Santa Cruz & North Seymour Islands
This morning our day began with one of the best sunrises ever, especially for those who are “early riser-types.” We started our adventure going on board of the Zodiacs from our boat, the Islander to Puerto Ayora, which is the name of the main port at Santa Cruz Island.
This vibrant town is home for approximately twelve thousand people. We went to the bus terminal, which is in front of the busy little dock, next to an albatross monument, possibly the only one of its kind in the world. The bus took us across the highlands along the paved road to the Giant tortoises’ natural environment, which is called “El Chato.” On our way, we could also see many birds flying across the road or even sitting down in the roadside bushes. Once in “El Chato” we encountered the Santa Cruz’ subspecies of land tortoises. This type is totally different to the ones, which were found by the famous English scientist Charles Darwin during his voyage to the Galápagos. It would have seemed as though they were expecting our visit, since some of them were in the middle of the trail. I personally think it was a combination of good weather plus a bit of good luck as well! After this exciting visit, we got back in the bus for a short ride for a well-deserved breakfast at a local restaurant. Once done with the food, we were presented with choices for either walking inside of a lava tube or to have a brief look at the entrance of it. Today was our chance to do some souvenir shopping as well, since the town of Pto. Ayora has plenty of local shops with little art craft and T-shirts.
During the afternoon, our next adventure was going to take us to one of the most beautiful and interesting islands in the Galápagos, North Seymour. Sightings of wildlife were extremely abundant in this small paradise. Our attention was trapped by the beautiful combination of colors coming not only from landscapes, but also from seabirds. Reptiles and mammals were also found along the coastline such as the Galápagos sea lions and the marine and land iguanas. My highlight was to see the big colonies of frigate birds with their big and bright red pouches inflated, and of course, the colorful feet of the blue-footed boobies which were courting everywhere. With this wonderful experience, we were finishing another enchanted day in the Galápagos Islands.
This morning our day began with one of the best sunrises ever, especially for those who are “early riser-types.” We started our adventure going on board of the Zodiacs from our boat, the Islander to Puerto Ayora, which is the name of the main port at Santa Cruz Island.
This vibrant town is home for approximately twelve thousand people. We went to the bus terminal, which is in front of the busy little dock, next to an albatross monument, possibly the only one of its kind in the world. The bus took us across the highlands along the paved road to the Giant tortoises’ natural environment, which is called “El Chato.” On our way, we could also see many birds flying across the road or even sitting down in the roadside bushes. Once in “El Chato” we encountered the Santa Cruz’ subspecies of land tortoises. This type is totally different to the ones, which were found by the famous English scientist Charles Darwin during his voyage to the Galápagos. It would have seemed as though they were expecting our visit, since some of them were in the middle of the trail. I personally think it was a combination of good weather plus a bit of good luck as well! After this exciting visit, we got back in the bus for a short ride for a well-deserved breakfast at a local restaurant. Once done with the food, we were presented with choices for either walking inside of a lava tube or to have a brief look at the entrance of it. Today was our chance to do some souvenir shopping as well, since the town of Pto. Ayora has plenty of local shops with little art craft and T-shirts.
During the afternoon, our next adventure was going to take us to one of the most beautiful and interesting islands in the Galápagos, North Seymour. Sightings of wildlife were extremely abundant in this small paradise. Our attention was trapped by the beautiful combination of colors coming not only from landscapes, but also from seabirds. Reptiles and mammals were also found along the coastline such as the Galápagos sea lions and the marine and land iguanas. My highlight was to see the big colonies of frigate birds with their big and bright red pouches inflated, and of course, the colorful feet of the blue-footed boobies which were courting everywhere. With this wonderful experience, we were finishing another enchanted day in the Galápagos Islands.
