Our day started just as the sun was rising, as we prepared for an early morning excursion. At 6:15 we disembarked to start our walk to the summit of Bartolome Island. Almost 400 steps took us to one of the most outstanding views of the Galapagos: The Pinnacle Rock, standing there, impressive, painted with dramatic light and shadows and surrounded by volcanic scenario. We took some time to rest at the summit, to enjoy the view and take photos, before making our way back to the National Geographic Endeavour, where a delicious breakfast was waiting for us.
Our second outing of the day was at the beach of Bartolome. The golden sand welcomed us and we were able to swim and snorkel from the shore; but for many of us it was not enough, so we went out again to explore deeper waters. Snorkelers and glass-bottom boat riders left from the ship to explore the underwater world surrounding the golden beach. There was so much to see, including sharks, penguins, sea stars, and a lot of colorful fish, sponges and corals. We had already seen so much today, and it was still early!
In the afternoon, we repositioned to Chinese Hat, a spatter cone next to Santiago Island. We visited a white sand beach, where we went snorkeling or spent time with the many sea lions that were sunning themselves. The place was so different from what we experienced this morning, but again amazing! We had the opportunity to practice some painting with Amy, our artist-in-residence, or we just at and enjoyed the weather and the calm scene, taking photos or reading. At the other side of the canal that separates Chinese Hat from Santiago lies the impressive lava field of Sullivan. The dramatic shores of Santiago invited us to explore, so we ended the day with Zodiac rides around the coastline. Some pioneer plants are starting to grow there, slowly starting to cover the beautiful black lava with color…
As we returned to the National Geographic Endeavour, we turned to take a last look: The sun was beginning its descent behind this incredible scene, and with that, another amazing day finishes in the Galapagos Islands.
