San Cristobal Island
Today we enjoyed our last day of a fantastic expedition exploring the Galapagos Islands. This time, exploration took us to one of the oldest Islands found totally east in the Archipelago: San Cristobal. The best way to begin was to sense the wonders of nature at Punta Pitt. After a comfortable wet landing, we got everything ready in order to climb up the cliffs for a marvelous hike.
On our way into the trail, we saw a magic combination of dry and green vegetation as we were facing the driest side of the Island. As we reached the highest point of the trail, we had a fantastic view of the bay. The magnificence of the place was displayed as we witnessed giant tuff cones formations all around us. Later in the visit, we started exploring the cliff area in order to find one of the most emblematic species of Punta Pitt: red footed boobies.
Once we reached the opposite end of the trail, we finally saw these magnificent birds occupying the green bushes for nesting. The charming color combination that red footed boobies have on their bodies was something out of this world. The symphony of nature was played by the different species of land birds that could be found in the area such as Chatham mockingbirds, small and medium ground finches. San Cristobal lava lizards were our companions throughout the visit until the moment we started heading back to the beach.
As soon as we arrived back to the beach, the sky was totally clear, so we had the opportunity to enjoy the shiny color of the inorganic sand of Punta Pitt, as there are volcanic crystals in its composition. Once back on board the National Geographic Islander, we pulled anchor in order to start navigation to our next Destination: Leon Dormido.
In the afternoon, exploration got better, and the best way to begin it was to get into the water in order to see the marvels of the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve. Leon Dormido is considered one of the top snorkeling places of the Islands, and as soon as we came into the water we enjoyed the overwhelming presence of different species of reef fishes found all over the rocks.
As soon as we returned, we had everything ready for a charming navigation around Leon Dormido; but the big surprise was several Bryde’s whales that started a natural performance for the ship, as they were feeding in the area. At the end of exploration we enjoyed a delightful sunset as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. There is no way the Galapagos Islands exploration could have been better, and today we had a magnificent taste by exploring San Cristobal Island.
