Santa Cruz Island
This is my home island, and it is the operation center of many tour boats anchored in Academy Bay, named after the schooner Academy of Science that visited the islands in 1905-06 and 1936.
This morning we visited the Galápagos National Park to learn a bit more about the different programs that have been running for many years, with much success. Among those programs, the protection of reptiles in captivity was a highlight for our guests. We saw our babies in a corral of tortoises from Santiago Island. These are “our” babies because Lindblad Expeditions adopted this place, a good example of the way tourist operator efforts give back to the islands. The babies we saw today will be repatriated soon to their home islands.
In the afternoon we went out to find these primitive reptiles in their natural habitat, with a lot of success. At this time of the year, we still find them they foraging for food in fields full of dense vegetation and fresh water. It was wonderful to watch them. Some were moving around while others fed in the vicinity.
Afterward, we drove a bit higher toward a native cloud forest. We all had a great time looking at epiphytes and a numbers of others native species of plants. This is also a great habitat for some species of the famous Darwin finches. We saw many, especially tree finches.
By then it was time to come back to the National Geographic Islander to go on our navigation to the westernmost part of the Archipelago.
This is my home island, and it is the operation center of many tour boats anchored in Academy Bay, named after the schooner Academy of Science that visited the islands in 1905-06 and 1936.
This morning we visited the Galápagos National Park to learn a bit more about the different programs that have been running for many years, with much success. Among those programs, the protection of reptiles in captivity was a highlight for our guests. We saw our babies in a corral of tortoises from Santiago Island. These are “our” babies because Lindblad Expeditions adopted this place, a good example of the way tourist operator efforts give back to the islands. The babies we saw today will be repatriated soon to their home islands.
In the afternoon we went out to find these primitive reptiles in their natural habitat, with a lot of success. At this time of the year, we still find them they foraging for food in fields full of dense vegetation and fresh water. It was wonderful to watch them. Some were moving around while others fed in the vicinity.
Afterward, we drove a bit higher toward a native cloud forest. We all had a great time looking at epiphytes and a numbers of others native species of plants. This is also a great habitat for some species of the famous Darwin finches. We saw many, especially tree finches.
By then it was time to come back to the National Geographic Islander to go on our navigation to the westernmost part of the Archipelago.
