We spent our last full day in the Galapagos on San Cristobal. This is the first island that Darwin saw after navigating nine days from the coast of Perú. In Punta Pitt, our visiting site for the morning, we encountered a very different trail than on previous days. This time, we walked uphill along a waterworn ravine. San Cristobal is located in the eastern part of the archipelago. It is one of the oldest islands of the Galapagos. From the top, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and got a closer look at red-footed boobies.
5/1/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
At sunrise we entered Darwin’s Bay, Genovesa, one of the most pristine islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. Genovesa is one massive seabird colony. It has been dubbed “bird island” or even “Hitchcock Island” and is home to the largest population of red-footed boobies. In the morning, we visited Prince Phillip’s Steps, named after the late Duke of Edinburgh, for many years the patron of the Charles Darwin Foundation and a keen ornithologist. Here, we walked through a forest of the peculiar palo santo or incense trees and amongst Nazca boobies, quite abundant here too. Darwin’s Bay beach trail is a real jewel. We followed the sandy trail that is bordered by mangrove trees and salt bushes, from which red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and Nazca boobies observed us to pass their time. Spending hours in such an isolated place where creatures do not fear the sight of humans is quite touching, and it makes one realize how much we need to continue caring for this wonderful planet of ours.
