Galapagos Islands, San Cristobal Island

Galapagos, San Cristobal Island

Galapagos San Cristobal About an hour northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno by boat is the tiny rocky Isla Lobos, the main sea lion and blue-footed booby colony for visitors to San Cristobal. There is a 300m-long trail where lava lizards are often seen. Both the boat crossing and the trail tend to be rough, and there are better wildlife colonies elsewhere.

El Junco Lake is located in the highlands, it is the only sizable fresh water lake in Galapagos. The cavity of the lake is the caldera of an extinct volcano. El Junco is fed by rain water, and the volume varies with the season; it may be advisable to visit this site during the rainy season because of possible muddy conditions.

Playa Ochoa due to its proximity to the San Cristobal airport, Ochoa Beach issometimes used for the first visitor the trip, and avery good one at that. After a relatively easy wet landing, your first sea lion colony awaits you on the beach. Behind the beach, there is a tidal lagoon, where you can usually spot some shore birds. The rare Chatham mockingbird can also occasionally be seen here.

Ochoa Beach serves as an excellent place for your guide to check out your snorkeling skills and equipment and to offer instruction as required.

Punta Pitt forming the northeast point of San Cristobal, Punta Pitt is a tuff formation that serves as a nesting site for many sea birds, including blue-footed, Nazca, and red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, swailow-tailed gulls, and storm petrels.

Cerro Brujo is a eroded tuff cone. Here you can take a leisurely walk, seasonally viewing brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls, in addition to sea lions and marine iguanas. Near the end of the beach, there are lagoons where you can usually find some shore birds. The beauty of this dramatic area can also be experienced by panga, where you can explore a tunnel that goes all the way through the eroded rock formation. continues...