This morning we are heading out at 9 to visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre. It’s just a short walk from our hotel.
Largely this centre is dedicated to the preservation of the different species of giant tortoises found on the islands of the Galápagos archipelago. The idea is to keep the species as pure as possible to avoid extinction. Sadly with the arrival of pirates back in the early years the population of the tortoises declined as they took them for food and exploited them in a barbaric way.
Maritza has so much knowledge and is interesting but retaining the information she imparts is impossible. Suffice to say they are doing everything possible to restore the number and species of the tortoises and iguanas. After a couple of hours at the research center, we are on our own until it’s time to catch our boat to the Island of San Cristobol.
We fill in this time by firstly having coffee and then wandering past the fish market where the expectant pelicans and sea lions await maybe a tiny morsel.
We get a light lunch at the Galápagos Deli where they bake their own bread and we share a delicious fresh roll.