Santa Cruz is the most populated of the islands and is home to the Galapagos National Park headquarters and the Charles Darwin Research Station, both in the city of Puerto Ayora. We first visited the highlands, traversing all 7 vegetation zones found in the Galapagos. A midday stop at the extensive Manzanillo Farm gave closeup looks at wild Galapagos Tortoises as well as an excellent lunch. Back in Puerto Ayora we visited the CDRS which conducts a breeding program in which eggs are brought from Pinzo and Santiago and artificially incubated. After rearing for about 5 years the young tortoises are returned to their native areas.