Punta Pitt and Kicker Rock
When the HMS Beagle finally reached the Galápagos Islands after nine days at sea, the first outcrop of land her crewmembers saw was what is now known as Punta Pitt, on San Cristobal Island. It was already late afternoon, so they decided not to disembark here. The tall cliffs of these old tuff cones have been eroded by winds and wave action during thousands of years, leaving a pretty dramatic landscape as a product. This is a unique place amongst the various visitors’ sites in this National Park, as it is one of the very few where the three species of booby can be spotted. Blue-footed and Nazca boobies like to perch on the tuff walls, but it is really the red-footed booby that has colonized this area. Being the only one with prehensile feet, they were easy to pinpoint, sitting on bushes or trees. Many of them were nesting, so we were fortunate to observe a few white, fluffy, young chicks being guarded by their parents and we even saw an egg!
The vicinity is also inhabited by the local pirates of the air: the frigatebirds. Some of them seemed quite active, either chasing other birds in flight or just taking advantage of the rising thermals and soaring. The walk in Punta Pitt takes us along a canyon eroded by temporary rivers that form during the wet season, then to some higher viewpoints. Back on the beach, it was time to relax. Either swimming or snorkeling, or simply lying under the equatorial sun, it was definitely a wonderful place to be, and the colors surrounding us were inspiring. It was particularly enjoyable to observe a couple of young male sea lions wrestling and playing on the greenish sand.
By lunchtime, the National Geographic Endeavour repositioned, this time further south. Off the eastern coast of San Cristobal are the remnants of an eroded tuff cone called Kicker Rock. It is a formation several miles away from the coast; therefore the waters surrounding it are deep and full of nutrients, which are perfect conditions for sea species like the Pacific green sea turtles and even several Galápagos sharks. Upon returning on board, our beautiful ship circumnavigated around Kicker Rock to appreciate this outstanding formation and the unique marine and bird species that inhabit it.
On the outside deck with a beautiful sunset and a drink in hand, we toasted our amazing week around the Galápagos Archipelago. What a perfect way to end this expedition… “Buen viento y buena mar” to all our new friends!
