Boxing Day!

MS - Boxing Day! Today we visited two areas with our new naturalist guide, Roberto. He is a part of our crew on the Golondrina our boat for the week. http://golondrinayachtgalapagos.com This morning we visited the Darwin Center. Here they protect the giant tortoises by raising them and studying their habits. We saw them from one year old to 100+ yrs old. All in captivity. Lots of additional studies and information on native species both plants and animals.

This afternoon, after a delicious shrimp in coconut milk lunch on the boat, we visited "The Highlands" which had a ranch where we saw giant tortoises in the wild. AMAZING! So many, all over the lush grasslands that were just eating and relaxing and living great 100+ year old lives. The females, after they turn 25 years old, travel for 4 months to mate in the highlands, then travel 4 months back to the beach in the adjacent national park to lay their eggs. Then they turn back around and go back to mate - for decades upon decades.

Tonight we sail overnight to Isabella island and have a full day on Wednesday of hikes and snorkeling beginning at 6AM.


Cool mural along the street



2 year olds

Over 100 years old

Charles Darwin Center


Roberto showing us a shell of a tortoise that had died at more than 100 years old


Giant Galapagos tortoise in the wild