A stop on this island is often the highlight of visits to the Galapagos because it is the place to see giant tortoises, both in the wild and in captivity. At the Charles Darwin Research Station (http://www.darwinfoundation.org), you can observe baby tortoises being bred for release on their native islands as well as giant Lonesome George. You can also travel to the Highlands, as the center of the island is known, and view the giant tortoises in the wild—usually wallowing in a shallow pond or plodding through dense brush.
The largest town in the islands, Puerto Ayora, is the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the site of the Darwin Station. Dozens of cruise ships and boats anchor in the town's harbor, which is the departure point for those who arrive by plane at the Baltra Island airport, just north of Santa Cruz. No matter where your tour begins, you're likely to spend a good part of a day on Santa Cruz.
Don't pass up the chance to see giant tortoises in the wild, even if it's raining or the ground is muddy. A small bus usually takes visitors to a farm in the Highlands, the closest thing to a rain forest in the islands, where dozens of the giants live amid marshy bogs and dense undergrowth. How easy the lumbering creatures are to spot often depends on the weather and time of day. When they are moving through the brush they sound like small bulldozers clearing a field. Because they are so low to the ground, they are barely visible until they reach the clearing. The sound, however, is unmistakable. As part of a visit to a tortoise farm, travelers usually get a chance to see other parts of the Highlands. Two large craters, called Los Gemelos, are visible from the main road; they were formed by the sinking of magma chambers. A long cave that is actually a lava tube can also be explored. (Although most farms now provide flashlights, you might want to take your own.)
You can usually get a closer look at the giant tortoises at the Darwin Station. About a 15-minute walk northeast of Puerto Ayora, the station is a must-see. You can watch hatchlings and baby tortoises in small pens that also contain incubators. There's also a walk-in area where you can get close enough to touch several giant tortoises—though you are not allowed to do so. The tortoises are raised on the island until they are four or five years old, when they are transferred to the island on which their species originated. (Several thousand have already been returned.)
The station's most famous resident is Lonesome George. Thought to be about 75 years old, George is the last known member of the Isla Pinta subspecies, and scientists have been seeking a mate for him for several years. They've changed his diet, built him a heart-shaped pool and introduced him to numerous likely female partners. So far, however, George remains lonesome. In 2007, scientists gathered some gene samples on Isabela that suggest there may be another Pinta tortoise there, so perhaps there is hope for George.
In addition to the tortoises, the station has a land iguana repatriation project where, just like giant tortoises, these endemic reptiles from different islands breed in captivity, and young ones are later taken to their native islands. There are also walkways where you can see native flora as well as landbirds, including some of Darwin's famous finches. There's also a park information center, a small museum where slideshows are presented in several languages and an excellent gift shop. Don't expect this research station to have scientists working next to you and explaining all their findings and results. The station is a place where fieldwork information is gathered and analyzed. Thus, most of the research work happens on the different islands and not at the station itself. The interpretative displays will show the quality of the work done in the field.
If you have time, walk back to town from the station. You can shop for souvenirs and see something of the town itself and meet its residents. Puerto Ayora has the feel of an island resort with open-air restaurants, small hotels and a laid-back pace. Sitting at San Francisco Park, you can watch waves rolling in, blue-footed boobies plunging into the sea and marine iguanas feeding on algae. Puerto Ayora's popularity has become part of the problem, however. It has grown significantly in recent years as Ecuadorians have relocated there to take advantage of the tourism business. One of the most developed in the chain, it now has about 15,000 residents (no one wants to count for sure) and a host of domesticated and wild animals that are nonnative to the islands.
