San Cristobal Island
For the last day of our expedition we moved to the eastern side of the archipelago. We visited San Cristobal, one of the oldest islands. We disembarked at Punta Pitt. The new scene of a green beach was our landing site. The old tuff cones around us had been carved by time, giving the most beautiful shapes to these yellow parasitic volcanoes.
We found some endemic species, endemic not just to the Galápagos but to this specific island because time on the older islands has given the species more chances to adapt to specific conditions. We spotted some bushes decorating the tuff cones with green color, the endemic Cut leafed Scalesia and the Lecocarpus. The mockingbird is unique as well. Some San Cristobal lava lizard joined us on the hike. And an eastern race Galápagos snake crossed our trail while we were admiring a centipede. But the highlight of the day was the species of booby that we were missing, the red-footed booby!
There are two morphotypes of red-footed booby: a brown one (95% of the population) and a white one (5%) We were lucky to see both. After our hike and our Zodiac rides we enjoyed the beach with our new friends: the Galápagos sea lions. They jumped and swam right next to us, making us feel we were welcome in their territory.
In the afternoon we disembarked for our final snorkeling outing at “Kicker Rock”. We had two targets: sea turtles and Galápagos sharks. And we were surrounded by both species while snorkeling. The wall covered with sponges and coral was a combination of colors that amazed us.
Sunset with the beautiful Kicker Rock behind us was the perfect scenario to cheers with our farewell cocktail. Cheers to the Galápagos! Cheers to our guests that shared the week with us! Cheers to friendly sea lions and centenary tortoises! Cheers to life!
