Santa Cruz, Galápagos
Exploring the island of Santa Cruz is pretty easy. Just grab any passing taxi (here they are all white crew-cab pickup trucks) and they will take you anywhere you want to go, acting as tour guides along the way.
Our selected driver took us to the Tortoise Ranch, where we were able to wander through the wet, swampy forest in search of giant tortoises. They do provide rubber boots for most people, however my feet proved to be too big a challenge for them, not that I was too surprised. My feet and sandals are used to getting wet anyway. On the plus side, we did get to see some of these magnificent beasts, in their natural habitat.
On the way to the ranch, we stopped to explore a lava tunnel, a natural cave formed when hot lava flowed out after a volcanic eruption, hopefully a long time ago. For the most part, it was a very easy trek, although some places had a very low ceiling. The mud washes off pretty easily.
Back in Puerto Ayora, we took a short hike to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where we observed tortoises in a more controlled environment, part of a captive breeding program. A few iguanas were also hanging around there.
That was all yesterday. Today will most likely be a pretty laid-back day since we have now seen the must-see items on our list. And on Sunday, we will be travelling back to the airport where we are to meet the crew for the "cruise" portion of this trip. I am not sure if we will have any Internet while on the boat, so this may be the last post for a week or more. Remember. no news is good news...
{GMST}00|38.3|S|090|20.2|W|Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, Ecuador|Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, Ecuador{GEND}
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