After few days on the Islands visiting only uninhabited areas, it seems unreal to go back to civilization.
Today we visited the town of Puerto Ayora, in the southern part of Santa Cruz. The town is the economic hub of Galapagos, a little but charming town of about 20,000 inhabitants, with little hotels, restaurants, shops and cafes where everybody gathers to chat about the day’s activities.
The headquarters of both the Galapagos National Park as well as the Charles Darwin Foundation are here, both institutions working together in the protection and management of the Archipelago.
Our visit this morning was to the tortoise breeding center, one of the most successful captive breeding programs of reptiles in the entire world. Home of Lonesome George, the last individual from Pinta Island who unexpectedly died a year ago, the center holds the entire adult population of Española tortoises as well individuals from other islands, and more than 800 baby tortoises from several islands from one to 5 years old, some ready to be released in wild. After learning about the huge efforts to save these unique reptiles, our guests had some free time to explore the town, shop around and get a glimpse of life on the islands.
Then we met at the Rock Cafe, a nice little café on the main street of town, for some refreshing fruit juices and water before heading up by bus to the highlands to visit a sugar cane mill and a coffee plantation. Here the owners of the farm showed us the traditional way of distilling sugar cane liquor to make “caña,” the local equivalent of moonshine. We also see the entire process of cultivating and roasting the coffee, and of course we had the chance to taste the sugar cane liquor as well as fresh brewed coffee.
Later it was time for lunch, but this time we went to another private property located in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where a charming restaurant was built with a fantastic view of the southern volcanoes of Isabela, Sierra Negra and Alcedo, Pinzon Island, Rabida Island and Santiago Island. The food was excellent, with a delicious chicken soup, fresh vegetables, salads, pasta, chicken, pork ribs, and of course fresh fruit and desserts.
Once we finished our healthy lunch, we were ready to go in search of the giants tortoises. Walking on the green pastures, we found many tortoises roaming free on what we call the “tortoise reserve.” Santa Cruz holds one of the healthiest populations of these incredible pre-historic looking creatures, and of course all efforts are made to keep this population safe from introduced predators and destruction of their habitat.
Back in town it was time for more shopping, or just some time off on the ship, before our traditional cocktail recap to learn more about the ongoing efforts conducted by the National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation to protect this World Heritage site.
Learning about the fragile balance we need to maintain on the islands raises many questions and opinions, but for sure, we know that it is in our hands to keep these islands and their legacy for future generations.
