Saturday 9/25/2021 Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos: Today is our last full day in the Galapagos.
This morning we embarked on an early morning zodiac ride to Santa Cruz Island where we boarded a bus for the Charles Darwin Research and Tortoise Breeding Centers. As this is one of the 1st populated areas we have visited since boarding our ship, we were required to wear masks ashore. It felt strange after almost 6 days in our bubble.
After learning about the breeding program and viewing the various giant tortoises (some well over 100 years old), we proceeded to the second activity of the day, planting trees. To date, Celebrity Cruises has sponsored the planting of over 56,000 trees in the Galapagos, and today we added our 4 to that count. We donned wellington boots and proceeded into the forest with shovels and seedlings in hand. As each of the trees are numbered, we should be able to check on the progress of “our” trees if we are ever back in this area Santa Cruz Island.
Lunch was served at the privately owned El Manzanillo Ranch where giant tortoises live in the wild. We were treated to an after-lunch folkloric performance by students of a local dance school and then walked among the tortoises at the ranch.
This evening we had our last dinner with our new Galapagos travel friends, tomorrow we will split up (some staying closer to Quito airport while others head back to the JW Marriott.
