and stalagmite formations. Soon afterwards we had lunch.

We discovered the other face of Galápagos; this hidden place is usually unknown to visitors. It is incredible that on an island, after only a very short bus ride from the coast, we were in a zone with a very different weather pattern providing lush and dense vegetation, a paradise for the giant tortoises.