2019-06-05 Espanola Island to Santa Fe Island to Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Early morning we make a departure from Espanola Island and head north west to Santa Fe IslandAfter breakfast we head ashore for an excursion on the north east corner of the small Santa Fe IslandMany of the usual inhabitants are on or beside the beach …. some having breakfast!!We set off on a dirt track near the beach which is a designated track for tourists to observe the numerous land iguanas that live on the islandWe come across the first of the land iguanas here which have a distinct yellow appearanceThere are many cactus trees, also known as the Galapagos Prickly Pear trees, all over the Galapagos IslandsThese cactus trees provide valuable food for the land iguanas and other animals including birds and turtles on the islandsThe fruit and flowers are eaten by the iguanasThis handsome fellow was lucky enough to have one of the fruits drop close to where he was lying!! Under most of the cactus trees you will find at least one land iguana waiting for the fruits to drop!!
This friendly iguana loved having his photo taken!!We return to the beachHardly any walking space on the water’s edge here!!As the tenders arrive to pick us up from the beach, a few of the sea lions lift their heads and bark in annoyance of being woken from their morning naps!!A group of Blue Footed Boobies wait patiently ashore and look out for schools of small fish to come into the bayAs we motor to the Endemic we spot a turtle swimming beside the tenderTortillas for lunch todayFrom Santa Fe Island we motor across to Puerto Ayora which is situated on the southern coast of the second largest island of Santa CruzWe are taken ashore to visit the town called Puerto Ayora …… interesting to see the sea lions have taken over the park benches too!!By small train we are taken to the wildlife park which has been established in the town for the touristsCharles Darwin visited the Galapagos islands many times in the early 1800’s and it is believed that his theory of natural evolution was developed by studying several species of finches that varied from island to island We visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where they have developed breeding programs in the hopes of increasing some of the most endangered species of the islands, like the Galapagos giant tortoise
After our interesting visit to the Research Centre we walked back into the townThere were some lovely shops in the town such as ExoticoThe locals were out in crowds watching the local handball competitionLate afternoon we return to the Endemic Sunset drinks on the mid floor landing with a new Australian friends
Tonight is the last night with the current guests aboard ….. they all booked a four day cruise and we were the only ones for the seven day adventure!!Grilled lobster and roast pork for dinner tonightA delicious final dinner for most of the guests
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