San Cristobal – the island where Darwin first set foot in the Galapagos.  As it happens it is also where we made our landfall.

Nothing could be less inviting than the first appearance. A broken field of black basaltic lava is every where covered by a stunted brushwood, which shows little signs of life. The dry and parched surface, having been heated by the noonday sun, gave the air a close and sultry feeling, like that from a stove: we fancied even the bushes smelt unpleasantly. Although I diligently tried to collect as many plants as possible, I succeeded in getting only ten kinds; and such wretched-looking little weeds would have better become an arctic, than an equatorial Flora.

– Charles Darwin, VOYAGES OF THE ADVENTURE AND BEAGLE.

Darwin’s description of the island was kind of harsh, he likened it to the blasted ruin one expect in the bowels of hell, or perhaps an industrial suburb of London…whichever was worse.  While some of the landscape is forbidding and the vegetation is rather prickly I like to think he came about a bit from his initial impression after he got to walk around and meet a few tortoises.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

This is the town, the only town, on San Cristóbal.  It is the capitol of the province and has around 5,600 residents.  The town is actually a lot nicer and more modern than we expected.  Banks, a post office, restaurants, dive shops and lots of souvenirs dot the waterfront and there is a newish modern park along the water’s edge.  Park benches, lights, shade – all good stuff to keep the sea lions happy.

They put all these nice park benches in for the sea lions, which was very kind.

We also found a favorite restaurant, the name I would happily give you if we’d ever learned it.  But the “Super Combo” of a burger, a banana shake, and fries for $5.00 is tough to beat.  An absolute hole-in-the wall up some narrow stairs where the owner greets you with an enthusiastic smile.  Then he takes your order, cooks for you and serves it.

We found the town to be a pleasant surprise and enjoyed coming in every day to watch the sea lions play and enjoy the water front.

Highlands Tour

The islands in the Galápagos have very distinctive “zones” of the local plant and animal life.  Starting at the water as one moves inland and into higher elevations there are distinct changes in the flora and fauna that you see.  While the sea shore is dominated by a rocky coast, marine iguanas, sea lions and sea birds inland the “highlands” have very different vegetation, birds and animal life.

The lake in the El Junco volcano crater holds all of the fresh water on the island

Junco Lake

The first stop in a “Highlands Tour” of San Cristóbal takes you to el Junco, a volcanic caldera with a lake and the only source of fresh water for the island.  During the rainiest times of the year the lake floods over and runs down the side of the old volcano.

The tour is done in a taxi, which in the Galápagos is generally a white pickup truck with a king cab that seats four passengers.  The taxi pulls up to the base of the hill and a long walkway to the top takes you to the rim of the volcano.

The view from the rim is stunning.  At the heights sometimes there are clouds which manifest like fog when you stand in them.  The view really shows you how this part of the island was ejected from the volcano and formed by the flow.

On the way to the top can be seen Miconia bushes, an endemic Galápagos plant which has come under intense pressure from introduced invasive species like blackberries (also present) and guava.  Finches and warblers flit around the bushes and the occasional lizard scurries off the path.  At top numerous birds are drawn to the heights and the water.  Magnificent Frigate birds circle the lake, buzzing you at almost head level around the rim of the volcano.

Tortoise Breeding Center

Everyone knows about the giant Galápagos tortoises, right?  They are one of the most recognized symbols of these islands.  Perhaps everyone does not know that each island has its own distinct species or two, and some of those species have been driven to extinction.  Others have been brought back from the brink.  In 2012 Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta tortoises, died; a real-time extinction event.

Many factors have contributed to the decimation of these slow-moving, harmless creatures.  Certainly the thousands taken for food by whaling ships and other mariners contributed to the losses.  But perhaps as devastating are the introduced species that either prey on the eggs and tortoises, or compete with them for food.  One one island goats almost completely wiped out the food source for the local tortoise population, and rats, feral cats and dogs prey on vulnerable young and raid nests.

What has arisen on many islands are breeding centers designed to help the native populations recover.  The original population of tortoises on San Cristóbal was estimated at over 100,000.  Present day the estimated population is around 1,400 contained mostly in one small section in the Northwest of the island.  One other population on the island was completely wiped out.

A Geochelone chatamensis at the breeding center. High speed photography is not necessary.

The Cerro Colorado breeding center is focused on the San Cristóbal (or Chatham, as the island was known to the English) tortoise.  The tortoises are kept in a large enclosed area and safe from predators.  When eggs are laid they are recovered and incubated with a 60% success rate – far higher than in nature.  The juvenile tortoises are kept in enclosures safe from predators until they are old enough to release into the wild.  There are several success stories with these tortoise populations, but you can not see them and wonder still how far they are from risk.

Iguanas, Turtles and Snorkeling

The Marine Iguana is another unique, endemic species in the Galápagos.  Like their land bound counter parts they are vegetarians in spite of their somewhat fierce appearance.  These iguanas live on the coast and dive in the water to eat algae and seaweed.

Our final stop of the day was La Loberia, a beach and rocky intertidal area not too far from the airport in town.  The taxi parks a ways from the beach and you walk back.  The undulating tracks of marine iguanas are  seen in the sand as they cross from the dunes to the rocks.  The iguanas themselves are all over the rocks.  While some might call them ugly creatures, I find they have a stoic dignity as they bask in the sun – sometimes in very large numbers.

Continuing down the beach there is a protected lagoon.  Baby sea lions splash in the shallows as they learn to swim.  The water is clear and the snorkeling good with numerous tropical fish.  And turtles…Galápagos Green Turtles.  The turtles stay in the shallows, in spite of being rather large creatures they like it in lagoons like this one.  They really also don’t seem to care one bit about your presence, it seemed at times they were about to swim right into you.

While we were there a slightly older sea lion went zooming by Kathy as she was swimming along.  It beached itself and then sat there in the middle of the people…preening.  You could swear she knew there was an audience – in short order a small crowd was taking pictures while the sea lion posed.

All in all we liked San Cristóbal quite a bit; an island with a nice quiet town with lots to see and do.  If only Darwin could have tried the burger joint.