Another day, another adventure!
This is the island you first see as you fly into the Galapagos because it is the closest to the mainland and one of the oldest of the group. It has beautiful beaches with different types of sand, interesting wildlife, and outstanding landscape. Punta Pitt is the place where we spent our morning hiking up a hill made entirely of volcanic ash which forms when hot lava meets the cold water. The trail is almost all naturally formed as rain water runs downhill, especially during El Nino events. Two species of animals are found only here, so they have the name of the island as first name, San Cristobal lava lizard and San Cristobal mockingbird, among Darwin’s first sightings during his visit in 1835.
We reached the top of the hill to enjoy an incredible view of the area, including the beach filled with sea lions. Birds flew around doing all sort of calls, diving like crazy, collecting nesting material and others just watched us pass.
The end of the trail was spectacular due to the red-orange vegetation called Portulaca. Around the area we found the nesting of the red footed-boobies, some sitting on the nests, others just starting with this business. A few blue footed boobies were also nesting here.
We took a lot of good pictures of them, they are just so beautiful.
Upon our return to the beach we met the sea lions again, and again we were captivated by their friendship, elegance, and beauty. Just being close to them is worth a trip, they can just change the way we see the animals all over the world where some are not given the respect they deserve. Swimming with them is so much fun.
In the afternoon we moved to another part of the island called Cerro Brujo where we walked on the most beautiful white sand, with outstanding landscapes and wildlife. Sea lions were lounging and blue footed boobies were diving just off shore together with pelicans.
It is truly an amazing place where we finished the day with a sunset and moonrise.
