Finally all of our guests got to see the symbol of the archipelago today, the giant tortoise. Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galápagos yet the most populated. At this site one can see how human beings can coexist with the flora and fauna in this unique ecosystem.
The disembarkation happened at eight in the morning to visit the National Park’s rearing center for giant tortoises. It was exciting to see how this program really works and the different stages of it. Walking through the center new tortoise species were observed by our guest.
After visiting the rearing center we offered some time to all of the guests so they could see Puerto Ayora, the island’s main town. Most of them went shopping, shortly afterwards we boarded buses to head up to the highlands and stopped at a sugar cane mill where a local family has made a business out of the production of sugar cane juice, moonshine and coffee.
In the afternoon after having lunch surrounded by a lush green forest typical of the higher part of Santa Cruz, we organized groups to go on a giant tortoise hunt as well as a visit to a lava tunnel. The visit was a success! it seemed like it hadn’t been raining lately at this location because recently there were a couple of big fresh water lagoons and now only one was found fully covered by water fern. in the fields the tortoises gathered in the shade and remained steady, preserving their energy and avoiding the excessive temperature after an active morning.
