It is fantastic to spend a whole day on my home Island: Santa Cruz. We started with a visit to a local farm “El Trapiche” where our guests learned about the production of organic coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, bananas and tried their products, a delicious moment! Afterwards we went to “Los Gemelos,” a visitor site located at the highest point of the street with the last and largest scalesia forest on the Island. Then we continued to Rancho El Manzanillo to visit the giant tortoises. There were many tortoises today, it was spectacular. We finished our day visiting the giant tortoise breeding center and the Exhibition Hall of the Charles Darwin Research Station. On Santa Cruz Island, conservation and tourism work hand by hand!
10/7/2024
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National Geographic Islander II
Santa Cruz Highlands
Our expedition started on board National Geographic Islander and the things we discovered today were amazing. We visited the most populated island of the Galapagos, Santa Cruz Island, and we learned that in the Galapagos, humans and nature can coexist in harmony. The journey began in the morning as we arrived at El Trapiche, a sugarcane plant built in 1950 and an historical destination owned by Mr. Adriano, one of the first Ecuadorians that came to the island. Our guests learned how moonshine is produced in an artisanal way out of sugarcane juice and also how coffee beans are harvested, dried, and processed in order to produce delicious coffee. We continued our journey toward the highlands of Santa Cruz, to Los Gemelos, two stunning volcanic sinkholes formed by the collapse of volcanic chambers and an area where you can walk through lush vegetation and the unique Scalesia pedunculata forest. The panoramic view was breathtaking. At mid-day we reached our lunch destination, the spectacular Manzanillo Farm. After enjoying a delicious lunch we were ready for the most wonderful adventure, we walked beside Galapagos giant tortoises! Roaming with these fantastic reptiles in their natural habitat offered us the opportunity to take amazing pictures. The best way of ending this incredible day was a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park Facilities to learn how the giant tortoise breeding program works and how this endangered species was recovered.
