San Cristobal Island
The beach at Punta Pitt, which we visited this morning, is made out of olivine – incredibly soft, green sand that is the result of eroded particles of the hardest crystals and minerals that make a lava flow. The little beach transported us to an enchanted kingdom which was completely surreal; the glittering sparkles of crystals seemed to be the result of a fairy flying around here… At the end of the trail, a small colony of red-footed boobies surprised us; these birds, facing the difficult conditions of the season, were patiently taking care of the single chick on their nests. Perching by itself on a solitary branch we found one fully grown adult with red feet that had to be photographed.
San Cristobal is one of the very old islands of the Galápagos group, where places made out of volcanic ash or tuffs (like Punta Pitt) are quite common. As we walked up throughout the canyon we could not be more amazed at how these magnificent formations had formed all as a result of one volcanic event – the meeting of the hot boiling lava with the cold temperatures of the ocean produced steam that eventually compacted up, making layers and layers of material that eventually eroded and made the sand of the nearby beaches.
In the afternoon, as we got into the water around Leon Dormido, or Kicker Rock; some Galápagos sharks welcomed us for our last snorkel of the week. Sea lions, sea turtles, and different species of Galápagos reef fish kept us swimming around these spectacular lava formations.
What an incredible week we have all had in this living laboratory of evolution; we go home having witnessed why humankind needs to keep this place the way it is – it is one of the last paradises on earth and future generations have the right to see it too.
