Santa Cruz Island
We know that reptiles are more active early in the morning, when fair winds blow from the southeast, and the sun is low on the horizon. And as we want to find as many as possible, we disembark right after breakfast at the National Park dock, to meet Lonesome George and the other famous creatures, part of successful restoration programs. More than 5.000 baby tortoises have been repatriated already; their number increases every year, and the old giants of the Galápagos, slowly but surely, are recovering their status as the main herbivores of the islands.
Puerto Ayora is very alive, with bikes, cars, and people walking along the main road and along the sea. We take our buses to the highlands, and stop at Bellavista, a little village where we can see a sugar press at work; we try fresh sugar cane juice and fruits and coffee from the Galápagos.
We are never sure about the tortoises in the wild. They migrate up and down the island depending on the season. How many will we find this time? We can never promise a number, and being optimistic, I was hoping for a couple, maybe three. But our guests counted at least 20, spread out in the fields where the grass is abundant and life is good for them.
And life has been good for us, on board National Geographic Islander.
