Today we had the opportunity to learn about the human aspect of Galapagos at Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora. This town is home to over twenty thousand people, most coming from different regions of mainland Ecuador and due to its central location, it is the tourist capital of Galapagos.
This island is one of the most visited in this Archipelago because it is the home of the Charles Darwin Station and the Galapagos National Park, which leads one of the most important breeding programs for giant tortoises.
Our visit took place early in the morning so that we could take our time at this site. This visit is probably one of the most important because our guests have the opportunity to learn about the different restoration programs carried out in the Galapagos. Our guests typically become advocates for this great cause and spread the word so that others may join in supporting this unique paradise on our planet.
It was a very interesting visit where our guests had the opportunity to learn about the hard work of the Galapagos National Park Service.
Just a few decades ago, some of these giant tortoise populations were at risk of extinction and now we have them back on their home Islands, exactly as they were before human impact.
In the afternoon we had a very different program in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island where our goal was to see giant tortoises roaming in the wild.
Tortoises migrate within their home Island, between their nesting grounds in the lowlands and their feeding area which is located in the highlands. It was such an amazing afternoon with sightings of dozens of these giant creatures.
It was a full day of activities on Santa Cruz Island, with visits to the breeding center and a sugar cane press, which is run by a local family. We even had a chance to offer bikes for those a bit more adventurous, so they could bike all the way to the sugar cane press. We also visited a farm with giant wild tortoises and an impressive lava tunnel formation which made our day very interesting.
We finished our day onboard the National Geographic Islander with a delicious dinner accompanied by some local musicians, who came to perform for our dear guests.
