Punta Pitt and Cerro Brujo, San Cristobal Island, 12/10/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today we had a spectacular day exploring the island of San Cristobal. In the morning, we visited Punta Pitt where we found the outstanding red-footed boobies.
In the afternoon, we visited Cerro Brujo, one of my favorite beaches in Galapagos. We finished our day navigating around Kicker Rock during an outstanding sunset.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
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Today we visited Floreana, this is one of the first islands in the Galapagos to experience human settlement due to its fresh water supply. It played a crucial role in the archipelago’s history as a stopping point for whalers, pirates, and explorers who put into place the popular Post Office Barrel. It still works today as a tradition to send letters all over the world by hand delivering them, and our guests got to be part of it. After enjoying a wonderful morning, we sailed to Punta Cormorant where we hiked and spotted sea turtles mating, lizards, blue-footed boobies, birds, sea lions and many others. We ended the great day with a mesmerizing sunset! What a wonderful time we had exploring Floreana.
Tiny Bartolome Island is a highlight of any Galapagos visit. The hike to the summit leaves you breathless for more than one reason - the 380 steps to the top and the magnificent view of Pinnacle Rock, Santiago Island, and the Bainbridge group of islets. After the hike and before breakfast and snorkeling, we had a glimpse of a couple of Galapagos penguins that came close enough to say hello but far enough for decent smartphone pictures. After a few hours of crossing, we reached the northwestern side of Santa Cruz Island and some of us went for a hike at Dragon Hill to look for land iguanas. We were also lucky to observe a flamingo that showed up in the brackish lagoon. My group decided to go for the alternative Zodiac ride at the nearby area of Venecia. We motored slowly in the (juvenile) blacktip reef shark infested waters. We found mating sea turtles and the usual shore birds hunting for Sally Lightfoot crabs.
Today we visited the island of Santiago. In the morning, we explored Buccaneer Cove by kayak, snorkeling, and even by glass bottom boat. In the afternoon we visited Puerto Egas. The landscape was full of wildlife and amazing geological formations that offered great opportunities for photography, conversations, and creating wonderful memories with our dear guests.
