We met early this morning in Puerto Ayora and jumped on a bus to tour the Galápagos National Park near the summit of Santa Cruz Island. Our guide for this adventure, Harry Robinson, is a natural historian of the Galápagos who grew up in Villamil, Isabela Island.

As the garaú, or mist, of the high elevations enveloped the bus, we passed papaya, avocado, banana and orange trees on our way up the volacano. When we stopped to visit the twin craters, Los Hermanos, the mist filled the craters like soup. Yellow warblers and vermilion flycatchers darted from branch to branch through the Scalecia forest. Galápagos doves perched on the fences around the craters, which dropped 66 meters below.

Along the National Park trails we followed the same paths as the tortoise ‘de cupula,’ or dome tortoises. Each species of tortoise in the Galápagos has evolved to the specific conditions of the island it lives on. More than 1,200 individual dome tortoises call Santa Cruz home. Once, 14 different species existed, but since the time when pirates roamed the islands three species have gone extinct. Admiring one of the six tortoises we saw today, Harry says, “We don’t know how old they can get, probably at least 170 years. At 70, they are still a sprightly teenager.”

Our excursions near the summit also included a journey not unlike the one Jules Verne wrote about in “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Our journey started by climbing down rickety wooden stairs into a lava tube, known locally as ‘The Pirate Cave.’ Once inside, we clambered, crouched and strolled through the lava tube, which is nearly a kilometer long. Many years ago it formed as an underground tunnel that transported magma away from the summit vent.

With electric lanterns guiding the way and flashlights in hand, we followed the course of the lava that once flowed in the tube. Collapsed portions of the roof gave us access into the tube from the grassy meadow. In some places, the lava tube seemed close to pinching off with only a small gap between the ceiling and the floor that forced us to bend down low to avoid bumping our heads. Other times the lava tube expanded to the size of a racquetball court.

The owner of the property, Miguel Angel Aria, led the way through the lava tube, which is on his property. He discovered the tube several years ago when one of his horses went missing. Unfortunately the horse wandered off and fell into one of the skylights of the tube and was killed. A week later he discovered the horse (from the smell!) and the tube. The lava tube is now a tourist attraction on Santa Cruz and, conveniently, Mr. Aria opened a lovely restaurant near the exit of the tube. We emerged from the lava tube, and celebrated the adventure with a relaxing lunch at his restaurant, “El Chato.”

[Back to top]