Early this morning, at 6:30am, we were ready for our first expedition of the day on this small island known for its fantastic volcanic landscape called Bartolomé. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect. We landed on a very small jetty and a wooden trail that was created by the Galapagos National Park some years ago to protect the island from erosion. This trail takes us to the top of the island, which features a breathtaking view of the island, as well as some surrounding islands. Very few animals are found here, as the land is dominated by pyroclastic material and the soil not as productive due to the lack of humidity. Some lava lizards have become adapted to the area, as well as some Darwin’s finches and Galapagos doves. These conditions are also not very forgiving to vegetation, and the ones that live here are so well adapted that they deserve mention, especially the Galapagos lava cactus, which is known as a pioneer plant, meaning the first plant to grow on new barren lava.
After returning to the ship for breakfast, we landed on a pink sandy beach, where we began our water exploration for the afternoon. Our guests spotted many fish, sharks, sting rays, sea stars, and the most playful animals of the Galapagos, the sea lions. We also had the unexpected but incredible opportunity to snorkel with penguins along the equator. Hundreds of sea stars lined the rocks, like constellations in a clear sky.
Our next destination was an island that looks very much like a Chinese hat, which is where its name derives from. We started the afternoon with a deep water snorkeling session along the coast of a small island just in front of Chinese Hat. There are so many different types of large and small colorful fish here, as well as large white-tipped reefs sharks which could be seen lying on the bottom. A couple of sea lions enjoyed entertaining the snorkelers with their amazing charm and incredible moves.
We also encountered more penguins, some of which were in the water and stayed very close to us for some time, before swimming away in search of fish. Others were standing on the rocks perfectly still as we snorkeled around. It seems unusual to encounter penguins on the equator, but they generally nest here, and have adapted to live on an environment quite different to the one that they came from.
Later on, we came back to this spot to take pictures of penguins basking on the rocks. We found a few of them, who were kind enough to pose for our cameras, and along the coast we also found some female sea lions nursing their pups. Finally spectacular sunset signaled that night was coming, and it was time to return to the ship. Tonight is Christmas Eve, and we are going to celebrate with a special dinner. Galapagos is a unique place in the world and today we had a wonderful day in the enchanted islands. Merry Christmas to all!
