Today we visited the island of San Cristobal. We started our day with a hike at Punta Pitt, where we walked uphill along a beautiful landscape made of volcanic tuff. Here we found the last of the three species of boobies to be found in Galapagos, the red-footed booby. In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch, we visited Cerro Brujo, a beautiful beach on which to relax on the last full day of our trip. We enjoyed one last encounter with the charismatic sea lions and sea birds feeding along the shore. We ended our day navigating around Kicker Rock, a tuff cone in the middle of the ocean a few miles off the coast of San Cristobal.
6/19/2025
Read
National Geographic Islander II
Santiago Island
We started our expedition at Buccaneer Cove early in the morning. We had an amazing opportunity to see a unique geological formation known as the Monk, which resembles a praying monk, alongside another formation known as the Elephant. This provided an excellent opportunity to fully appreciate the dramatic geological landscape of Santiago Island. Our first activity was kayaking early in the morning. We enjoyed the calm ocean while observing seabirds such as pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and brown noddies. We watched the noddies steal some small sardines from a pelican’s beak as it plunged into the water. Later in the morning, we snorkeled along the cliffs of Buccaneer Cove, where we watched several species of Galapagos fish, including Moorish idols, sea cucumbers, and creole-fish, among other charismatic marine creatures living in the Marine Reserve of the Galapagos. In the afternoon, we visited Puerto Egas, known for fur seals, marine iguanas, and land iguanas. Galapagos sea lions swam gracefully along the beach while guests enjoyed snorkeling. Another group went for a hike where they were they saw fur seals swimming by the grotto formations. As the tide was going out, shorebirds actively searched for food in the tidepools. This day was truly special, as it revealed the secret life of creatures found nowhere else on planet Earth.
