Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
Our last day in Paradise started at 6:15am in order to catch the soft light that the early morning offers and also to avoid the heat, since we climbed more than 360 steps to the summit of Bartolome.
We had a dry landing on a brand new dock at Bartolome and we started our hike on a boardwalk that made life easier for a lot of us. As we slowly ascended the volcano we were able to see lava tubes, spatter cones, pioneer plants like gray mat plants and lava cacti and lava lizards. Once on the summit you can see one of the most spectacular views of Galápagos, the Pinnacle Rock with its two golden beaches on both sides and a great lava flow in the background.
After breakfast we landed on the golden beach for our last snorkeling outing. This outing will remain in our minds as one of the best ones of the week. ‘Why was it the best site?’ you might wonder. Well, it is because we had the thrill to snorkel with Galápagos penguins, sea lions, tropical fish and white tip sharks at the same time. The penguins did not get tired of flying under water catching sardines and the young sea lion pups did not get tired of playing with us.
In the afternoon we had an astounding visit along the tidal pools found at the coast of James Bay in Santiago Island. Here we saw some migratory birds like plovers and sandpipers, American oyster catchers, sea lions and marine iguanas. At the end of the trail we found Galápagos fur seals sleeping at the grottos, geological formations that have their origins on the lava flows along the coast.
Along the trail inland we also had the joy to observe birds like Darwin’s finches, Galápagos mockingbirds and doves. The walk on this trail was filled with bird calls and the most conspicuous song we heard was the one of young mockingbirds begging for food.
In summary, this afternoon we saw everything that we had already seen during the week but together living in peace and harmony. Hopefully we will take these memories forever and ever.
