Upon arriving on Santa Cruz Island, everything looked different from what we had seen so far. The arid lowlands we had grown accustomed to were replaced by a bustling town. The bay was filled with ships and sailboats gently swaying in the water.
Our first stop was the breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station, where we saw species in recovery — some, like the Floreana giant tortoise, being brought back from the brink of extinction. It was incredibly exciting!
As we made our way up to the highlands, we caught a glimpse of daily life in the Galapagos. We visited Romer Ochoa’s Ecological Farm and the Sugar Cane Trapiche, followed by a delicious lunch at El Manzanillo Ranch. There, we had the unique opportunity to see tortoises in the wild, munching on grass, wallowing in mud ponds, and even attempting to mate — though not very successfully in this instance.
The day ended aboard the ship with an inspiring talk from a shark scientist, another delicious meal, and then local music and dancing. We joined in to celebrate with traditional Galapagueño rhythms. We all went to bed happy, knowing that we are now bound to return to the Galapagos — after all, we’ve sipped the legendary “Agua de Pelikan Bay.”
