 Santa Cruz, Turtle |
Motoring through the night, we arrive on the south side of Santa Cruz in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Archipelago and drop anchor around 6:30am. This active seaport has many ships anchored in the safe harbor where apparently most of the re-supply operations are carried out. After a quick breakfast on deck, we join the 8am excursion to the "Highlands" to observe the giant Galapagos tortoises.
There are two excursions planned for today, at 8am you can visit the "Highlands" to observe the giant Galapagos tortoises, or visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Both excursions are also offered in the afternoon at 3pm to allow all guests the opportunity for both. We opt for the 8am "Highlands" visit. Following a dry landing on the jetty in Puerto Ayora, we board a small, comfortable air-conditioned bus for a 30 minute ride to the turtle "farm". Before searching for tortoises, we are led down a long flight of stairs underground into a massive lava tube that was formed during the volcanic activity that formed these islands. Back above ground, we board the bus for a short ride to the turtle viewing area. Walking among the brush, we come across 4 or 5 giant tortoises. These are amazing creatures, slowly rumbling across the lush vegetation in search of greens and the yellow fruits of nearby plants and trees.
After returning to Puerto Ayora, we have about 30 minutes to explore this small port town before returning to the Xpedition aboard the Zodiacs. Lunch is again served grill style on the outside deck at The Beagle Grill and buffet style in Darwin's.
Departing the ship on the afternoon excursion, we once again make a dry landing at the jetty and board a small air-conditioned bus for the very short ride to the Charles Darwin Research Station on the outskirts of town. We are fortunate to be with Freddy, our naturalist this afternoon. Freddy is the only naturalist that was raised in the islands (the others are from the Ecuadoran mainland) and did in fact work at the Research Station as he was completing his college studies He explains everything about the programs from captive breeding to the expected eventual loss of one of the sub-species represented by the single survivor Lonesome George, the last member of the Pinta Island breed. Freddy seems to have a unique bond with some of the older turtles, and is able to call their name and get them to raise their heads out of their shells for the perfect photo opportunity. With everyone in our group completely impressed, Freddy admits that he's using a hand gesture to mimic the flight of the Galapagos finch, which has a mutualism symbiotic relationship with the tortoises. Sensing a bird (because of their poor eyesight), the tortoises stretch out their legs and neck to allow the birds access to clean their bodies of ticks and other pests - while the birds obtain a quick and easy meal.
After the Darwin Research Station visit, we walk back into town, do some quick souvenir shopping and catch one of the last zodiacs to the ship. Tonight is the "Sendoff Cocktail Party" and "Farewell Dinner" at Darwin's reminding us that our time in the Galapagos is drawing to a close. In total, we've sailed onboard the Xpedition a total of 611 nautical miles.
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