Today we woke up for an early walk uphill to the top of Bartolome, a satellite islet of Santiago Island. This relatively young island is a good place to appreciate different geological formations such as tuff and spatter cones, and young basaltic flows. The presence of pioneer plants such as tiquilia nesiotica and the lava cactus makes of Bartolome a good place to understand how life started in Galapagos, after the first colonizers stablished in newly formed islands. In the afternoon, we visited Chinese Hat, another satellite islet of Santiago Island. The presence of penguins, sea lions and colorful fishes made up our afternoon. We finished our exploration day with an outstanding sunset that we could appreciate on the sky deck of the National Geographic Endeavour II.
9/2/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Floreana Island
Floreana was the first island colonized by people in the Galapagos. Ecuador took possession of the Galapagos Islands in 1832 and established a penal colony on Floreana. When Darwin visited the Galapagos in 1835, the second island he landed on was Floreana. During his stay, he met with some of the convicts and explored the highlands. Floreana Island has been shaped by volcanic activity and ecological evolution. When we arrived at Point Cormorant, we were greeted by the striking, green-tinted sand on the beach. The sand is colored by olivine crystals, a remnant of the island’s volcanic origins. A short trail led us to a contrasting white sand beach on the opposite side of the point. Along the way, we passed by a brackish lagoon that is home to a small but significant population of flamingos. As we hiked in the forest, we found Darwin’s finches, Galapagos flycatchers, and a dark-billed cuckoo. We explored a nearby rocky islet to find the Floreana mockingbird, which we added to our Galapagos bird list.
