Santa Cruz Island
Early in the morning we arrived to Santa Cruz Island. We anchored in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora Town. This town maintains the largest human population in Galápagos. We dedicated the whole day to the Galápagos giant tortoises.
During the morning we had a great time visiting the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS). There we had a chance to see different varieties of land tortoises, and we saw some land iguanas as well. The main reason to keep these reptiles in captivity is using them for breeding purposes. Many of the populations of these reptiles almost became extinct due to excessive hunting and introduced animals. At the breeding center, giant tortoises and land iguanas are bred in captivity; Once they reach a certain size they are released in the wild when appropriate.
At CDRS, we also had the privilege to see the most famous tortoise from Galápagos, Lonesome George. Giant tortoises, like George, begin to breed during the rainy season. Our hope this year is that he will mate with his females once again, and hopefully this time he will finally become a father. After visiting the Darwin Station we had the opportunity to walk around Puerto Ayora. We had a great time exploring every corner of the town and its picturesque lifestyle as well.
Around midday we left Puerto Ayora and went to the highlands to have lunch and to explore this wonderful place. We were there to observe the giant tortoises in the wild. We were successful, for we saw many feeding and walking. Some were placidly sleeping underneath trees and bushes. We walked slowly and admired them in silence trying not to interrupt their natural behavior.
After this observation time, we boarded our “endemic” buses, to finally arrive to the pit craters. We reached an elevation of approximately 1,900 feet. We encountered there a thick forest with lots of mosses and lichens covering the trees. It looked as if we were suddenly transported to a rain or a cloud forest. We had a great time observing the endemic Galápagos giant daisies (Scalesia), as well as some of the most special birds to be observed up there. We spotted Small tree finches, a Woodpecker finch, and Vegetarian finches.
We had a wonderful day and we feel very content to be able to share all this beauty with our new friends.
Early in the morning we arrived to Santa Cruz Island. We anchored in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora Town. This town maintains the largest human population in Galápagos. We dedicated the whole day to the Galápagos giant tortoises.
During the morning we had a great time visiting the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS). There we had a chance to see different varieties of land tortoises, and we saw some land iguanas as well. The main reason to keep these reptiles in captivity is using them for breeding purposes. Many of the populations of these reptiles almost became extinct due to excessive hunting and introduced animals. At the breeding center, giant tortoises and land iguanas are bred in captivity; Once they reach a certain size they are released in the wild when appropriate.
At CDRS, we also had the privilege to see the most famous tortoise from Galápagos, Lonesome George. Giant tortoises, like George, begin to breed during the rainy season. Our hope this year is that he will mate with his females once again, and hopefully this time he will finally become a father. After visiting the Darwin Station we had the opportunity to walk around Puerto Ayora. We had a great time exploring every corner of the town and its picturesque lifestyle as well.
Around midday we left Puerto Ayora and went to the highlands to have lunch and to explore this wonderful place. We were there to observe the giant tortoises in the wild. We were successful, for we saw many feeding and walking. Some were placidly sleeping underneath trees and bushes. We walked slowly and admired them in silence trying not to interrupt their natural behavior.
After this observation time, we boarded our “endemic” buses, to finally arrive to the pit craters. We reached an elevation of approximately 1,900 feet. We encountered there a thick forest with lots of mosses and lichens covering the trees. It looked as if we were suddenly transported to a rain or a cloud forest. We had a great time observing the endemic Galápagos giant daisies (Scalesia), as well as some of the most special birds to be observed up there. We spotted Small tree finches, a Woodpecker finch, and Vegetarian finches.
We had a wonderful day and we feel very content to be able to share all this beauty with our new friends.
