The description read:

“Manzanillo Ecological Reserve,” native ground of the Galapagos’ Giant Tortoises. What to bring: closed shoes, long pants, sun protection, water, hat, sun glasses, insect repellant, and money.”

Money?

We landed on the island of Santa Cruz, boarded a bus and left the dry shore area behind as we climbed into the rainforest. Carlos Guerrero, owner of Rancho Manzanilla, is a man of vision. Long before the road went in, Guerrero traveled to various areas of the rain forest until he found the perfect spot. Then he went back to town, and asked to purchase 80 hectares of land so he could grow coffee. Officials reminded him there was no infrastructure. No problem, Guerrero insisted. So they quoted Guerrero a price.

Hmmm. Seems Guerrero didn’t have the cash, but he did have ten cows. He got the land. Guerrero turned around and sold 35 hectares of the land, leaving him with 41 hectares. Guerrero planted coffee trees, and today offers visitors a sample of the results. [Galapagos Coffee is considered one of the best gourmet coffees in the world.]

But, Guerrero didn’t purchase the land just to build a farm. The land is abuts the Tortoise Reserve. Guerrero encouraged the animals to roam freely on his land, built a visitor center with rest rooms, snacks, and souvenirs. Once the road was in place, Guerrero let tourist outlets know he had facilities for visitors to interact with giant tortoises.

Guerrero also provides wellington boots free of charge. Considering the mud, this amenity is second only to clean rest rooms.

Factoids

The Giant Tortoise plays an important role in Galapagos History. The very name Galapagos came from the tortoises’ saddle-back shell. Early explorers named the beast after the Spanish word for saddle – galapago.

Tortoise availability brought explorers, pirates, whalers, and all manner of folks to the Galapagos Islands, because the Galapagos Tortoise can live up to a year without food or water. Sailors could fill the ship’s hold with tortoises and have fresh meat as needed. Not surprisingly, this practice decimated the tortoise population.

The tortoises arrived in the islands somewhere between two and three million years ago from the South American mainland, either on vegetation rafts or by floating. The next challenge was to adapt to the dry volcanic environment with its frequent droughts. The front carapace of saddle-back shells curves upward allowing the tortoise to stretch his or her head to reach higher vegetation.

Truth or Fiction?

 There is a story that once upon a time, Steven Spielberg visited the Galapagos and was so taken with the Giant Tortoises that he said he would put them in his next movie. The film was E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial.

Little Apples of Death

Endemic to the Galapagos Islands is a fruit tree, commonly called the Poison Apple Tree – officially the Manzanilla tree or manzanilla de la muerta which translates as “little apples of death.” Every part of this tree is toxic. Touching the plant causes severe dermatitis in the form of an immediate rash, blistering, and/or burning pain. It’s better to get wet from the rain than take refuge under the tree’s boughs. Rainwater dripping off the tree is laden with plant toxins that blister skin. The Galapagos Tortoise eats the fruit with impunity. Humans are wise to avoid it. At the very least, ingesting the fruit can cause severe gastroenteritis. Unless you’re a Galapagos Tortoise.

Puerto Baquerzizo Morino

Back at the shoreline, visitors can stroll the small town of Puerto Baquerzizo Morino, the capital of the Galapagos Islands. The sea lions are pretty sure the town belongs to them. After all, they were here first.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Sign at Galapagos National Park Visitor Center, opened in 1998.

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

Candice Gaukel Andews. “Giant Galapagos Tortoise Makes a Movie.” July 19, 2012. Good Nature Travel. 

Galapagos Conservancy.Here.

More information on Galapagos Poison Apple Tree Here and Here.

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