After nice and easy nocturnal navigation we anchored at San Cristobal Island this morning. This location is known as Punta Pitt, the closest point to mainland South America from the Galapagos and about 600 nautical miles away from the archipelago. After a delicious breakfast we had our last visit on land on a very green sandy beach made up of ashes and olivine crystals. We had the opportunity to climb through a steep canyon created by the erosion of water and wind over hundreds of thousands of years. One of the goals of the morning was to see the three species of boobies found on these islands: red-footed boobies nesting on trees, Nasca Bobbies flying by the shore rocks, and blue-footed boobies fishing in the nearby shallow waters. The scenic views were also very beautiful with Galapagos Nolana and its succulent leaves, Cristobal daisies, and also Sesuvium portulacastrum (Galapagos carpet weed), a colorful purple and green addition to the rocky landscape and a very attractive succulent plant. After we viewed the explosion of colors we headed back to the beach for a refreshing swim with sea lions!
After lunch we spent the afternoon in Cerro Brujo, a nearby tuff cone. Our purpose was to enjoy the coralline beach. We also saw wildlife: Sea lions, blue-footed boobies, terns, pelicans, ghost crabs... and baby sea turtles coming from the nest and running into the ocean!!! It was a great adventure. At the end of the afternoon everyone was very happy, and together with an impressive sunset as the background, we concluded our last day in paradise.
