San Cristobal Island
Our last day in heaven, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, eagle rays, hammerhead sharks…oh my! The island of San Cristobal gave a unique experience to our explorers. This island is located at the southeastern site of the Galápagos archipelago and is considered to be one of the oldest geologically. San Cristóbal has an area of 558 km2 (215 sq. mi) and its highest point rises up to 730 meters (2,400 ft.). On this last full day in the enchanted islands we enjoyed a combination of activities such as hiking, swimming, and snorkeling.
Today we followed in Charles Darwin’s steps since San Cristobal was the first island that he visited. Our morning outing took place at Punta Pitt; it offers an impressive and bizarre volcanic landscape that has been shaped overtime by the elements. This is one of the only few sites in the Galápagos where we can sometimes find all three species of boobies nesting together. A Zodiac ride to a periphery island blew our mind; tropicbirds, storm petrels, swallow-tailed gull, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, shearwaters, and many more species of seabirds were found in an area that was no more than 400 square meters in surface area. The landing was at an incredible green sand beach; sea lions and marine iguanas welcomed us. The small canyons that we used as a path took us to a plateau and viewpoints where we were able to sight red-footed boobies with their chicks. In addition, mockingbirds, lava lizards, and scalesia trees, which are endemic to this unforgettable place, were spotted. The walk ended at the beach; we had a pleasant swim with immature sea lions that were curious of our presence.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Islander sailed towards a scenic offshore islet formed by the erosion of an ancient tuff cone; this majestic place is known as Leon Dormido for locals and Kicker Rock in English. Our snorkel fanatics jumped in the water from the zodiacs at the base of these towering tuff rocks to enjoy the last spectacular snorkeling in this week; among colorful schools of fish we also found school of Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks and white-spotted eagle rays. Once we all were back on board, we have a great time at the sky deck to enjoy late afternoon drinks while circumnavigating this unique formation. The closure of this magical day ended with an unforgettable sunset.
Tomorrow our guests will leave the enchanted islands but the unique experience that they gained over this week will remain in their souls and minds for the rest of their lives. They came with a perspective of what nature is all about and Galápagos changed it; here is the only place on Earth were humans and nature can get reconciled. The fearless species such as boobies, sea lions, frigate birds, and the prehistoric marine iguanas and giant tortoises make this trip dreamlike.
