Bartolome and Santiago Islands
We had a very early morning call to climb up the summit of Bartolome Island. Our troopers were all ready waiting on line to go on the first shuttles, eager to make the first hike in the Galápagos National Park. It was cool and refreshing to take this walk at six thirty in the morning, as in January, the Galápagos Islands get a little warm. We climbed 374 steps up and then back down with an air temperature of about sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. This was our very first outing and it promised a spectacular day, full of action and exiting emotions.
Once back on board, a delightful buffet breakfast was beautifully set. Right afterwards, our Expedition Leader, Lucho, briefed us on the snorkeling arts. Once fully equipped, we disembarked this time to practice what we had learned in theory. We landed on a beautiful, soft goldenish beach, and before we snorkeled, our naturalists took us to a nearby beach so we could observe sea turtles close to the shore and learn how they set up their nests. By then, we were already very hot as the temperature had risen up to almost ninety Fahrenheit! We delighted in snorkeling in the most refreshing crystal clear water we had ever seen! We snorkeled with Galápagos penguins, reef sharks, sea turtles and a big variety of colorful tropical fish.
During our lunch, our Captain informed us that we had encountered a big pod of bottlenose dolphins. We all rushed and headed out to the outer decks for a better view, and yes indeed we all appreciated the show that these cetaceans put up for us.
Our afternoon anchorage was at Puerto Egas bay, on Santiago Island. We snorkeled again on a great spot and took a colorful walk along the shore line. Marine iguanas, whimbrels, Galápagos sea lions, fur sea lions, American oystercatchers, mocking birds, yellow warblers, among others were some of the wild life that accompanied us during our second outing of the day. Once back on board, we observed the greatest of the sunsets while we had Ecuadorian fish ceviche and beer, of course!
This was a magical ending for our first full day in paradise!
We had a very early morning call to climb up the summit of Bartolome Island. Our troopers were all ready waiting on line to go on the first shuttles, eager to make the first hike in the Galápagos National Park. It was cool and refreshing to take this walk at six thirty in the morning, as in January, the Galápagos Islands get a little warm. We climbed 374 steps up and then back down with an air temperature of about sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. This was our very first outing and it promised a spectacular day, full of action and exiting emotions.
Once back on board, a delightful buffet breakfast was beautifully set. Right afterwards, our Expedition Leader, Lucho, briefed us on the snorkeling arts. Once fully equipped, we disembarked this time to practice what we had learned in theory. We landed on a beautiful, soft goldenish beach, and before we snorkeled, our naturalists took us to a nearby beach so we could observe sea turtles close to the shore and learn how they set up their nests. By then, we were already very hot as the temperature had risen up to almost ninety Fahrenheit! We delighted in snorkeling in the most refreshing crystal clear water we had ever seen! We snorkeled with Galápagos penguins, reef sharks, sea turtles and a big variety of colorful tropical fish.
During our lunch, our Captain informed us that we had encountered a big pod of bottlenose dolphins. We all rushed and headed out to the outer decks for a better view, and yes indeed we all appreciated the show that these cetaceans put up for us.
Our afternoon anchorage was at Puerto Egas bay, on Santiago Island. We snorkeled again on a great spot and took a colorful walk along the shore line. Marine iguanas, whimbrels, Galápagos sea lions, fur sea lions, American oystercatchers, mocking birds, yellow warblers, among others were some of the wild life that accompanied us during our second outing of the day. Once back on board, we observed the greatest of the sunsets while we had Ecuadorian fish ceviche and beer, of course!
This was a magical ending for our first full day in paradise!
