Santa Cruz
We anchored this morning shortly before dawn in Academy Bay, off the southeastern coast of the large island of Santa Cruz. The sun rose and we awoke, and the lights of the town of Puerto Ayora dimmed as the sky brightened. This port town is the largest in the archipelago with a population of over 20,000; it is home to the headquarters of both the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park Service. This morning our Naturalists took us to the tortoise breeding center at CDRS where we saw both the adults tortoises used in the captive breeding program, and several groups of hatchling and yearling tortoises that will be repatriated to the islands of their origin in the years to come. We were delighted to observe both of the “celebrity tortoises” — Lonesome George — the last tortoise from the northern island of Pinta – and Super Diego – a prolific male from the endangered population of Española who was returned to the islands, and to the breeding program, by the San Diego Zoo.
We followed the shoreline drive into town and had great fun at the fish market where pelicans and sea lions begged for and stole tidbits of fish that were being cleaned for sale. We snapped countless photos and shot videos of the hilarious interactions between the fearless Galápagos scavengers and the fishermen. We boarded and ducked into blue and white buses for a fifteen minute drive to the agricultural town of Bella Vista.
Our first stop was to see how sugar cane is pressed to make cane juice. We sampled cane juice with or without a generous splash of the local “firewater” and also tasted freshly brewed organically grown coffee from the islands. Then we boarded the buses again and drove further into the interior highlands of Santa Cruz. At the mouth of a lava tunnel we made our second stop and were given the option to cross through underground or stay on the bus until we reached a rustic open-air restaurant. Most of our guests descended wooden and lava steps into the damp darkness of the lava tunnel. With the aid of a string of bare light bulbs and our flashlights, we walked a quarter of a mile and then climbed back into the sunshine.
The lunch buffet was abundant and delicious; afterwards we went in search of giant tortoises in the lush pastures and shrubbery of El Chato farm. We found several and took numerous photos before boarding the buses again to visit Los Gemelos – the twin pit craters. Finches were plentiful in the endemic giant daisy or Scalesia trees. We recorded several we had not previously seen: the vegetarian, the small tree and the warbler finches.
Back in town again, there was time to shop and people watch. Puerto Ayora is a clean and friendly town, and the inhabitants live, for the most part, from tourism and are extremely welcoming to international travelers. We enjoyed our day in town and were glad to have seen both the Research Station and the highlands. But, we are eager to return to the pristine uninhabited islands tomorrow, and are looking forward to both kayaking and snorkeling in the days to come.
