Giant tortoises are by far the most iconic representative of the Galapagos. Not seeing a tortoise in your visit to these islands is like having an overcast sky during an eclipse. But today, we all had not only sufficient time but also a great amount of these noble giants to admire, learn about them, and take pictures as well.
The morning gave us the chance to understand how we had managed to drive the most successful protection program in the Galapagos, the restoration of the giant tortoise population, on different islands of this archipelago. The tortoises went into jeopardy by different means at different times, but always with something in common—the presence of humans. Today, there are many efforts to re-establish secure numbers of individuals on the most affected islands, and even though this demands a great deal of resources, it is working so well that it fills us with pride when we explain the whole process to our guests at the facilities of the National Park Service. The institution is responsible for maintaining this project moving onwards, and especially when one visits the corral that hosts ‘Diego,’ the insatiable reproducer.
During the afternoon we stroll rather lazily through the forests of the highlands of Santa Cruz, where we saw many more of these reptiles to watch and understand their nature, their essence. Following their locomotive maneuvers and the interaction among themselves gives us great satisfaction.
But today wasn’t all tortoises. Being able to share all this with so many nice and interested people is more than rewarding as well. It’s wonderful to see how affectionate our respected Expedition Leader Carlos Romero is when next to ‘Angelito,’ the donkey at the Trapiche where sugar cane and coffee are processed into delicious products for our degustation.
Our guests enjoyed a great moment at this site, but we couldn’t help but admonish one of our naturalists for eating almost all the sugar cane at the place!
