This morning began with a Zodiac ride around Academy Bay, with all its vessels and dynamics. Once on land at Puerto Ayora, we started to see a slice of a normal day in town. Our visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station began with a walk along the button mangroves, salt bush, thorn bush, acacias, until suddenly huge, super tall prickly pears cacti appeared. We admired the beauty of these giants standing, creating a unique forest landscape. Just around the corner, there they were, super cute small baby tortoises, mmmm…. Are they really going to become giants too? After all, their journey in life is just beginning! Along the board walk we encountered many different corrals, in them there were so many stories to tell, some sad, some successful, from rearing babies to the loss of Lonesome George, and our super star Diego from Espanola.
At Puerto Ayora we took a walk around the town, and had the chance to experience its people, observe the fishermen hauling in the day’s catch, enjoy a cold drink at one of the many welcoming restaurants, or shop for crafts to support local economy. We started our excursion up to the highlands with a visit to the school Tomas de Berlanga, to meet the wonderful kids that represent the future of the islands, so full of positive energy and hungry for knowledge. As we travelled up into the highlands, we observed and appreciated the change of vegetation from what we have observed in the Galapagos so far, with surprising evergreen zones and many varieties of mosses, ferns, Scalecias, guayavillos. Nevertheless, along with it also comes small towns, coffee farms and the other side of living in Galapagos.
Once we reached the reserve, we were ready for an encounter of the most iconic creature in Galapagos—giant tortoises! Up here in the highlands, they can be found anywhere along the road, munching away with cows, sun bathing or having a mud bath. Now our guests can see the way that everything comes together, all of the efforts of conservation and population rebuilding that we observed at the Charles Darwin Research Station, giving us the opportunity to admire and to be amazed by these animals that personify serenity, longevity, evolution!
