Santa Cruz and North Seymour Islands
This morning we awoke early to visit the island of Santa Cruz. Once anchored, we took our Zodiacs to the peer where local buses were awaiting to drive us all the way up to the highlands. During the drive up, we got a view of the small but very clean and picturesque town of Puerto Ayora. On leaving the town behind, we entered the transitional vegetation zone, where we could admire how green and lush the zone appears after a month of rain. We saw both deciduous and evergreen trees, such as the incense tree - a very common tree throughout the archipelago, locally named Palo Santo, or “Holy Tree”.
Seven kilometres up the road, we passed through the small village of Bellavista and further up through the cattle-ranching community of Santa Rosa. It is in this part of the Santa Cruz highland that we find a spot named “El Chato”, which is national park territory and has been designated a tortoise refuge. This island has approximately 3000 of this immense reptiles, the namesake of the Galápagos, in the wild. We spent the majority of the cooler hours before breakfast (which we had in the highlands today) by wandering through the lush vegetation and muddy soils to a swampy area which these amazing reptiles love to wallow in. We came across many tortoises of both sexes and different sizes and ages, and all had a wonderful morning.
On returning on board Islander at noon, we cruised up north to the tiny Seymour Island where we anchored in front of a great panoramic view with a lot of sea birds. Ten minutes after we landed on the island, we found what most of us where most looking forward to seeing: many male frigate birds with the red balloon-like pouches inflated, both perched on the trees and flying against the blue sky. Later on, walking along the trail, we came across a colony which allowed us to see them very close up: juvenile frigates preening their new feathers and males with their red membranes fully inflated like giant bright red balloons to attract the females flying overhead. We also saw many pairs of blue-footed boobies displaying their mating ritual dance - very elegant and attractive. And a lot of Galápagos sea lions: very friendly mothers and their pups.For our guests was one of the greatest days ever. And for us yet another great day in the Galápagos.
This morning we awoke early to visit the island of Santa Cruz. Once anchored, we took our Zodiacs to the peer where local buses were awaiting to drive us all the way up to the highlands. During the drive up, we got a view of the small but very clean and picturesque town of Puerto Ayora. On leaving the town behind, we entered the transitional vegetation zone, where we could admire how green and lush the zone appears after a month of rain. We saw both deciduous and evergreen trees, such as the incense tree - a very common tree throughout the archipelago, locally named Palo Santo, or “Holy Tree”.
Seven kilometres up the road, we passed through the small village of Bellavista and further up through the cattle-ranching community of Santa Rosa. It is in this part of the Santa Cruz highland that we find a spot named “El Chato”, which is national park territory and has been designated a tortoise refuge. This island has approximately 3000 of this immense reptiles, the namesake of the Galápagos, in the wild. We spent the majority of the cooler hours before breakfast (which we had in the highlands today) by wandering through the lush vegetation and muddy soils to a swampy area which these amazing reptiles love to wallow in. We came across many tortoises of both sexes and different sizes and ages, and all had a wonderful morning.
On returning on board Islander at noon, we cruised up north to the tiny Seymour Island where we anchored in front of a great panoramic view with a lot of sea birds. Ten minutes after we landed on the island, we found what most of us where most looking forward to seeing: many male frigate birds with the red balloon-like pouches inflated, both perched on the trees and flying against the blue sky. Later on, walking along the trail, we came across a colony which allowed us to see them very close up: juvenile frigates preening their new feathers and males with their red membranes fully inflated like giant bright red balloons to attract the females flying overhead. We also saw many pairs of blue-footed boobies displaying their mating ritual dance - very elegant and attractive. And a lot of Galápagos sea lions: very friendly mothers and their pups.For our guests was one of the greatest days ever. And for us yet another great day in the Galápagos.
