Our last full day in the Galapagos was going to be spent on Santa Cruz island, with most of it taking place in Puerto Ayora, the most populated town in the islands. We had already been to Cerro Dragon and Bachas Beach, but there was still much more to see.
It felt quite interesting to wake to a fairly busy harbor.
And after our breakfast……
We were headed to the harbor.
Upon landing I felt so sad seeing this sick looking Sea Lion pup. There were cones around the little one so he wouldn’t be bothered, so it was obvious the authorities were aware of the little one.
We boarded a small bus and headed on inland to El Chato Ranch and Giant Tortoise Reserve. This large property was once a cattle ranch, but was converted to a reserve for free roaming tortoises.
From the moment you arrive, you’ll see tortioses.
There are several trails and once we walked a bit we were taken to a “Lava Tunnel”….in other words a lava tube.
And folks really seemed in awe of it. Even though we’ve been to Kaumana Caves a couple of times, this was still neat.
After this we walked some trails and just watched the Giant Tortoises ambling about.
It was amazing watching these majestic creatures…..
Who were just totally unfazed by our presense.
Just carrying on with daily life!
We then headed back to Puerto Ayora and the ferry back to Evolve.
There were more sea lions napping on the dock. And the little was snoozing as well.
Back on board we had our departure briefing and then lunch.
We then had a couple of hours to rest before heading out for our last adventure!