We had a mission to find the elusive red footed boobie. Unfortunately, the only way to see them is to take a boat tour to Punta Pitt. A 90-minute boat ride past Kicker Rock to the northeastern corner of San Cristobal. Punta Pitt is a popular breeding ground for the blue foot, red foot, and Nazca boobies and the frigate birds.
Edison, our guide, took us on a wonderful walking tour (about 1 mile) exploring Punta Pitt island, climbing over rocks, and discovering the extinct birds nesting grounds. The first stunning discovery was that the beach sparkles like millions of tiny diamonds. Then you start to ascend the trail to get to the top where the birds nest.
Punta Pitt Adventure
Punta Pitt is the only site in the Galapagos Islands, where you can watch the three species of boobies and two species of frigates nesting in the same area. The reason that there are three species of boobies at Punta Pitt is due to the geographic location: there is enough food so there is no competition between them. The blue-footed boobies nest in the interior (rarely on the cliffs), red-footed boobies nest on bushes and masked boobies nest along the cliffs.
A Collection of Boobies
Punta Pitt Views
In addition to the beautiful and rare birds, there were gorgeous views of the bay.
Punta Pitt Views from top
After we left Punta Pitt, we headed a very short distance to a rick where we snorkeled Pitt Islet. Honestly, it was really cold, cloudy water and not much to see so we scrambled back to the boat after 30 minutes.
Cerro Brujo
On the way back, we made a quick stop at Cerro Brujo or witchs hill. The main attraction from the sea is a huge cave that when positioned just right you can see kicker rock.
Kicker Rock through Cerro Brujo
Just around the corner, on the other side of Cerro Brujo, you will find “the devil’s pants” which is a magnificent rock formation that looks remarkably like a pair of legs.