Santa Cruz Island
I woke up at six in the morning to see a cloudy sky and a very calm sea; the storm petrels hovering on the surface were perfectly mirrored and made for good pictures of this morning’s Galápagos cruise. Academy Bay is surrounded by dark cliffs of basalt, the edges dripping with cacti and incense trees. Our morning visit to the tortoise rearing center right next to the headquarters of the National Park was a blast. We spent our time there learning about the tortoise rearing program, the repatriation of tortoises and why they were – and still are – under threat. Over the last two centuries, the giant reptiles had not only to endure human predation but also habitat destruction, food competitors and egg predation. Fortunately it is not yet too late to rescue Galápagos tortoises from extinction.
The best part of the visit is usually in the giant male corral. We had a lot of fun watching the interaction between these old and sometimes grumpy beasts, each individual being a strong, century-old character. We also saw the very young, the female tortoises, two kinds of land iguanas and all this walking over a pretty boardwalk through the ‘canopies’ of giant cacti. We spotted mockingbirds, finches, fly catchers and yellow warblers during the entire walk. By this time the clouds had almost disappeared and it was again time for the hat, sunblock and sunglasses.
We then headed for the highlands of Santa Cruz, feeling a drastic change in vegetation and temperature. At about 1500 ft we entered a lava tunnel, meandering for at least half a mile just under the surface. We had lunch right where we came out, to finish with a final excursion into a Scalesia forest. Scalesia is an important endemic tree, functioning as a substrate for many endemic epiphytes such as liverworts, orchids, bromeliads and lichens. Many types of Darwin finches can be spotted in this forest.
Back in town some opted for a last hour on shore, before heading back to the ship. The sky started to get some orange, pink and yellow streaks, and not much later we could make out the evening star Venus and a crescent moon.
