Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. It is around 1.5 million years old. It is one of the younger islands in the Galapagos.
The island was named Santa Cruz, meaning “Holy Cross”. It was also called Indefatigable by the British after HMS Indefatigable. The Galapagos Islands were used by whalers and buccaneers as a base for their operations. There are many islands in the archipelago. Darwin did not visit Santa Cruz.
The Charles Darwin Research Station was Founded in 1959, after petitions internationally we’re Made to preserve the islands. Many changes had occurred and due to human activity and invasive species, native species were endangered. Now 97% of the entire Galapagos is for preservation and research. People live on only 3%. Tours can access several areas on a limited basis. Conservation remains a priority to protect its unique flora and fauna.
San Cristobal pier
Getting from San Cristobal to Santa Cruz was easy with an approximate 2 hour ferry.
Tortuga Bay
This was an easy 35 minute walk from the center of town through the park. Many lizards and birds hop on and off the path.
The bay is used for surfers and it’s too rough for swimming, but if you walk to the other end of the beach, the path curves towards a sheltered bay.
The marine iguanas can be seen here. They only go in the water when they want to feed on the algae on the rocks. Their noses are blunt for this purpose and their claws and limbs are adapted for this purpose. This is the only marine iguana in the world. When they sneeze on land, they are sneezing out the excess salt from their dive!
Here you can snorkel, swim, or rent a kayak. Lots of wildlife can be seen from the kayak.
The Darwin research station
Outside the research station is a little building where you can purchase a tour with a naturalist. It gives you more access to the station. While you wait there is an artist area across the street that leads to the Bay.
At the station I saw the turtle breeding program area. They breed and monitor the eggs then when they hatch, they keep them for 5 years before releasing into the wild. They mimic the requirements needed for that time. By controlling egg incubation temperatures, they can ensure enough males and females.
At the information center we saw lonesome George, the last of his specific breed of tortoise. Many of the rest of his species had been smuggled out of the Galapagos and despite reward offerings to give one up for a mating partner, no one responded. When he died, they had him taxidermied.
After walking around a little longer, I went to the Bay at the research station.
A friend from school had just arrived at the island. We walked around at the gift shops and looked for sharks at the pier.
This is a little sea lion pup.
A long day walking and more for tomorrow….