Santa Cruz Island
What a wonderful and unusual way to spend Christmas Day! It was thrilling to be able to explore a natural area like the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. It almost seemed that we had traveled back in time when we came upon one of these huge reptiles (see photo) in a lush field of amazingly green vegetation. I was inspired to contemplate how varied and how fragile our planet Earth really is.
These incredible Galapagos Islands, located smack on the equator and considered the last pristine archipelago remaining in the world, have been isolated for millions of years. Because of this isolation most of the unique species still survive in healthy numbers and both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems are still intact. As our guests have observed this week, every island is distinctive and each visit is an exciting new experience.
What a wonderful and unusual way to spend Christmas Day! It was thrilling to be able to explore a natural area like the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. It almost seemed that we had traveled back in time when we came upon one of these huge reptiles (see photo) in a lush field of amazingly green vegetation. I was inspired to contemplate how varied and how fragile our planet Earth really is.
These incredible Galapagos Islands, located smack on the equator and considered the last pristine archipelago remaining in the world, have been isolated for millions of years. Because of this isolation most of the unique species still survive in healthy numbers and both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems are still intact. As our guests have observed this week, every island is distinctive and each visit is an exciting new experience.
