silversea orgin - Santa Cruz island, galapagos, ecuador - day 12 - september 17, 2025

Today was a different day - we went ashore to the town of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz and will take buses up the hill to see the Giant Tortoises. We went to the Galapagos Conservation Center for a tour. The Giant Tortoises are really something, they are very large, old, and slow!

We returned to the ship for lunch, then went back to Puerto Ayora to tour the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center at the Darwin Research Center. We saw the breeding program for the Giant Tortoises and the the most famous Tortoise of them all - Lonsome George - who is dead and stuffed and kept in a climate controlled room! Very strange & creepy!

Giant Tortoise and the Bus - we just had to wait

This gives you an idea how large they really are

Baby Tortoises in the breeding program

Lonesome George - Stuffed & Creepy