MA

MA

SANTA ROSA .... LotA trip into the highlands is so different from the coast. The towns are smaller, quieter, and slower. All that is great, unless you are stranded there during a tsunami. Then, you kind of miss the fact that you can't find a hotel. As soon as you arrive in the highlands, you also appreciate a much cooler climate.

If you do make it to Santa Rosa, it probably isn't to see the tiny little town. More than likely, you pass through it on your way to Rancho Premicias. That's your destination if you want to see the Santa Cruz tortoises in their natural environment.

I arranged a taxi to take me there.  I expected the driver to wait in the car while I explored.  That wasn't the case. This man gave me more than I expected.  When we arrived at Rancho Premicies, my driver was also my guide.  I really didn't think I needed a guide, but I was wrong.  No matter how big those tortoises were, and they were really big, it was easy for me to walk past them.  But, my guide didn't seem to miss anything.

One time we left the trail.  It was bramble, blackberry bushes (who knew they were in the Galapagos Islands?), vines and branches.  To be very honest, I didn’t enjoy the moment.  Clothes and skin were caught by the stickers.  But, my guide was a man on a mission and I followed the best I could.  He heard a tortoise beyond the bramble, and we just had to find it.

There were other tourists Rancho Premicias.  Some were in packs of sixteen, following their guide in all in a single file row.  I would have hated that.  I much preferred my hike with a personal guide, except for the thorns.