Puerto Ayora
We had a great morning in Puerto Ayora. We all converged on the Charles Darwin Research Center for tours of the facility, then the photographers spread out contentedly, composing images of the giant tortoises who represent the various populations of the Galápagos Islands. Lonesome George was a highlight as we watched him at a very active time as he and his two female companions received a fresh pile of greens to munch on. Never guessed we’d see a tortoise move as fast as George did, chasing the females away from the food. Not too interested in the girls, eh?
After finishing at the Research Center, we all headed to town, converging this time on shopping opportunities, happily supporting the local Galápageño economy.
By noon, with our purchases and photo gear in hand, we headed off in our buses for the ride into the highlands of Santa Cruz. Here, we were immersed in a totally different Galápagos environment—deep greens and a cool gray sky—where we enjoyed the hospitality of Tim & Anita, our hosts for a truly yummy roast chicken lunch.
Then we were off to find the Santa Cruz Island race of giant tortoise in the wild. Heading into the drier season, the tortoises migrate up the slopes to the highlands of Santa Cruz. We found numerous enormous tortoises in the woods, fields and mud wallows. Again, we were delighted to have these great photo subjects. And you know it’s a busy day for tortoises when there is motion blur in your photo. From there we headed off to the Scalesia forest and pit craters found at the peak of the island. Those who hiked the trail were rewarded with excellent views of vermillion flycatchers.
Our evening began with a fantastic talk by Roz Cameron from the Darwin Center, a special recap about the challenges and successes of conservation in Galápagos. Dinner was capped-off by a festive musical and dance performance by a local troupe from town.
We had a great morning in Puerto Ayora. We all converged on the Charles Darwin Research Center for tours of the facility, then the photographers spread out contentedly, composing images of the giant tortoises who represent the various populations of the Galápagos Islands. Lonesome George was a highlight as we watched him at a very active time as he and his two female companions received a fresh pile of greens to munch on. Never guessed we’d see a tortoise move as fast as George did, chasing the females away from the food. Not too interested in the girls, eh?
After finishing at the Research Center, we all headed to town, converging this time on shopping opportunities, happily supporting the local Galápageño economy.
By noon, with our purchases and photo gear in hand, we headed off in our buses for the ride into the highlands of Santa Cruz. Here, we were immersed in a totally different Galápagos environment—deep greens and a cool gray sky—where we enjoyed the hospitality of Tim & Anita, our hosts for a truly yummy roast chicken lunch.
Then we were off to find the Santa Cruz Island race of giant tortoise in the wild. Heading into the drier season, the tortoises migrate up the slopes to the highlands of Santa Cruz. We found numerous enormous tortoises in the woods, fields and mud wallows. Again, we were delighted to have these great photo subjects. And you know it’s a busy day for tortoises when there is motion blur in your photo. From there we headed off to the Scalesia forest and pit craters found at the peak of the island. Those who hiked the trail were rewarded with excellent views of vermillion flycatchers.
Our evening began with a fantastic talk by Roz Cameron from the Darwin Center, a special recap about the challenges and successes of conservation in Galápagos. Dinner was capped-off by a festive musical and dance performance by a local troupe from town.
