This sunny day began with a beautiful sunrise. We had the good fortune of very calm seas as we traveled in our Zodiacs to visit the Tortoise Breeding Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station. The day gave us a lot of surprises and we finally had an opportunity to meet the legendary giants of the Galápagos: the land tortoises that can weigh more than 550 pounds.

Upon arrival at the dock we saw a great blue heron in a nest a few feet away from the moored boats and then, as we continued our walk along the dock, we saw a striated heron and a great blue heron. During the first five minutes of our visit we had already spotted the three species of herons that live in the Galápagos Islands. Some iguanas rested on the dock, probably waiting to get a little warm and then get back into the sea to feed on the green macro algae that grow on the lava rocks in shallow waters.

The first part of our to the Tortoise Breeding Center included juveniles that are bred in captivity to eventually be released back into their original island habitat and begin mating and breeding on their own, a task that will require more than a decade. The little tortoises crawled over rocks in the corrals where they live, while in a corral nearby a giant tortoise moved or rested under the shade.

After this visit we travelled to the highlands and had lunch, as it was necessary to get some energy before going and seeing the giant tortoises in the wild. With the sun slightly covered by clouds, our hike was very nice and we felt really happy for the cool breeze that lowered the ambient temperature. We walked among the giants. Several giant tortoises were feeding and resting close to us and we basically had a field of giant tortoises next to us.

Then it was time to go back to the dock. Some guests stayed in Puerto Ayora to buy extra souvenirs, while the rest of us returned to the ship.

We had dinner and while we finished our desert, a group of local musicians played music. The whole activity also included a group of dancers. This was a long day filled with memories for a lifetime.