Today dawned cool and cloudy – the perfect weather for an energetic hike up a dry ravine to the plateau above the golden beach at Punta Pitt. This is a very special site at the edge of the Galapagos Archipelago where all three species of boobies can be found: Nazca, blue-footed, and red-footed boobies. The red foots were in the distance and not breeding. The blue foots stole the show this morning! The view from the plateau, although windy, was spectacular. When we returned to the beach we swam and snorkeled a bit and enjoyed the soft golden sand that is made up of pulverized olivine crystals and very old volcanic tuff. San Cristobal is one of the oldest islands in Galapagos and has been dated to be over five million years old! The marine iguanas are also found on the northern tip of the island and are considered a unique subspecies.
In the afternoon following lunch, the global explorer kids worked happily with our wellness specialist Estefania and learned to make colorful recycled paper “pearl” beads from old brochures. We went out for a final visit at Cerro Brujo, or “wizard hill” to swim, stroll, and reminisce on a lovely white sand beach. We had this beautiful visitor site all to ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed the golden peacefulness of these magical islands.
