Bartolomé Island and Sombrero Chino
Today was a wonderful occasion to see sunrise as we were walking early to get to the highest point of Bartolomé, from where we got a breathtaking view; along the way was a magnificent opportunity to learn about the geology of the islands and also its colonization by plants and animals. Geologically speaking, the islands are young, and all the organisms we find here came from other places a long time ago. Some of the few animals that live here are the lava lizards and finches; both of them live off insects and flowers, and one of these plants is the lava cactus, which is incredibly adapted to the dry conditions of barren lava and considered one of the pioneer plants that settled at the beginning of the creation of Galápagos.
As soon as we ascend to the top of Bartolomé Island, the Martian landscape appears in front of our eyes; it is beautiful and unique scenery. Once you get to the top your eyes celebrate the magnificent view of the best and most famous landscape of the Galápagos Islands: Pinnacle Rock, with other islands and islets around, all of them with something special to show, colors and contrasts, drama and life. The vegetation is green and grey, the rocks are red and black, the beaches are red, yellow and white; the blue of the sky and the endless ocean complete the unique scene – an unforgettable moment!
Once back on board we enjoyed breakfast, then it was time to get ready for the beach. The day was hot, and nothing felt better than a jump into the turquoise bay of Bartolomé, to snorkel and swim with the fantastic marine life that Galápagos provides.
In the afternoon we headed to Sombrero Chino, a nice islet located at the southern part of Santiago Island, but first our captain stopped our vessel at Bainbridge Islet, to see a wonderful brackish water lagoon with flamingos living inside its crater. It is a very old tuff cone standing on the ocean; a few minutes later we arrived to our final destination. Our snorkeling was terrific; plenty of fish and penguins feeding on them, stingrays and multicolored sea urchins decorating the sea bed.
After this water exploration we went for a Zodiac ride along the coast, looking for Galápagos penguins basking on the black lava rocks; we found them and our mission was accomplished! Sunset was spectacular and some sea lions were coming back to land to rest, as our day was ending.
At night, our dinner was served on the sundeck, under a sky covered by millions of stars, and those stars remind me how fortunate we are to be in Galápagos, and the fact that these islands are part of this blue planet, our home.
