Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino Islands
This day on our expedition around the enchanted islands was full of different activities. Very early in the morning we climbed all the way to the summit of Bartolomé Island. We took advantage of the beautiful and warm early morning light for photography. Bartolomé Island, with the magnificent view of the world-famous Pinnacle Rock and the two gold sandy beaches surrounded by bright blue waters, has become a trademark and one of the most photographed landscapes of the Galápagos.
After breakfast we had different options that allowed everyone to continue exploring the island in various ways. Glass-bottom boat outings, deep-water snorkeling, swimming and relaxing at the beach were some options. We had a wonderful sunny morning with a cool soft breeze that was described as perfect by many of our visitors this week.
During lunch we headed to our next destination, Sombrero Chino. This paradisiacal volcanic islet surrounded by the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean has a very peculiar shape; it resembles a Chinese hat. This beautiful location was at its best today for the wind was not very strong, in fact was calmer than usual, allowing us to deeply explore the surroundings. Some guests went snorkeling for a second time in the day and observed white-tipped reef sharks and many colorful reef fish species. Some others opted for a late Zodiac ride to take advantage of the best light conditions of the day to photograph a small group of Galápagos penguins that were getting ready to spend the night in their burrows.
Without a doubt Sombrero Chino reminded us how fascinating the geology of the Galápagos Islands is. The black lava fields of the coastline of Santiago Island seen from Sombrero Chino gave us the opportunity to dream about how barren the islands must have been when they were just formed. Everybody had a blast of a time for they could not stop praising their experience of being in intimate contact with nature. We came back on board eager to share our experiences with our fellow travelers and friends.
A breathtaking sunset told us that it was time to come back onboard to share with our friends our new experiences and impressions. The intense colors and the silhouette of Sombrero Chino were a golden finale for this superb day. To top it off we had a mouth-watering barbeque on the outer deck around the pool, a great way to end another day in this remote and exciting paradise in the middle of the Pacific.
Our expedition will continue tomorrow; we can hardly wait to see what this fascinating and remote archipelago will bring to our lives.
