Bartolomé Island & Chinese Hat
Today we had a pre-breakfast outing to the summit of Bartolomé Island where we explored all the small volcanoes that made the moss landscape we enjoyed during the hike. Volcanoes, solidified lava flows, endemic cacti of lava and one of the most beautiful sceneries once on the summit, were the highlights on the morning hike.
The waters around the famous Pinnacle Rock are full of interesting life, so we decided to explore the underwater world of Bartolomé. The temperature of the water had decreased this time of the year but life is plentiful as cooler waters have more productivity. Galápagos Sea Lions, Galápagos penguins and sharks were spotted as well as a wide variety of tropical fish. The golden sand beach on the North of Bartolomé had some amazing shiny colors, due to the amount of olivine in it (semi-precious stone).
In the afternoon National Geographic Endeavour navigated to the central part of the archipelago to anchor close to Chinese Hat. This visitor site has wonderful geological features. Some Galápagos penguins were seen on the young lava flows that meet the oceans on the Coast of Santiago Island. Santiago and Chinese Hat are divided by a narrow channel of water. Some white tip reef sharks and marine iguanas under the water delighted us on our afternoon adventure.
After exploring the barren area where wildlife has adapted for survival, it felt like we had travelled in time, allowing us to understand the true sense of evolution in nature.
