Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino
We are halfway through our Galápagos expedition, and we have been very fortunate to enjoy some very pleasant weather for several days. With clear skies and a wonderful sunrise, we set off early this morning to visit Bartolomé. This small island, located east of Santiago, holds some of the more photographed landscapes in the archipelago, which we were to find as we climbed up the long staircase that leads to its summit. We were constantly surrounded by cones, craters, and lava flows, a hostile and strange landscape that transported us to distant worlds. Soon, some of the inhabitants of Bartolomé made an appearance: the lava lizards started to come out of their burroughs to warm themselves up in the morning light. From the summit, we couldn’t but gasp at the majestic views over the lava fields of Bartolomé and nearby Santiago Island.
Our morning activities continued at the orange-tinged beach of Bartolomé. We set up in this cozy bay, where one can relax, play in the sand, or swim in its calm waters. Many decided to snorkel around the base of famous Pinnacle Rock, an essential component of the landscape of Bartolomé. Here, many marine creatures were spotted, like white-tipped reef sharks, several species of fish, and even an octopus! A lonely Galápagos sea lion was enjoying a long siesta at the beach, oblivious to all us temporary visitors in his domains. To everyone’s joy, a trio of Galápagos penguins showed up in the shallow waters of the beach, but they kept on the move since they were busy hunting a school of small fish. What a fabulous morning!
Towards midday the anchor was weighed and we repositioned further south along the coast of Santiago, to reach Sombrero Chino. This peculiar name was given to this tiny island due to the resemblance it has to the shape of a Chinese Hat. The coast of this islet is a great spot for snorkeling, with an abundance of fish and great chances of seeing marine iguanas feeding underwater. This area is the home to a small population of Galápagos penguins, some of which were either basking in the sun while others kept fishing until rather late in the afternoon. The colors and landscapes are quite dramatic, and during our Zodiac ride we could observe many endemic and native species in action: a great blue heron stood for hours on the shore hoping to dart for a fish, the striated herons tried their luck with the abundant Sally Lightfoot crabs spread on the rocks, blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigates were flying in circles above the ocean ready to catch their last meal of the day, while a Galaáagos hawk patrolled its vast territory high in the sky.
It was a magic day here in Galápagos… The National Geographic Endeavour has set off north towards Genovesa Island, home to more amazing and unique creatures of this lost paradise.
