About twice a day throughout the trip we will go ashore from the Sagitta in one of their two pangas. The landings are either "dry," in which case we usually we step out onto lava, or "wet," meaning we climb out into ankle deep water or knee-deep surf.
Our second day in Galapagos began with a dry landing at a municipal dock in Puerto Ayora, where mangroves grew around the edge of the bay. A short walk took us to the
Darwin Research Station, the location of research and captive breeding of Giant Tortoises, operated by the
Charles Darwin Foundation. Here we saw Giant Tortoises, pens with hatchlings, and the sadly famous "Lonesome George," the last individual of his sub-species.
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| Lonesome George |
There are about eleven sub species of Giant Tortoises remaining in the Galapagos. The carapace of the different sub species varies in shape and can be either dome shaped or saddle shaped.
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| Giant Tortoises at Darwin Research Station - note dome type carapace |
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| This Giant Tortoise monopolized the trail at the Research Station |
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| Giant Tortoise at Research Station - note saddleback type carapace |
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Giant Tortoise at Darwin Research Station
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A Large Cactus Finch was drawn to the yellow flowers of a Giant Prickly Pear Cactus. A Galapagos Land Iguana had an enclosure all to himself.
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| Large Cactus Finch after feeding on yellow flower of Giant Prickly Pear Cactus |
We also saw the very different and more delicate Warbler Finch at the Research Station
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Warbler Finch
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| Galapagos Land Iguana |
Puerto Ayora has the largest population of any town in Galapagos, at about 10,000. In this charming town, with numerous shops along the main street, Sea Iguanas are equally at home strolling the streets as humans.
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| Puerto Ayora |
After some shopping and a panga ride across the harbor to Angermeyer Point, a restaurant also called "House of the Iguanas," we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the outdoor terrace where an inquisitive young iguana explored under our table.
We set off by bus for the highlands of Santa Cruz Island to observe Giant Tortoises in the wild - much more satisfying than seeing them in captivity.
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| Giant Tortoise in the wild on Santa Cruz |
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| Tortoise with tracking device |
Walking on the property of a private hacienda, we saw several of these impressive animals, which can weigh up to several hundred pounds and live over 80 years. The largest tortoises on Galapagos are found here, and have the dome shaped carapace.
The tortoises here are easily approached. Some wear tracking devices.
The highlands were green and lush following the rainy season, the terrain and vegetation entirely different from most of the rest of the islands we saw.
In a collapsed lava tube, whose entrance was overgrown with underbrush, we found a barn owl.
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| Entrance to collapsed lava tube |
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| The lava tube was quite large |
Nearby, we were fortunate to see a bright red male Vermilion Flycatcher, the first one Greg had seen in a year, which encouraged him that this bird, once much more common here, has not yet vanished from Santa Cruz.
NEXT POST: Espanola - Day 3
