San Cristobal Island
We spent our last full day in the Galápagos on the easternmost island of the archipelago, enjoying a combination of walks, Zodiac rides, swimming and snorkeling activities. San Cristobal (once known as Chatham) was the first island visited by Charles Darwin, and the island has a colorful (and often dramatic) human history that goes back almost two centuries. Today we disembarked in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, home to some 5,000 inhabitants and the political capital of the Ecuadorian province of Galápagos.
Early in the morning we woke up at Punta Pitt, an impressive volcanic terrain at the northeastern end of this large island. This is the only site in Galápagos where you can sometimes find all three species of boobies nesting together.
The hike to the plateau and viewpoint followed a dry stream bed and required both good walking shoes and good physical fitness as it was a steep and rather slippery climb. But the volcanic moonscape at the top was worth the effort; patches of red Sesuvium, a succulent plant, add color to this scenic landscape mosaic. For those who did not wish to attempt the hike, we offered a more leisurely Zodiac ride and some time on the beach where we encountered a colony of boisterous bachelor sea lions.
During lunch, we sailed toward the scenic offshore islet, located near the western coast of San Cristobal Island, called Leon Dormido, or Kicker Rock in English, or “the boa that ate an elephant.” Any term works to name this islet, as human imagination is as vast as the shapes and volumes on this planet. What is certain about the rock is that it’s formed by ash—piled, accumulated and compacted over several eruptions. Then the seas carved its walls, made them collapse, drew the forms we marvel at and make up stories about.
We also saw an Inca tern which comes from the southern oceans near Chile and Peru. It was nice to see it.
This tuff formation is a few miles away from San Cristobal Island and is home for Nazca boobies, frigates, swallow-tailed gulls and petrels. In its surrounding waters one encounters sharks, of several kinds: hammerheads, Galápagos and white-tipped reef sharks. Other cartilaginous fish navigate the deep fissure between its walls, like manta and eagle rays. Today, several human beings, equipped with masks and wet suits, accompanied the creatures from the sea in the enjoyment of its deep blue.
The clouds joined in the celebration of beauty, while the rest of our guests on board the National Geographic Endeavour marveled, from above sea level, at the big palette of pure splendor.
