Santa Cruz and North Seymour
After a very early wake up call, we left the Islander by Zodiac and disembarked on the docks of Puerto Ayora, the largest settlement in the Galápagos. Our goal this morning was to find the emblematic species of these islands, the giant tortoises. In the lush highlands of this large island has a lush highlands there is a large population of these rare animals. We boarded buses and, even as we drove, we began to spot tortoises in their beds or grazing the abundant vegetation. As we strolled along the trails towards El Chato tortoise reserve, we found many of tortoises of all sizes.
We counted a total of 40 tortoises this morning and following this leisurely walk we offered the option of a passage through an extensive lava tube. This led us to a delicious breakfast at an open air restaurant with a fantastic view. Afterwards, we all returned to the lowlands to the town of Puerto Ayora to shop and explore. By noon we were onboard the ship for a great lunch and siesta. We attended a presentation on Evolution given by Williams College lecturer John Chandler while our younger guests created clay figures of their favorite Galápagos animals, real or make believe.
< br>Our afternoon landing was on the rocky shore of North Seymour Island. Here we were delighted to find displaying male frigate birds with their gorgeous inflated red pouches. We also found several land iguanas and heard the story of their introduction here from the island of Baltra. We observed sea lions, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies along the trail and returned to the ship as the sun set.
After a very early wake up call, we left the Islander by Zodiac and disembarked on the docks of Puerto Ayora, the largest settlement in the Galápagos. Our goal this morning was to find the emblematic species of these islands, the giant tortoises. In the lush highlands of this large island has a lush highlands there is a large population of these rare animals. We boarded buses and, even as we drove, we began to spot tortoises in their beds or grazing the abundant vegetation. As we strolled along the trails towards El Chato tortoise reserve, we found many of tortoises of all sizes.
We counted a total of 40 tortoises this morning and following this leisurely walk we offered the option of a passage through an extensive lava tube. This led us to a delicious breakfast at an open air restaurant with a fantastic view. Afterwards, we all returned to the lowlands to the town of Puerto Ayora to shop and explore. By noon we were onboard the ship for a great lunch and siesta. We attended a presentation on Evolution given by Williams College lecturer John Chandler while our younger guests created clay figures of their favorite Galápagos animals, real or make believe.
< br>Our afternoon landing was on the rocky shore of North Seymour Island. Here we were delighted to find displaying male frigate birds with their gorgeous inflated red pouches. We also found several land iguanas and heard the story of their introduction here from the island of Baltra. We observed sea lions, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies along the trail and returned to the ship as the sun set.
