Punta Pitt and Leon Dormido
The Galápagos Islands are a remarkable place, paradise to seabirds, and land of dragons. Today we had a marvelous experience at two of the most emblematic places of San Cristobal Island: Punta Pitt and Leon Dormido. The best way to begin our exploration was with a hike into the mysteries of the steep cliffs of Punta Pitt. When we arrived, Galápagos sea lions were on the beach welcoming us. Shortly thereafter, we entered the area that was decorated with dry tuff cones around, and colorful lava lizards all over the path.
Farther along the trail, we reached the highest elevation of the area, where we enjoyed a spectacular view of the bay. As we reached the other side of the cliffs, it was time to see one of the highlights of the trip: Red-footed boobies. Some of the individuals were nesting on the nolana bushes, and we also saw a few chicks that were a few weeks old. On the hike back we experienced the symphony of nature as many different seabirds were flying over us. Once back on board National Geographic Islander, it was time to get everything ready for the deep water snorkeling.
The experience in the water was marvelous. Water visibility was flawless and we saw scores of reef fish of different colors, but the most symbolic companions were the baby sea lions that started playing with us. At the end of the morning activities, we enjoyed a charming Zodiac ride along the coastline of Punta Pitt. During this activity, we enjoyed the presence of a thousand storm petrels, a few red-footed boobies, and the curious baby sea lions that were attracted to the presence of the Zodiacs. The end of the morning was only the beginning of a marvelous exploration that got even better in the afternoon.
After a comfortable navigation with the presence of bottlenose dolphins, we arrived to our next destination: Leon Dormido. Leon Dormido is one the most symbolic places for all divers and snorkelers in the Galápagos Islands. Deep water snorkeling was passion to our senses. The splendor of the area was unique as a symphony of colors was displayed by the amount of reef fish covering the rocks. Sea turtles were very curious about our presence, and the main attraction was definitely the black-tipped reef sharks. Leon Dormido topped off our magnificent experience in the Galápagos Islands.
