Santa Cruz Island
It was just a little rainy last night when we arrived at Puerto Ayora, one of the most visited places in the archipelago. The fresh smell of the island raised our explorers’ spirits. A great day was just about to start.
At 7:15 a.m. Expedition Leader Jason Heilmann made the announcement to start the disembarkation, and our guests disembarked with enthusiasm because they knew that the Charles Darwin Research Station had many things to show. A big surprise awaited us there, on the feeding platform: the land tortoises!
These great animals weigh more than 400 pounds and we watched them moving very slowly as they looked for food. Because it’s not clear what species they are, all the males were separated to avoid interbreeding. Maybe one day we will find out who they are.
After our visit at the center our guests had a great chance to observe the local fishing dock as they walked along the main avenue. The name of this colorful street is Charles Darwin Avenue; most of the street offers different art from the Galápagos artisans, who work with wood carvings. They use introduced trees that are among the most abundant in the islands. This helps in a small amount to reduce their presence in the highlands.
Later we had lunch in the restaurant Altair, located in the highlands, and surrounded by plants of all kinds, a pool, and even a volleyball court. Anita and Tim, who’ve been in the business for 17 years, served roasted chicken with delicious passion fruit juice.
Our next excursion was to a huge geological formation: the Gemelos. These pit craters are old collapses of empty pockets filled with gas, causing big holes and confusing them with calderas!
The large scalesia plants, which flowered a few days ago, were filled with Darwin finches of all types, with their beaks turning dark, indicating sexual activity.
Steve Divine is the owner of the Butterfly Farm; his ranch is a vast land with small fresh water lakes. Many tortoises arrive at his property in search of food and shelter among the tall vegetation. Our experts on photography—CT, Jennifer and Catherine—shared their knowledge on capturing these great moments that may happen only once in a lifetime. Little objects like lichens, beetles and butterflies participated in this contest.
