Santa Cruz Island
Today, as we eagerly disembarked on the second largest island in Galapagos, Santa Cruz, we were welcomed by outstanding weather; and as we took our pangas (commercially known as Zodiacs), we could all view the majestic size of the island and the town of Puerto Ayora. “Civilization once again” someone exclaimed on their first glimpse of this, the largest human settlement of the archipelago.
Impressively enough, as soon as we set foot at the entrance to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park administration offices, we all were mesmerized by this iguana basking in the sun on the hull of a kayak and yet everyone was, including this iguana, minding their own business.
With pictures like this one it is possible to grasp the tameness, or ecological naïveté, of the animals that coexist with us in the islands. We have just entered their world and yet get the feeling we are all welcome to share it. There is no aggressive display, no territorial confrontation, just coexistence, like this iguana on a kayak. Who would ever have thought something like this possible? There is surely a lesson here for humankind, especially in modern times.
With yet another new experience behind us, we enter the research station to visit their impressive rearing programs for our giant tortoises and land iguanas, to name just a couple of the many conservation programs that take place here. All of us took pictures and bonded with these strange creatures. After a walk through the town which provided an insight into the human culture here, we started to board our buses to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz, which in stark contrast to the rest of the archipelago are pretty much ever-green. Up there is where we can encounter a still-healthy population of Galapagos tortoises in the wild, and a great landscape.
A day full of adventure, in every respect. And as we return to the Polaris, the sun sets to mark yet another special expedition in the Galapagos Islands.
Today, as we eagerly disembarked on the second largest island in Galapagos, Santa Cruz, we were welcomed by outstanding weather; and as we took our pangas (commercially known as Zodiacs), we could all view the majestic size of the island and the town of Puerto Ayora. “Civilization once again” someone exclaimed on their first glimpse of this, the largest human settlement of the archipelago.
Impressively enough, as soon as we set foot at the entrance to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park administration offices, we all were mesmerized by this iguana basking in the sun on the hull of a kayak and yet everyone was, including this iguana, minding their own business.
With pictures like this one it is possible to grasp the tameness, or ecological naïveté, of the animals that coexist with us in the islands. We have just entered their world and yet get the feeling we are all welcome to share it. There is no aggressive display, no territorial confrontation, just coexistence, like this iguana on a kayak. Who would ever have thought something like this possible? There is surely a lesson here for humankind, especially in modern times.
With yet another new experience behind us, we enter the research station to visit their impressive rearing programs for our giant tortoises and land iguanas, to name just a couple of the many conservation programs that take place here. All of us took pictures and bonded with these strange creatures. After a walk through the town which provided an insight into the human culture here, we started to board our buses to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz, which in stark contrast to the rest of the archipelago are pretty much ever-green. Up there is where we can encounter a still-healthy population of Galapagos tortoises in the wild, and a great landscape.
A day full of adventure, in every respect. And as we return to the Polaris, the sun sets to mark yet another special expedition in the Galapagos Islands.
