Today was Giant Tortoise Day and they didn't disappoint.
Unfortuantely, we first had to encounter civilisation in the form of Puerto Ayora, the town on the inhabited island of Santa Cruz. I was getting used to living a cash free, car-free existence!
Once we made it up into the Highlands though, we felt back at home. I had some misconception that we'd be pretty lucky if we saw a Giant Tortoise in the wild. In the end, I felt like I was tripping over them! And they don´t call them Giant for nothing! They are like boulders with legs.
The males weigh about 600lbs and the females 200lbs which is why I was rather concerned when our naturalist Cathy spotted two of them mating!! Cathy was pretty excited so I guess this isn't something you get to see everyday. It did feel a bit like being part of a David Attenborough documentary but, as the only group to have seen it, we feel pretty smug!
My giant tortoise photo collection may now rival my sea lion photo collection - sorry!
The rest of the morning was spent visiting some of the geological sights on Santa Cruz - two collapsed volcano craters and a lava tunnel which were pretty impressive. And we had lunch at the Finch Bay Eco-hotel where we could also take a dip in their lovely pool.
In the afternoon, we went to the Darwin Centre which I have to admit was the most depressing moment of my trip so far. I know that they have to do something to protect the tortoises but the centre was so uninspiring and the tortoises looked so miserable compared to the ones we had seen out in the wild. Definitely something to miss if you are planning on a trip.
Can't believe tonight is my last night on board the Santa Cruz. I better dash to catch the last rays of sunlight on the deck.
WOW!!!!! Looking forward to the piccies...
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