Galapagos Day 5
December 18, 2017 at 6:17 PM
We are now in Santa Cruz, map shows tonights sailing to Floreana in purple.
Galapagos Islands - Day 7 Santa Cruz - Darwin Centre & Giant Tortoise in Highlands
Early this morning we anchored in Santa Cruz one of only several areas that people live on the islands. Our first visit this morning was the Darwin Research Centre where they present the mandate of conserving and preserving the turtles of the island through a breeding centre. The Darwin Centre is also an interpretive presentation for many of the island species and now a new exhibit with Lonesome George preserved and on display. Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise and the last known individual of the species. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. After he died he was flown to the United States where DNA and other studies were done. His remains were preserved and brought back to the Darwin Centre where the National Park Service created a special temperature controlled building where you can visit. After lunch we traveled up to the highlands and visited the regions where the giant tortoise roam. They roam on open lands in swamps and forest regions only returning to the lowlands to lay their eggs. This evening we returned to the ship and set sail for our next destination the island of Floreana. Below is the link to the gallery of todays selection of images.
Link to our Galapagos Tour Gallery from the Darwin Centre and Highlands
http://phototourtrekkers.zenfolio.com/galapagos5