San Cristobal Island
After a comfortable navigation from Santa Cruz Island we woke up anchored in front of one of the most emblematic places of the Galapagos: Punta Pitt. The best way to begin exploring here was with a wet landing in order to begin a magnificent hike three-hundred feet up the cliffs of Punta Pitt. Right at the beginning of the hike we were welcomed by a few Galápagos sea lions, and farther into the trail, the splendor of the place made us feel in paradise: old eroded tuff cones surrounding us like sleeping giants of the ancient world.
As we reached the highest point of the trail, it was time to look for one of the most colorful creatures: red-footed boobies. By the time we reached the border of the cliffs, the sky was crowded by so many seabirds that we felt as if we were in a wildlife sanctuary. Frigate birds flying, red-footed boobies singing and red-billed tropicbirds soaring were a delight that only Mother Nature can show at Punta Pitt. On the way back, we enjoyed the spectacular view that was a combination of tuff cones and sea.
Once we were back to the beach, we got everything ready for deep water snorkeling. Once in the water a completely marvelous world was shown to our eyes: colorful reef fish on the rocks, seabirds fishing, and playful baby sea lions were part of the highlights of the underwater paradise. Once back on board National Geographic Islander, we pulled anchor in order to continue with the adventure to Leon Dormido.
In the afternoon the adventure just got better, and the big surprise was going to be deep water snorkeling around Leon Dormido. This is considered one of the best diving and snorkeling places of the archipelago, and today we experienced part of its marvels: Pacific green sea turtles swimming around, a lot of reef fish, but the main attraction was definitely the black-tip reef sharks that were circling around us. The symphony of colors inside this undersea world was just a marvelous experience to be repeated several times in a lifetime.
At the end of the adventure we enjoyed a peaceful circumnavigation around Leon Dormido. The steep cliffs that were crowded by all kinds of birds made the perfect contrast with the sunset in the background. This has been a wonderful expedition across the Galápagos Islands paradise.
