Today is the last day of expedition in the Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Islander. The Islands we visited were San Cristobal, which is the oldest at about 5 million years old, and Kicker Rock which is a very old, eroded tuff cone standing on the ocean. The walls of Kicker Rock house nests of several types of sea birds.
This morning we went on a Zodiac ride along the cliffs that form a nice bay where Punta Pitt is located. in the last 10 years the population of red footed boobies was very low, but now there’s up to 2 thousand of them living in this magical place, so we consider it a miracle because in such very short period of time they have greatly increased their numbers. During our expedition, of course, we have seen many of them nesting on small bushes or trees hanging on the walls. Once on land we climb up to the top of this old volcano to get a breath taking view. What is unique to San Cristobal is one of the four species of mockingbirds found in Galapagos and collected by Darwin on his trip to the islands in 1835. We also spotted a unique type of lava lizard and other varieties of animals.
Once we landed back on the beach we had some time to relax, to take pictures of sea lions resting on the sand and to swim with them in the warm water of the bay. Later in the afternoon we moved to our next destination, Kicker Rock.
We circumnavigated around Kicker Rock and also went snorkeling. It is considered one of the best spots in Galapagos to snorkel with sharks, ray, turtles and sea lions. Indeed! We did it! Once we jumped into the water and moved into a channel between two high impressive walls, many sharks were visible, multi-color fish and eagle rays. It was the perfect finale for an incredible week around the enchanted islands. At 5:45 pm our captain navigated around the formation. We celebrated our enjoyment and the opportunity of getting to know such a special place on earth, one week around the Galapagos Islands.
