We are about to end our expedition in the Galapagos Islands aboard National Geographic Endeavour II. Today we visited the center island, Santa Cruz. Here we visited the Charles Darwin Research Center, the famous breeding center for giant tortoises. Later in the morning, we visited the highlands of this island. We saw how people survived when they started settling here. In the afternoon, we went to the western side of the island to see the giant tortoises in their natural habitat
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 04 Aug 2022
Santa Cruz Island, 8/4/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Charles Wittmer, Naturalist
Charles was raised in the Galápagos Islands. He is the grandson of Rolf Wittmer, the first person documented to have been born on the island of Floreana after his parents, Margret and Heinz Wittmer, emigrated from Germany in 1932.
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Santa Cruz Island
Our amazing morning started with perfect weather, not too sunny or too cloudy. Visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station, we learned about the challenges involved in the ongoing conservation efforts for the giant tortoises. We continued our journey into the highlands of Santa Cruz, where we experienced firsthand the developments of the Galapagos pioneers, including different ways of processing coffee, cacao, and sugar cane. Later at El Manzanillo Ranch, we shared the natural environment of the iconic giant tortoises, and learned about their behaviors and survival over the past few centuries.
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Santiago Island
Our morning started with an exciting Zodiac ride in very calm waters. We were able to see the most elegant seabird, the Nazca booby. We spent the second part of the morning on the glass bottom boat and in kayaks. We had so much fun observing sea lions, lots of fish, sharks, and even a manta ray through the glass. It was fantastic! By the afternoon, we had already sailed to a different location on Santiago Island. Puerto Egas, once a salt mine colony, offered us a very pleasant nature walk. We observed a few Galapagos land iguanas which were part of a conservation project for this beautiful and endemic reptile. As we took the trail back, a small colony of fur seals were basking on the rocks and swimming. At the end of our exploration, we encountered the mysterious Galapagos hawk! It’s the largest bird of prey, imposing yet calm.