We spent the day exploring the island of Santa Cruz. In the morning, we visited the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora. Here, we observed ¨baby giants¨ and some saddleback tortoise adults, too. In the afternoon, we explored the highlands searching for tortoises in their natural habitat. We had a good time talking about these wonderful animals and learning some of the traditions that pioneering settlers inherited and passed along to the new generations of Galapagueños.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 01 May 2025
Santa Cruz Island, 5/1/2025, National Geographic Delfina
- Aboard the National Geographic Delfina
- Galápagos
Javier Carrion, Naturalist
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
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Isabela Island
Today we continued exploring the young island of Isabela. We first visited Urbina Bay, a beautiful site where our guests enjoyed seeing the emblematic giant tortoises in the wild. We were lucky to see many individuals, males and females of different ages and sizes. Besides tortoises, our guests enjoyed finding land iguanas, different species of Darwin finches, and more land birds. In the afternoon our guests explored Tagus Cove, where some went hiking while others went on a Zodiac ride. We were able to observe Galapagos penguins, and to appreciate the beautiful sunset. It was a truly special day in the Galapagos archipelago.