Today we are in the most eastern part of the Galapagos. San Cristobal Island is the administrative capital of the archipelago and home to 8,000 people, as well as my favorite booby species, the red-footed booby. To see this bird, we rose early for a hike up a cliff before breakfast. During our hike, we encountered many blue-footed boobies—flying, hunting, courting—before we finally spotted our first red-footed boobies perching on muyuyo trees. Nesting in trees is one of the many ways red-footed boobies differ from their Nazca and blue-footed cousins.
After our hike, we enjoyed a delicious Ecuadorian breakfast before heading back to the island for some snorkeling and kayaking on a sunny day. In the afternoon, we landed on Cerro Brujo, a beautiful white-sand beach, home to a sea lion colony and the perfect place to end our expedition. We hope our guests will take the message of protecting the planet with them, along with some life-changing memories.
