National Geographic Islander was anchored at Academy Bay this morning. From this vantage we could see the houses and buildings of Puerto Ayora. We started out by visiting the Fausto Llerena breeding center: This is a learning experience for our guests, where they can see firsthand all the results of conservation efforts working to protect and preserve the Galapagos Archipelago. There was time afterward to wander through this charming Ecuadorian town.
Then it was up to the highlands of this island to spot tortoises and then back down to tour one of multiple lava tubes found on Santa Cruz. It really is something to think that once there was trail of lava streaming, if not pouring, down toward the ocean, forming the island we know and trek across today. It’s a humbling reminder, if anything, of how little time humans have been part of and made a home on this pale blue dot called Earth.
