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San CristSan Cristobal Island (Chatham)
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San Cristobal Island (Chatham)
Geography:
Area 558 sq kms
Altitude 730 m
One of the oldest in the archipelago, San Cristobal is the fifth
largest and easternmost island. The largest fresh water lake
in the archipelago, Laguna El Junco, is located in the highlands.
The island is famous for its lava tunnels in the highlands.
History:
In 1835, Charles Darwin first landed on San Cristobal where he
encountered a pair of giant tortoises feeding on cactus. In
1869, a colony named Progesso was established under the leadership of
Manuel Cobos. His tyranny led to his murder several years
later.
The colony survived and San Cristobal, with the second largest
population of all the islands, remains the seat of government in the
Galapagos today. On the southwestern shore, the capital of
Baquerizo Moreno welcomes visitors landing at one of two airports in
the Galapagos.
See What? Do
What?
- Interpretation Center - Opened to the public in 1998
by the
Galapagos National Park, the Center offers visitors the
opportunity to
learn more about these legendary islands.
- Upon a small hill there is a wooden platform that
offers
amazing views of the tortoise rearing center "La Galapaguera" as well
as the south and eastern coasts of the Island.
- Snorkel with Leon Dormido (Sleeping Lion) or Kicker
Rock.
- Rising five hundred feet straight out of the ocean,
this
giant rock shaped like a sleeping lion is split in two with towering
vertical walls on either side, which forms a narrow channel through
which small vessels can navigate.
- A boat ride around this formation to see masked
boobies,
blue-footed boobies, and frigatebirds along the cliffs. Cerro Tijeretas
(Frigate Bird Hill). A half-hour hike up the hill is rewarded
with spectacular views of the white beaches on one side and the roofs
of Puerto Baquerizo on the other.
- See Magnificent Frigatebirds and Great Frigatebirds
nesting
in the same colony.
- La Loberia is a small town a short hike down the
coast from
Baquerizo Moreno.
- Snorkel with butterfly fish, barber fish and sting
rays. Watch for tortoises.
Mondo discovered
this
about San Cristobal Island?
Erosion has split San Cristobal's famous offshore rock formation and
given it its characteristic shape, which some see as shoe, the origin
of the name Kicker Rock. |
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| There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign. - Robert Louis Stevenson |
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