Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island is a very interesting place to visit. This is the island with the largest number of people, approximately 20,000. There are three towns on this island; two small agricultural centers in the highlands and Puerto Ayora on the coast being the largest town in the Galápagos Archipelago. This is a very colorful town with varied architecture in its buildings, clean paved streets and many small boutiques and stores. P.A. is also home to the headquarters of the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station.
In the morning we visited the giant tortoises breeding center and the pens where large adult tortoises are kept. It was especially intriguing to have the opportunity to observe the little tortoises and learn about the successful captive breeding program that is run by the National Park in conjunction with the Charles Darwin Station. During our walk along an attractive wooden boardwalk, we saw and learned about Lonesome George. George is a very special tortoise, for he is the last of his kind. He is the last individual of the Pinta Island species of giant tortoise. Our Naturalists pointed out the notorious difference in size that exists between the large dome shaped tortoises that inhabit the lush islands and the saddle back tortoises from the smaller, arid islands.
On buses we drove into the highlands of Santa Cruz where we explored a lava tunnel and then took pleasure in a wonderful buffet lunch. After the meal we continued our activities and explored a tortoise reserve known as El Chato. To hike in the green and lush highland forest was a pleasant change, after two days in the arid coastal zone. We were captivated by the many tortoises we found, some of them were walking through the vegetation and others were resting in the shade. Seeing these tortoises in their natural environment was fascinating and we took countless photos! What a wonderful experience, and a very successful day.
Santa Cruz Island is a very interesting place to visit. This is the island with the largest number of people, approximately 20,000. There are three towns on this island; two small agricultural centers in the highlands and Puerto Ayora on the coast being the largest town in the Galápagos Archipelago. This is a very colorful town with varied architecture in its buildings, clean paved streets and many small boutiques and stores. P.A. is also home to the headquarters of the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station.
In the morning we visited the giant tortoises breeding center and the pens where large adult tortoises are kept. It was especially intriguing to have the opportunity to observe the little tortoises and learn about the successful captive breeding program that is run by the National Park in conjunction with the Charles Darwin Station. During our walk along an attractive wooden boardwalk, we saw and learned about Lonesome George. George is a very special tortoise, for he is the last of his kind. He is the last individual of the Pinta Island species of giant tortoise. Our Naturalists pointed out the notorious difference in size that exists between the large dome shaped tortoises that inhabit the lush islands and the saddle back tortoises from the smaller, arid islands.
On buses we drove into the highlands of Santa Cruz where we explored a lava tunnel and then took pleasure in a wonderful buffet lunch. After the meal we continued our activities and explored a tortoise reserve known as El Chato. To hike in the green and lush highland forest was a pleasant change, after two days in the arid coastal zone. We were captivated by the many tortoises we found, some of them were walking through the vegetation and others were resting in the shade. Seeing these tortoises in their natural environment was fascinating and we took countless photos! What a wonderful experience, and a very successful day.
