Punta Pitt and Kicker Rock
Punta Pitt rises tall nearby our anchorage. At the northeastern tip of San Cristobal Island, this was the first piece of land sighted by the crew of the HMS Beagle when they visited the Galápagos archipelago in 1835. Modeled by constant wind erosion, the area is simply stunning with its steep walls and golden colors. We set off for a hike up a small canyon produced by rain waters to ascend to a plateau, where we could admire the wonderful landscapes. Punta Pitt is one of the five major breeding colonies of red-footed boobies in the Galápagos; they seem to love this abrupt coastline. We spotted many of them flying over the colony, sometimes chased by the felon frigates; others were on duty guarding their young, fluffy chicks in their nest up on the bushes and trees. The colors of the area are remarkable: ochre colors in the cliffs, blue sky and ocean, green and bright vegetation surrounding us. We had to be careful as we marched on the trail, as we always seemed to be about to step on a fearless San Cristobal lava lizard! This endemic species differs to the other Galápagos lava lizards in the amount of yellow coloration the females display on their bodies, while males are heavily streaked. Their natural predators were not far away, amongst which we spotted a Galápagos racer and a Galápagos centipede, an endemic insect of gigantic proportions that can reach almost one foot in length. The morning went on and the equatorial sun became hotter, so it was time to enjoy the blue sea. The olivine beach of Punta Pitt was an option, with its fine sand and calm waters, but we also had one more opportunity of snorkeling with playful sea lions in a nearby rock. The water was clear, and the sea lion pups were more than cooperative!
Towards lunch, we had a magical moment when we were surrounded by a large pod of false killer whales. This was something quite unusual, so we stopped our lunch and grabbed our cameras to capture this unique experience. We then continued our navigation to Kicker Rock, further south. This rock is the remnants of a massive tuff rock, most of which has disappeared by wave action leaving vertical walls and a flat top where many seabirds breed and nest, mainly Nazca boobies and frigate birds. Since it’s quite far from the coastline, the waters here are deep so it’s usually visited by many marine creatures like Pacific green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and Galapagos sharks. Of course, it is also rich with many species of fish, and a small colony of Galapagos sea lions inhabits its shores. In order to appreciate the size of Kicker Rock and its numerous sea bird species, the National Geographic Islander circumnavigated it towards sunset. We were near the end of a fantastic expedition in the lost paradise of the Galápagos Islands. What a perfect moment to raise a glass of champagne and make a toast with everybody to a safe return home… Salud!
