Day One Afternoon

After a briefing and a safety drill, we had lunch and then returned to Santa Cruz to visit a lava tunnel and the giant tortoise. A few people were already on board and had been visiting the islands for a few days. We then made the total about 14 (full boat is 20).

The lava tunnel was fascinating. The islands are all part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes occur daily although we don't notice them. The evidence of volcanic activity is everywhere. The tunnel was caused by flowing lava hardening on the outside while the inside continued to flow like a river. This one was lighted a bit (unlike one we will see later) so we would be in awe of the mineral colours and formations. The lava tunnels are closed in the rainy season as water from above will cause rock falls.

The giant tortoise are amazing creatures. A lot of work is being done to preserve what are left and to help repopulate other islands with the tortoise that belong there. Galapagos is the Spanish for saddle, named for the saddleback tortoise the Spanish first encountered. The giant tortoise were almost descimated by pirates, whalers and fishers as they were easy to catch, could stay alive for long periods of time without food or water so they made good "fresh meat" for long sailing voyages. Sailors would take 200 at a time. Amazing there are any left. The ones we saw were on a private farm. They are wild as no one feeds them or tends to them. These tortoise are in the highlands and were breeding while we were there. Both male and female will make the long trek to the lowlands to lay the eggs. These slow moving creatures are very driven as movement is difficult due to their shape and weight.