The ship repositioned to Santa Cruz during lunch, Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos and the tourism hub of the islands. It has the largest population and is the only island in the Galapagos with a road that crosses the interior. The National Park headquarters and Charles Darwin Research Center are located here and it is the island with the most hotel options for those who don't want to stay on board a boat.
We took the zodiacs into Puerto Arroyo, and then boarded buses for a trip up to the highlands to see the giant tortoises that roam around through agricultural areas and reserves. Most of the precipitation in the Galapagos is produced when ocean winds hit landmass and cool as the rise uphill. This has created a landscape with dry forests in the lowlands and cloud forests near the summits of the highest islands. The maximum altitude in Santa Cruz is 2,835'.
Our destination was El Rancho de Manzanillo, a farm where the tortoises roam freely. We donned rubber boots and set off with the naturalists for about an hour to observe the tortoises. They were everywhere, munching on the grass, lumbering over to the pond and just hanging out. We saw males, females and babies - they can weigh up to 500 lbs and live for up to 150 years. Santa Cruz has the second largest population of the tortoises; up to 3,000 of them forage on moss and lichen up in the Highlands.
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