San Cristobal Island
Today was our last full day in the Enchanted Islands, and what a way to finish our marvelous week’s expedition! We visited San Cristobal, one of the oldest Galápagos Islands. The visitor’s sites we explored today were two: Punta Pitt and Kicker Rock.
At Punta Pitt, we took a spectacular hike, and/or a Zodiac ride and had some free time on the beach. Each of these activities was very special. The beach at Punta Pitt consists of golden sand full of crystals of olivine and quartz and there is a small colony of loud, bachelor bull sea lions. The hike took us along a steep trail to a plateau with a very barren volcanic and prehistoric appearance. Patches of bright red and orange succulent Sesuvium brought color to an otherwise neutral rocky area. Red footed boobies, nesting marine iguanas and the endemic San Cristobal lava lizards added interest and excitement to our hike. On the Zodiac ride our group spotted something really unique; a foraging peregrine falcon! This bird is rarely seen in the archipelago.
The sunny morning was perfect for swimming and for walking on the beach, and there were a lot of birds around, both land and sea. The ocean currents had brought upwelling plankton to the coastline, and dozens of seabirds of several species were having a feeding frenzy.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Islander sailed towards Kicker Rock, an eroded palagonitic tuff cone located off the western coast of San Cristobal Island. Because it is offshore and surrounded by open ocean, it is an important feeding and nesting area for seabirds. The deep water snorkeling at Kicker Rock was unique. The water clarity and conditions were very good, and we found big schools of fish, several sea turtles and two different species of sharks: a white tipped reef shark and a Galápagos shark. During a circumnavigation of the outcrop with our ship, we observed colonies of frigates and boobies and Galápagos sea lions.
Captain Pablo Garces set our course for Puerto Baquerizo Moreno where we will reluctantly disembark tomorrow, and as the sun set, we chatted in the lounge, reminiscing about the absolutely amazing week we have had in Galápagos.
