We have spent a wonderful time around the famous Galapagos Islands and we arrived now to the easternmost island, San Cristobal. It is also the political capital of the archipelago and my home. After several tries to establish a settlement, the Ecuadorian government was able to start a town that now hosts one quarter of the inhabitants.
Today we started with Punta Pitt, which is located in the northern part of San Cristobal and is the closest spot to the mainland. Because of where it is located, with real access to the open sea, a normally very hard species to find is nesting right here. The red footed boobies are the smallest of the family, but built to forage far from the islands and find their prey. It is also the nesting season, so males are now helping the females bring branches for building a love home. Today we got to see some of them resting, flying and incubating the eggs. But the visit this morning was not only for birds, it also offers one the most dramatic landscapes around the Galapagos. It is an old tuff cone, formed by explosive eruptions and later severely eroded by water, especially during the hot, wet season. After a hike in this place there is nothing better than refreshing with the crystal cool, clear water in the bay.
Later we set sail to the next and last visitor site of the expedition, Kicker Rock.
A well-deserved lunch and a very Ecuadorian nap time prepared us for this islet. Just like during the morning, this islet is the result of compacted ash that has been eroded by the water. But instead of rain, this place is been taken down by the waves. This afternoon the sea was fairly calm and we were able to snorkel next to the cliffs. Once in the water it took us a while to find them, but finally we were successful and saw sea turtles and the “feared” sharks. There were several juvenile Galapagos and black tipped sharks that scared us at first, but we quickly calmed and became addicted to them - wanting to see them more and more.
To end the day we circumnavigated Kicker Rock, so we could find the birds that nest on it now, like more boobies and frigate birds. Later, we anchored in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno which is the town of San Cristobal and the last place we visited.
It has been quite an experience, the trip around this world known as the Galapagos Islands. Everyone has enjoyed getting up close to all of the wildlife. And we always say to our guests, “you might leave the Galapagos, but the Galapagos will never leave you.”
