Today was our last full day in the Galapagos archipelago, and we closed our week of exploration with swimming and snorkeling excursions, joined by several hundred hammerhead and Galapagos sharks at Kicker Rock, which is right off the coast of San Cristobal Island.
This week was extraordinary, because our guests had the opportunity to see and learn about the principle concept of the geological formation of this oceanic archipelago, and how it affects the endemic, native and introduced species that live here. Overall, it was very enjoyable and exciting for everyone.
San Cristobal Island is the second oldest geological formation in this archipelago, and it has a lot of visitor sites on the island itself, as well as in the surrounding areas.
Our first activity took place at Punta Pitt. This visitor site is a tuff cone, meaning that it is made of volcanic ash compacted as cement. Over the years, they are very easy eroded by natural phenomena, such as rain, wind and ocean waves.
Thanks to these natural forces, an interesting trail was formed at this visitor site, which took us all the way up to the summit of this cone, from where we had an spectacular view of the expanses of endemic plants and interesting geological formations.
Our main goal was to see red-footed boobies nesting in the small trees; this is the only booby, out of the three species, that actually builds a nest and lays a single egg, which is incubated by both parents.
We also had extra activities throughout the day, such as Zodiac rides and a circumnavigation around Kicker Rock on board the National Geographic Endeavour. The idea was to enjoy the beauty of this island from many different perspectives.
Tomorrow, we will say goodbye. It has been such a good week in Galapagos, and some of our guests still seem to be in disbelief that there are still places like this on earth. We may be leaving tomorrow, but the Enchanted Islands always leave a lasting impression.
