Santa Cruz Island
This morning we awoke off the shores of Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island. This is one most beautiful, populated island within the Galápagos. Its beauty and importance resides in the fact that the Charles Darwin Research Station is located in this town, and by the way, it is also my home town!
We first visited the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the different programs designed to support the conservation and restoration of the Galápagos flora and fauna. This center represents a great deal to its inhabitants, human and otherwise. One of the most successful programs so far has been the breeding in captivity and repatriation of land iguanas and giant tortoises. It is thanks to the efforts from the people who run the programs that we are still able to appreciate fully pristine islands with their natural beauty.
Our second stop of the day included to spend time at a beautiful restaurant by request in middle of the highlands. Lunch was exquisite and the settings were adorned by wonderful scenery. Shortly after lunch we stop at Los Gemelos; a couple of humungous holes on the ground remnants of collapsed magma chambers now filled with vegetation. Today we were very lucky to see through the extremely foliated green trees the vermilion flycatcher! Then we headed to a large field the giant tortoise use as part of their migration route through the highlands.
To top it all off, we came back on board and in celebration for the 4th of July, a group of local musicians and their dancers delighted us with their local folklore.
This morning we awoke off the shores of Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island. This is one most beautiful, populated island within the Galápagos. Its beauty and importance resides in the fact that the Charles Darwin Research Station is located in this town, and by the way, it is also my home town!
We first visited the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the different programs designed to support the conservation and restoration of the Galápagos flora and fauna. This center represents a great deal to its inhabitants, human and otherwise. One of the most successful programs so far has been the breeding in captivity and repatriation of land iguanas and giant tortoises. It is thanks to the efforts from the people who run the programs that we are still able to appreciate fully pristine islands with their natural beauty.
Our second stop of the day included to spend time at a beautiful restaurant by request in middle of the highlands. Lunch was exquisite and the settings were adorned by wonderful scenery. Shortly after lunch we stop at Los Gemelos; a couple of humungous holes on the ground remnants of collapsed magma chambers now filled with vegetation. Today we were very lucky to see through the extremely foliated green trees the vermilion flycatcher! Then we headed to a large field the giant tortoise use as part of their migration route through the highlands.
To top it all off, we came back on board and in celebration for the 4th of July, a group of local musicians and their dancers delighted us with their local folklore.
