San Cristobal Island
Our last full day in the Enchanted Archipelago was a very special one. The beach at Punta Pitt is remarkable – as we disembarked from our Zodiacs, we noticed a magical glimmer in the sand that looked as though it had been sparkled by a fairy… the sand has a golden-green coloration given by olivine and quartz crystals. As we hiked inland, we went along a steep trail to a plateau with a very barren volcanic and prehistoric appearance.
Patches of bright red, orange and green of the succulent plant “Sesuvium” painted the rocks overseeing the ocean, which is where we found several red-footed boobies nesting. Marine iguanas and endemic San Cristobal lava lizards kept us entertained with some interesting encounters. We observed some iguanas fighting; some were mating under the typical hot sun of the morning in this season. It was difficult for us not to get excited about our observations, for it is almost unreal to witness how animals in the Galápagos continue with their normal lives without even getting distracted by our presence in their habitats. The sunny morning was perfect for swimming as well.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Islander sailed towards “Kicker Rock” or “Leon dormido”; an eroded formation made of tuff. This cone is located off the western coast of San Cristobal Island and is a geological icon of the Galápagos Island. It is offshore and has become an important nesting site and feeding platform for many seabirds species like Nazca boobies and Noddy Terns.
Snorkeling at Kicker Rock was unique, the visibility of the water and the general conditions were good. We found big schools of fish, several sea turtles and two different species of sharks, white tipped reef sharks and Galápagos sharks. As we returned to the ship we prepared to circumnavigate Kicker Rock at sunset – what a perfect way to end a fantastic adventure in this enchanted archipelago. We know now that even though we might be leaving the Galápagos tomorrow, these islands will never leave us…
