This morning we explored the easternmost point of San Cristobal Island, one of the driest areas in Galapagos. This contrasts starkly with the westernmost point of this same island — which is the wettest location of the whole archipelago. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs in some of the big islands, creating different conditions for different animals and plants. In some areas of the Galapagos we have thirty inches of rain a year; a different part of the same island may receive less than five inches. The archipelago has up to six different vegetation zones with different animals and plants; this may be the reason why the islands have a high degree of endemism.