As the sun arose from the horizon, the peaks of Mount Pitt started to appear in the mist, and the swells surrounding the point drew a blurry white line outlining the beach at the foot of the hill. Right after breakfast our guests prepared for a coastal exploration on a beautiful volcanic beach covered with thin shards of eroded semi-precious stone (Peridot). Weather conditions could have not been better, with clear skies but a nice cool breeze that made a hiking really enjoyable. The views from above were breathtaking, eroded ash cones topped with endemic vegetation, and we were able to spot several nesting sites of red-footed boobies and blue-footed boobies—to our surprise, we found several chicks of both kinds. On our way back to the beach we spotted the endemic lava lizard and the famous Chatham mockingbird. Once on the beach, our guests swam with sea lions and tropical fish, and our young explorers were offered the opportunity to take Zodiac-driving lessons.
During lunch, we navigated to the other side of the island, heading to the visitor site known as “Cerro Brujo”, a beautiful location where an ancient cone was formed, surrounded by a stunning white sand beach. This site gave us the opportunity to enjoy a very relaxing walk along the beach, watch blue-footed boobies and pelicans. The young explorers had a great time in the ocean swimming with sea lion pups. This has been the trip of a life time, sailing through the Galapagos aboard the National Geographic Endeavour.
