Santa Cruz Island
The light passing through the window in my cabin told me that a new day was beginning.
Just waking up in one of the most famous nature destinations in the world is a great reason to be in high spirits. Our expedition brought us today to one of the largest islands of the archipelago, Santa Cruz. The capital of this island, Puerto Ayora is a vibrant and active town. A beautiful waterfront surrounded by local restaurants and souvenir shops is the heart of this community.
The Galápagos National Park Service offices are located here as well as the world renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. The latter organization is home to many Galápagos giant tortoises for there is a breeding center running successfully in their installations. We observed baby tortoises in their pens, the famous “last of its kind” Lonesome George and many more gigantic individuals. We witnessed at first hand and with respect and admiration the titanic efforts that are being done to save these anti-diluvian looking reptiles of the Galápagos Islands.
After lunch at Altair (a local restaurant in the highlands) some of us went to look for the giant tortoises in the wild. Others preferred to come back to town to stroll around and do some last minute shopping. After dinner a local band with female dancers came onboard to fill the atmosphere with the joy of their musical and dancing skills. Finally we all went to bed dreaming about what new surprises and memories our expedition will bring tomorrow to our lives.
The light passing through the window in my cabin told me that a new day was beginning.
Just waking up in one of the most famous nature destinations in the world is a great reason to be in high spirits. Our expedition brought us today to one of the largest islands of the archipelago, Santa Cruz. The capital of this island, Puerto Ayora is a vibrant and active town. A beautiful waterfront surrounded by local restaurants and souvenir shops is the heart of this community.
The Galápagos National Park Service offices are located here as well as the world renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. The latter organization is home to many Galápagos giant tortoises for there is a breeding center running successfully in their installations. We observed baby tortoises in their pens, the famous “last of its kind” Lonesome George and many more gigantic individuals. We witnessed at first hand and with respect and admiration the titanic efforts that are being done to save these anti-diluvian looking reptiles of the Galápagos Islands.
After lunch at Altair (a local restaurant in the highlands) some of us went to look for the giant tortoises in the wild. Others preferred to come back to town to stroll around and do some last minute shopping. After dinner a local band with female dancers came onboard to fill the atmosphere with the joy of their musical and dancing skills. Finally we all went to bed dreaming about what new surprises and memories our expedition will bring tomorrow to our lives.
