Today is our last day for explorations and having fun around the Galapagos Islands. We came to the southeast location where the oldest island is located. San Cristobal is a very unique spot where endemic animals, such as the Chatham mockingbird, were collected by Charles Darwin during his five-week visit to the archipelago. Darwin also observed the lava lizard, which has two white bands along its body. Another iconic animal found here is the red-footed booby! One of the biggest colonies is in Pitt Point, where we are this morning. This colony has been growing over the last decade.
We disembarked on a greenish beach where some juvenile sea lions were playing. Then we climbed a mountain of old eroded rocks and tuff. Along the trails, we observed many lizards, finches, and mockingbirds. We also saw a few blue- and red-footed boobies nesting on the ground and in trees, respectively. After the power hike, we returned to the beach for swimming and snorkeling. Later, our younger explorers enjoyed driving our Zodiacs as part of the great experience they had with us this week.
In the afternoon, we moved to Cerro Brujo, a spectacular beach at the foot of a very impressive tuff formation. The beach is breathtaking with turquoise water and soft white sand, so soft that when you walk, it feels like powder under your feet. The kids enjoyed swimming, and our adult guests walked along the shoreline to see many seabirds hunting. Blue-footed boobies were diving like torpedoes while frigates attacked them to steal their food. We returned to our ship to circumnavigate an astonishing rock formation called Kicker Rock, a very old, collapsed tuff cone. Many seabirds nest here, and sharks roam the waters. We met on the sundeck to celebrate a great week exploring the Galapagos Islands with a wine tasting and toast to this great expedition. The sunset was incredible and decorated the blue sky with red-orange colors.
