Today we woke up in the middle of the Galapagos Archipelago in Santa Cruz Island. We anchored in Academy Bay, named after the California Academy of Science, who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1905. Santa Cruz is home to the National Park Headquarters and the Charles Darwin Foundation. These entities have worked together to create the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, one of the most successful breeding programs in the world. This morning we visited this center and observed baby and adult giant tortoises.
In the afternoon, we stopped by a local sugar cane and coffee farm named El Trapiche Ecologico. Here, we learned how Galapaguenos used to make different sugar cane products such as firewater or moonshine before they had electricity. The afternoon had a very special ending with the visit to a tortoise migration route. Spending time with these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat made for a truly magical day in the enchanted islands!
