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It
is in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago and has the
largest population. Puerto Ayora is the main town and there
are two other smaller settlements of Bellavista and Santa
Rosa.
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Puerto
Ayora |
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The
town is the largest in the archipelago with a population of
around 6,000. It is also the centre for the Galapagos National
Park (GNP) and the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS),
both to the east of the town. |
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Charles
Darwin Research Station |
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This
is a must for tourists and a visit is on the itinerary of
most of the organised tours in the Galapagos. Although it
is a scientific Research Station it is nevertheless possible
to be taken around a large part of it by a guide. There is
a well laid out visitor centre, the Van Straalen Hall, which
gives information on the islands, their geology, natural history
and their conservation. In addition there is a tortoise breeding
centre. There are also pens in which adult tortoises are kept
and here you can see 'Lonesome George'. This tortoise is the
last of Pinta Island subspecies and so far attempts to mate
him with another subspecies has failed. |
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The
Tortoise Reserve |
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Here
it is possible to go with a guide and see giant tortoises
in the wild. A trip starts from the settlement of Santa Rosa,
about 3 km to the north of the reserve. Many land birds can
also be seen. |
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Los
Gemelos (The Twins) |
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These
are two large craters in the middle of the island, either
side of the one road crossing the island. They are the remains
of volcanic magma chambers which collapsed and the vertical
sides are now covered with vegetation. Vermillion flycatchers
can be seen here, as well as the woodpecker finch and short
eared owls. |
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Other
Tourist Sites |
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There
are a number of other coastal sites around the island where
turtles, pelicans, marine iguanas, herons and many other species
can be seen. On the island there are a large number of lava
tubes, some of which are big enough to enter. |
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Black
Turtle Cove |
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It
is a mangrove swamp on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island.
We anchor our boat at the entrance to the cove and enter the
area in our panga or dinghy. This is a great place to see
large schools of Golden Rays, Green Sea Turtles (they are
on the rare and endangered species list), White-tipped Sharks,
Galapagos Sharks, Lava Herons, Yellow Warblers and a variety
of other bird species. |
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Dragon
Hill |
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After
a dry landing at a dock, we make our visit to a hypersalinic(saltier
than the sea) lagoon behind the beach often frequented by
flamingos. There is a winding trail to Dragon Hill, which
offers a beautiful view of the bay, This area is a nesting
site of a big number of land iguanas re-introduced by the
Charles Darwin Research Station. There is also a Scalesia
tree forest. |
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Sports |
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Surfing,
Scuba diving, Kayaking, are among the most popular sports
practiced at Santa Cruz. On this Island it is also permissible
to practice windsurfing, mountain biking among others. |
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Beaches |
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Santa
Cruz has one of the most famous and longest fine white sand
beaches of Galapagos : Tortuga Bay. A nice leisure beach,
Tortuga Bay is also "popular" with marine iguanas, pelicans,
sharks and flamingos (occasionally). Be aware that offshore
currents are very strong in this area and swimming is not
recommended. However, if you walk all the way down Tortuga
Bay, you'll get to a nice protected area (small beach) where
swimming is safe. Garrapatero is another beautiful beach and
a good place for swimming. |
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Lagoons |
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Next
to Puerto Ayora harbour is a small shadowed lagoon where you
can see nymphs. It is a nice cool place to walk around or
to have a rest. |
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History |
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Charles
Darwin, on his "Voyage" to the Galapagos islands, didn't visit
Santa Cruz. He did stop in San Cristobal, in Floreana, in
Isabela and in Santiago. Not in Santa Cruz. For many years
-Puerto Ayora is one of the youngest settlements of the archipelago-,
the island was nothing but an exile destination for convicts
or "rebels" sent there by the "emperor" (Manuel J. Cobos)
of San Cristobal. Like Camilo Casanova who spent almost 4
years on the island, before being rescued by an Ecuadorian
military ship. The first settlement was started in 1926. In
1959, the Galapagos islands were officially declared National
Park area. The same year the Charles Darwin Foundation was
created. The Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin
Research Station (inaugurated in 1964) both have their headquarters
in Puerto Ayora. Santa Cruz, also know as Indefatigable, had
not less than 8 different names (Bolivia, Chavez, Norfolk,
etc,) in its short history ! |
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