Bartholomew Island and Chinese Hat Islet, 2/6/2025, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today we explored Bartholomew Island, starting early before breakfast. We hiked along the national park trail that leads to the summit of Bartholomew Island. As we reached the top, our guests marveled at the incredible landscape. This region is quite arid and that contributes to the best preservation of the volcanic formations. We followed the hike up with a snorkeling excursion or a ride on the glass bottom boat.
During the afternoon, we went to Chinese Hat Islet to snorkel and go on a Zodiac ride in the late hours of the day. We had a great time looking for Galapagos penguins and Galapagos sea lions.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
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The sun had barely risen when we anchored in Punta Cormorant, right next to the striking geological formation of Devil's Crown. Our early morning hike began with playful sea lions greeting us at the shore. This site is famous for its large brackish lagoon, home to many flamingos. We were lucky to spot a few, as they frequently move around the archipelago, and it’s never certain where they’ll be. The island’s landscape was transforming into a lush paradise, with rain bringing life to the dormant palo santo trees. The dry desert scenery was gradually being replaced by vibrant greenery. Punta Cormorant is also known for being a sea turtle nesting site, and we saw fresh tracks of turtles that had nested the night before. We snorkeled around Champion Islet, enjoying the vibrant marine life, including plenty of fish and sharks. The calm waters and excellent visibility made for an unforgettable experience. In the afternoon, we kayaked in a tranquil protected area surrounded by sea turtles and sea lions. Our next stop was the famous Post Office Barrel on Floreana Island, where we left postcards and searched for others to hand deliver back home. As the day ended, Floreana gifted us a stunning sunset to cap off our adventure.
The equatorial tropical sun is on the horizon and shines this beautiful morning in Gardner Bay. We are anchored in the turquoise waters surrounded by white sandy beaches where sea lions are basking and the iguanas feed on green algae. We went out to snorkel and swim with the colorful Galapagos marine life. We also walked along the shoreline looking for seabirds, land birds and marine turtles. After having a great morning, our captain motored to the west side of the island to visit Punta Suarez. It is a spot full of wildlife where we walked inland to admire the spectacular scenery and a wide variety of fauna. We found colorful marine iguanas, colonies of sea lions, Nazca boobies, and the famous blue-footed booby just a few feet from us. This was our first full day on our journey exploring this astonishing archipelago called Galapagos.
Our day started with a great breakfast and a visit to Punta Pitt. We visited Punta Pitt where we found red-footed boobies, sea lions, and marine iguanas before our last snorkeling excursion. In the afternoon we visited Cerro Brujo for beach time to close out an amazing week.
