San Cristobal, Galapagos
Ecuador
San Cristobal was the final island we were visiting in the Galapagos. It had a similar vibe to Santa Cruz but with slightly less attempted opulence. Dozens of restaurants, tour offices and souvenir stores packed the streets, and there was much more of a buzz here than on Isabela. I was pleased to see the bars still offered coco loco cocktails, which we quickly dived into.
The 360 boat tour, which makes a loop around the island, is pretty much the only tour anyone talks about on San Cristobal. The snorkelling can be hit and miss, but when it hits its supposedly phenomenal. We were lucky to finally have a sunny day and perfect weather conditions for spending a day out at sea.
First stop was Kicker Rock, the primary place everyone wanted to visit. We eagerly jumped in the cold water and swam through a tall crevice in the rock, the peaks soaring 150 metres overhead. Close to the rocks were large schools of a wide variety of fish, but it was the big animals we wanted to see. Sea lions loved following us around, swimming up close then ducking away at the last second. A pair of eagle rays, the first we had seen on this trip, led us through the crevice, while Green Pacific turtles swam below us. We had been hoping to spot hammerhead sharks, known to hang out here, but no such luck. Despite the lack of sharks, Danny and I both agreed it was our favourite snorkelling experience in the Galapagos.
Next stop was a beach, where we could snorkel or chill out on the sand. Danny snorkelled, seeing turtles feeding on the sea floor. I stayed warm, basking in the sun that had eluded us for so long. Here we ate lunch on the boat, watching sea lions swim circles us and stick their heads up occasionally to see what was going on.
I was looking forward to seeing the red-footed booby, but we ended up stopping near their nesting site for just a couple of minutes. The only two we saw were sitting near the top of the rocks, where it was difficult to see their red feet. Then it was on to another beach, this time on the east coast where the water was surprisingly warmer. I was more keen to stay dry than to snorkel again, so I remained near the beach, where frigate birds circled overhead. In only waist-deep water I could see a family of 10 turtles, a shark and a stingray who was so camouflaged in the sand that I almost stepped on it. Danny again chose snorkelling, his highlight being a sea lion that continually did laps around him. He also saw sharks and turtles in the murky water, but apparently these didn't compare to the sea lion.
While Danny had a sleep in, I was up bright and early to tackle El Junco, a crater lake in the middle of the island. Most people take a tour or taxi; I hiked 16 km uphill on the road. Initially I was given a bike lane to stroll along, but after 6 km that disappeared and I was left with no choice but to walk on the bitumen. Even though traffic was almost non-existent, the the local canine population liked to make themselves known, clearly not happy that I was stomping on their turf. The further I walked the more the clouds descended on me, until I could barely make out anything except the road in front of me.
From the El Junco car park it was a steep climb up to the volcano rim. Two lookout points, one directly above the other, displayed views of a silver lake, with the low-hanging clouds sitting just above it on the crater edge. It didn't live up to the photos I had seen. I followed an overgrown path around the rim, the condensation from the grass and bushes drenching my feet. The lake didn't look any better from any other perspective, although if it had been clear the views of the surrounding mountains and the coastline would have been spectacular. After I had taken my disappointing photos, I returned to the road and ran the 16 km back to town, nearly all of it downhill. Blue skies gradually appeared overhead, but looking back I could see that the crater was still shrouded in cloud.
La Loberia translates to Place of the Sea Lions, so I was keen to visit this beach to witness the sea lions in action. It didn't live up to its name. It was a 3 km walk in the blazing afternoon sun, and all I was afforded were 4 sea lions lying in the shade under a wooden shelter, plus 1 cooling off in the shallow water, letting the gentle waves lap over it. There were dozens of sea lions on the sand in the middle of town, and it didn't require a sweltering hike to see them.
The final exploration of San Cristobal was along the coast north of town, with Playa Mann being the first stop. This beach should have been the one named La Loberia, as there were about 100 sea lions lazing on the sand, the rocks and in the water. They grunted and moaned to each other, and occasionally waddled between the sea and the shore. I sat and stared at them for ages, admiring the carefree lifestyle they had. Further down the coast was Playa Punta Carola, which similarly contained sea lions and not much else. The beach was longer and quieter, more remote and more beautiful.
Following a path around a point, I arrived at Las Tijeretas, apparently the best free snorkelling point on the island. Although I couldn't see much wildlife while standing on the shore, a lookout high above the rocky inlet offered views over the crystal clear waters. One sea lion was swimming in circles around a group of snorkellers, while others were doing back flips out of the water. If I wasn't about to board a plane I would have loved to have snorkelled here.
On the way back to town, the path guided me through an Interpretation Centre, outlining the history of the island and the problems it currently faces. With time against me I couldn't explore it in depth, but undoubtedly a huge amount of resources are required to protect the region and its famous inhabitants. Looking back at how much we accomplished in our 8 days here, I know the Galapagos will definitely go down as one of the highlights of our trip, and I hope that the beauty of the place will remain unchanged for generations to come.
