Our ship drop the anchor at 6:00 a.m. in Academy Bay, situated on the southeastern side of Santa Cruz Island. After breakfast all our guests left the ship, ready to enjoy a full day in this very diverse island.
In the morning we visited the National Park’s rearing center of giant tortoises. To get there we walked through the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is an institution that has been helping the Ecuadorian government for several decades, providing scientific data so the National Park Service can conduct the management.
As always the Española Island tortoise named Diego was the star of the visit, we found him in the center of its enclosure sun bathing. This famous tortoise has become an emblematic symbol of conservation in the whole world. Along with a group of fourteen other tortoises, it has been able to produce nearly two-thousand baby tortoises. Our morning’s visit was completed when our guests walked through the town, mingling with local people, taking pictures at a local fish market, or simply shopping in downtown.
Before going for lunch at a local restaurant in the highlands, we stopped at El Trapiche (a sugar cane mill), to visit a local family who showed us around their property and nicely explained to us all the products they manufacture there.
After our lunch we continued exploring the highlands via bus and later on foot, going in search of the endemic Santa Cruz giant tortoise, this specie is considered to be the second largest after the ones we have on Isabela Island; the search was successful, with more than two dozen tortoises found near the trail!
