Santa Cruz Island
After sailing around the western coast of Santa Cruz, we reached Academy bay on the southern realm of this central island. Our activities began with lunch on one of the local hotels where food was just wonderful. We enjoyed the local cuisine and tropical fruits that grow on the islands, as well as some that are found on the mainland. The local farmers produce enough for the community so we can find papayas, bananas, oranges, lemons, coffee, tomatoes and timber.
Some of our younger guests had a lot of fun swimming at the hotel’s pool while others took a walk around the beach where many Germans established a long time ago, therefore, the place got the name of the German beach. Some of their descendents still live here.
For the afternoon, we headed toward the highlands and visited the “Gemelos” or pit craters where an endemic forest of Scalesia trees, also known as Galápagos giant daisies, were observed together with a great variety of Darwin’s finches, Galápagos doves, Galápagos mockingbirds, and lots of epiphytes.
One of the main attractions was visiting a place that giant tortoises use as part of their migratory route up to the moist highlands during the dry cold season. We encountered several land tortoises around the place. Some were busy looking for food, while others were looking for a place to sleep and rest until tomorrow morning.
After visiting the tortoises in the wild, we went to the head quarters of the Charles Darwin Research Center and had a pleasant time learning about their efforts to save the endemic species from extinction.
As we returned aboard, we enjoyed the red and orange colors of sunset, and after dinner, we had musicians coming from Puerto Ayora for a show and party in a “Galapagenian” style.
After sailing around the western coast of Santa Cruz, we reached Academy bay on the southern realm of this central island. Our activities began with lunch on one of the local hotels where food was just wonderful. We enjoyed the local cuisine and tropical fruits that grow on the islands, as well as some that are found on the mainland. The local farmers produce enough for the community so we can find papayas, bananas, oranges, lemons, coffee, tomatoes and timber.
Some of our younger guests had a lot of fun swimming at the hotel’s pool while others took a walk around the beach where many Germans established a long time ago, therefore, the place got the name of the German beach. Some of their descendents still live here.
For the afternoon, we headed toward the highlands and visited the “Gemelos” or pit craters where an endemic forest of Scalesia trees, also known as Galápagos giant daisies, were observed together with a great variety of Darwin’s finches, Galápagos doves, Galápagos mockingbirds, and lots of epiphytes.
One of the main attractions was visiting a place that giant tortoises use as part of their migratory route up to the moist highlands during the dry cold season. We encountered several land tortoises around the place. Some were busy looking for food, while others were looking for a place to sleep and rest until tomorrow morning.
After visiting the tortoises in the wild, we went to the head quarters of the Charles Darwin Research Center and had a pleasant time learning about their efforts to save the endemic species from extinction.
As we returned aboard, we enjoyed the red and orange colors of sunset, and after dinner, we had musicians coming from Puerto Ayora for a show and party in a “Galapagenian” style.
