During this expedition we have been in the eastern and southern islands exploring all of the possible destinations of the archipelago. We have had great moments discovering the beauty of these islands, and today the National Geographic Endeavour is anchored at the most central islands. To begin we organized an early morning disembarkation at Bartolomé. This is a little island located at the eastern coast of Santiago Island, one of the largest of the island systems in Galapagos. The exploration of the island took us to a close look at the young lava flows of this oceanic islands system. Here it’s possible to discover the way magma behaves when it cools, forming unexpected lava shapes and designs. Our naturalists had the chance to describe and explain all of these outstanding lava features and got us closer to the reality of the volcanic formations guests encountered along the walk.
Later in the morning we were ready to go snorkeling off the beach of the island. This time the exploration offered us the chance to be close to the tropical and reef fish in the islands, but there was a specific attraction we all went looking for that makes the snorkeling in Bartolomé so special. After being in the water for not too long, we encountered the endemic Galapagos penguin. It were fishing and playing around the explorers who were so surprised to see this cute creature speeding about to get its food. Everybody enjoyed having such a great experience.
Not too far from Bartolomé, heading south in the same coastal line of the island of Santiago, we anchored to visit Sombrero Chino. Smaller than Bartolomé, Sombrero Chino is great for a snorkeling afternoon to see more Galapagos penguins and far more interesting lava features as well.
The afternoon began with fantastic snorkeling with more of the tropical and reef fish. To end the day with a peaceful Zodiac ride along the coast of this little island was a great opportunity as well.
