After "tortoising" in the beautiful highlands of Santa Cruz Island, we began thinking about how tortoises got here and why they are so big. Can you imagine the sailors who saw these tortoises for the first time? No wonder, the islands were named after them: "Insulae de Galapagoe" or "the Islands of the Galapagos" back in 1535. (Galapagos means tortoise in old Spanish.) Tortoises make me think about where the Germans got their idea for the design of the Volkswagen, and how Steven Spielberg became rich and famous after he saw them and created E.T.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 04 Aug 1999
From the Polaris in the Galapagos, 8/4/1999, National Geographic Polaris
- Aboard the National Geographic Polaris
- Galápagos
Sign Up for Daily Expedition Reports
Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.