San Cristóbal, also known as Chatham, is the southernmost island of the Galapagos archipelago—it has an area of 558 km2 (215 sq. mi.) with its highest point rising up to 730 meters (2,400 ft.). Our morning outing at Punta Pitt was pleasant, starting with a short Zodiac ride along the unique and bizarre volcanic landscape, which has been shaped by the southern trade winds and tidal shifts over the last five million years. From the Zodiac, we spotted several red-footed and blue-footed boobies. Afterwards, we landed on one of the few green sand beaches found in the Galapagos Islands.
On the beach, we were welcomed by dozens of marine iguanas, basking in the equatorial sunshine. The beach was also packed with sea lions and pups that were playing and surfing in the waves. Eagers hikers took a new path made by streams during the raining season to reach the red-footed booby colonies on the northwestern side of Punta Pitt. The long walk was strenuous but worth it; the view from the summit was breathtaking, and the scenery was especially colorful due to the changes of the red carpet weed. Our morning excursion ended back on the olivine beach, where our guests enjoyed snorkeling and swimming. Magical moments were captured on film from the beach, with our guests surrounded by playful juvenile Galapagos sea lions.
In the afternoon, our captain repositioned the National Geographic Endeavour to a site north of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Cerro Brujo was the perfect place to end this incredible week. We enjoyed a spectacular ride on our fleet of Zodiacs, which gave us the opportunity to survey the impressive geology of the shoreline. Once we had landed on the soft sandy beach, we found iguanas basking on the rocky shorelines like sculpted dragons, sea lions playing, sleeping and romping like puppies, and birds pecking around our feet. We strolled along a dazzling white beach among dozens of resting and cavorting sea lions, and some of our guests went for a refreshing swim right off of the beach. To end the day, our captain circumnavigated Leon Dormido at sunset, while all of us gathered at the deck to share the wonders of the Galapagos Islands.
