Santa Cruz Island
Giant tortoises are iconic animals of the Galápagos Islands. Hence today we visited Santa Cruz Island; this is the second largest island in the archipelago, with one of the largest populations of tortoises distributed round the southwestern and northwestern sides.
This morning we paid a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) at Puerto Ayora, where we saw many giant tortoises. We also saw tiny tortoises that will one day become the giant reptiles that make this group of islands famous worldwide. And we learned about the programs being carried out by conservation institutions such as the Galapagos National Park and CDRS.
All the small tortoises we observed here are part of a captive breeding program. It started several decades ago with the giant tortoise’s populations that were most endangered, such as those from Española Island, Pinzon Island. These gentle giants were seriously affected by the early Galápagos voyagers and settlers during the last two centuries. These people visited the Galápagos for whaling, and discovered that the giant tortoise was the ideal food to be carried on board for long voyages because these reptiles can live several months with no water and food.
In the afternoon we visited the highlands of Santa Cruz. Here we had a great time visiting a couple of craters known as “Los Gemelos.” These craters are surrounded by the beautiful giant daisy trees, one of the showcases of evolution in the Galápagos archipelago. They are as important for science as the Darwin’s finches or the Galápagos giant tortoises.
Moments later we explored the tortoises’ territory and found them wallowing in fresh-water ponds produced by the rains. This is the rainy season in the Galápagos and ponds are very common in the highlands of the major islands. Giant tortoises love the green vegetation and fresh water; therefore you are likely to find them at higher altitudes.
It was a great day!
