San Cristobal is located in the east of the archipelago, and it is one of the oldest islands. During breakfast we dropped anchor at Punta Pitt, which was the first coast spotted by the crew of the HMS Beagle when it visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835. We landed at a greenish beach, which gets its color due to the large amounts of pulverized olivine crystals. We started ascending along a ravine, up to a plateau from which we could admire the fantastic landscape that surrounded us - tall, abrupt cliffs of golden color and blue skies and ocean. At the end of the trail the colors changed once more and there was an abundance of a red, succulent low plants called sea purslane.
Punta Pitt is known as home to one of the five colonies of red-footed boobies of the archipelago, mostly found in the periphery of the islands. There were a few along the cliffs, some of which were already nesting, one with an egg and another one looking after a young chick. Upon return to the landing beach there was plenty of time to enjoy the waves and the ocean once more, and so many of our guests did, with the added fun of seeing some playful sea lions in the vicinity. Some of our guests had also explored the nearby islets that were full of sea birds, amongst which they encountered the swallow-tailed gulls, great and magnificent frigatebirds, and were also able to spot the three species of boobies that are residents in the Galapagos Islands - Nazcas, red-footed, and blue-footed boobies. It was really a fantastic morning full of great fun for everyone.
In the afternoon we had another short navigation towards Kicker Rock, or “Leon Dormido” as it is known in Spanish. This is a colossal rock, about 300 feet high, quite far away from the coast of San Cristobal. It is a great scuba and snorkeling site, so we set off with our groups of fearless snorkelers for one more chance to explore the underwater world. The water conditions of the day could not have been better. We had clear deep water, full of sharks, sea turtles, spotted-eagle rays, and Galapagos sea lions. As we finished our snorkeling we spotted a pod of dolphins cruising nearby, so we decided to catch up with them, and what a display we had. We deeply felt like it was the magic of the “Enchanted Isles” that surrounded us. There is no better way than ending a magnificent expedition in the archipelago than with a circumnavigation around the impressive Kicker Rock. We could see numerous sea birds such as frigates, Nazca and blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, and red-billed tropic birds. And and with a glass of champagne in hand we enjoyed one last sunset in the Galapagos. Salud!
