Our expedition of the Enchanted Islands of Galapagos is reaching the last of its hours. The magic of this place seems to be endless, and the expressions on the faces of the explorers onboard is the greatest indicator of this. It is hard to describe their fascination, as the National Geographic Endeavour navigates along the coast of the island of San Cristobal, with such unique volcanic features.
San Cristobal is one of the two oldest islands in Galapagos Archipelago; it is also one of the five largest islands, and the easternmost of all. The Ecuadorians began moving on to San Cristobal after the colonization of the island of Floreana, which was the first island where Ecuadorians settled the colony in 1832. San Cristobal is the location of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, a port with 7000 inhabitants, and the political capital of this province, which is the 22nd province of the Republic of Ecuador.
The expedition is heading north of the island, where our destination, Punta Pitt is located. The National Park Service, which is the governmental organization responsible for the administration of the park, remarks that Punta Pitt as one of the most important nesting areas of red-footed boobies in the archipelago. It is also an excellent example of some of the unique volcanic features that the Galapagos are known for.
After breakfast, we set off for a wet landing in the green sandy beach of Punta Pitt, called green for the concentration of peridote, which is especially high in this location. From the beach, our hike takes us uphill for a while, and we begin to notice that the precipitation is creating quite an unexpected event in these volcanic islands.. Suddenly, we look up and see that there are an amazing number of waterfalls all along the high volcanic areas surrounding us. It is a fantastic site, and a great reminder of the magic of the Galapagos. After our extraordinary hike, we head off for our next destination. We anchor at Leon Dormido, also known as “Kicker Rock”, a highly eroded volcano in the middle of the ocean. This site features excellent conditions for deep water snorkeling, which promises to be an excellent close to this day’s adventures. After our adventurous guests have had the chance to encounter the many sharks and rays in Leon Dormido, the National Geographic Endeavour will head to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where a new adventure begins early tomorrow morning.
