Today is our Giant Tortoise day!  Puerto Ayora is the name of the town we will be seeing and it is by far the largest town in the Galapagos.  Santa Cruz is also home to the biggest tortoises of the archipelago.

We started the day visiting the breeding center and enjoyed seeing the hatchlings that have been born here over the last few years.  The tortoises are getting stronger so they can be repatriated to their islands of origin.  There were adult tortoises too and it was very interesting to learn more about their behavior.

After our visit to the Research Center we leave with a clear understanding of why the Darwin Center, together with the National Park Service, are two of the most well-known conservation institutions in the world. By saving the Giant Tortoises from extinction, they have made great strides in aiding reptiles in general.   

As we walked along the main street of Puerto Ayora, we had a chance to watch a parade.  it was a holiday here as they were celebrating the annexation of the islands to Ecuador back on the 18th of February, 1832.  

Up in Bellavista, an agricultural town, we visited the sugar cane press.  We tried the “fire water”, the sugar products and the coffee, all being farmed on this land… it was a very interesting excursion since we had the chance to really understand that sustainability is all about going back to basics.

After lunch we went to the ranch to see the Giant Tortoises in their natural habitat.  There were a few of them there, mostly young females, which have not migrated to the low lands yet because they have not reached their sexual maturity. We also found some old males that, tired from following the females for more than 200 years, are patiently waiting for them to come back.  

Seeing the giants up close was just wonderful to photograph.  It was an extraordinary experience to observe these ancient reptiles in their natural habitat. After a busy day we were very happy to come back to the ship to settle in and learn about the new experiences that are still to come during this fascinating trip of discovery!