Highlands....

Giant tortoises aren’t unique to Galápagos but perhaps there’s no other creature that more symbolizes the Archipelago. Several of the islands are home to distinct species or sub-species which have evolved to adapt to their particular environment. (On one small island, I forget which one, giant tortoises were thought to be extinct - the last one was spotted in 1906. That is until a lone female was discovered in 2019! Females are thought to be able to store viable sperm for decades so there is still some hope that she may be able to produce some viable offspring). There is no accepted way of aging giant tortoises, but it’s suspected that “Lonesome George” who died in 2012 (we met him on our earlier visit to Galapagos in 2010) was not far off 200 years old.

So it was with some eager anticipation that we headed up in to the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island, the natural habitat of one species of giant tortoise. The Santa Cruz Island Highlands get plenty of rain (most days apparently!) so the vegetation is very lush - ideal for tortoises which because of their vast bulk have to spend much of the day eating. The lower reaches of the Highlands is also home to ranches whose main business is coffee - a growing industry here. Private land ownership (but only to Galapagos natives, not mainlanders or foreigners) is permitted but with strict limitations on the type of fencing and land usage so as not to interfere with the tortoises habitat and free passage. 

.....& Dragons



Dragon Hill on the other side of Santa Cruz Island from the town of Puerto Ayora is about as different from the Highlands as could be imagined! The volcanic shoreline and brackish water ponds just inland are fringed by massive prickly pear “trees”.

The ground cover and vegetation are lush - this part of the island also gets decent rainfall - but no tortoises here. This area is home to large numbers of one species of land iguana…..hence Dragon Hill 

And finally....

The Galapagos Archipelago is a remarkable collection of some 19 larger islands and a 100 or so smaller islands, islets and rocks, all of volcanic origin and varying ages. Of the 19 larger islands, four are inhabited although the majority of the Archipelago’s 35,000 inhabitants live either on Santa Cruz or San Cristobal islands. All but a tiny percentage of the land area is a National Park and a vast area of ocean around the islands (the area of Florida so we’re told) is either a marine reserve or protected from commercial fishing.

The economy of the Galapagos is almost totally dependent on tourism which employs more than 95% of the adult population. Over-tourism is a constant threat, but the number of tourist boats allowed to operate in the Archipelago is strictly limited. There is only limited accommodation on the two larger inhabited islands for casual visitors. Agriculture and fishing employs some people (additionally greatly limits plant and animal material brought in from the mainland) and coffee cultivation is a growing "cottage industry".

So why come here? The spectacular landscape and scenery - every island is different and different areas of the same island are often very different. Crystal clear, warm blue ocean teeming with sea life fringed by picture postcard beaches - snorkeling and diving are big attractions for many. The incredible variety of wildlife - species and sub-species have evolved over the millennia such that each island has something different.

Strict conservancy measures are in place to prevent the importation, accidentally or by design of any non-native fauna or flora. And there is an ongoing struggle to eliminate such foreign material that was brought in over centuries past destroying or substantially damaging the environment and endogenous species, both plant and wildlife.

The Archipelago's resident human population is relatively young but schooling, healthcare and such like is fairly basic. Funding is limited despite the again thriving tourism industry which hasn't long got going again after the lengthy Covid closure of Galapagos to outside visitors

Galapagos will forever be synonymous with Charles Darwin who only visited four of the islands once in 1835, but whose observations and book "The Origin of the Species" laid the foundation for the theory of evolution. Long may he be remembered!!