Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino Islet
Every time I climb up to the summit of Bartolomé Island I feel how peaceful and quiet Galápagos is. From the top it is magical, a breathtaking place, it is also the most well known spot in the Galápagos. Indeed all the books and documentaries of Galápagos showcase footage of Bartolomé; its two beaches and the pinnacle rock. Its dramatic moonscape is unique unlike any other place on earth.
This morning with all our positive energy, we went for a walk to ascend the tuff volcano that created Bartolomé. Along the trail some lava lizards reminded to us that even in this deserted dry spot life is possible. A Galápagos snake lies on the ground to warm up. Further up lava cacti and rock lichens are a great excuse to talk about pioneer plants and how they colonize a new place to co-exist. Finally the top gave us another perspective of the world, how vast the ocean is, and how many and different microclimates Galápagos has.
Back on board we boosted our energies with a good breakfast, and prepared for our next activities. We went to the beach, for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing close to the sea lions. Our experience in the water was fascinating, we saw so many marine creatures, including eagle rays, sting rays, sea stars (no star fish) flounders, penguins, eels, but the frosting on the cake was a very friendly octopus that stayed with us for about 10 minutes, showing us its beautiful camouflage. Everybody loved the beach, snorkeling was amazing, and the morning was bright and sunny.
After lunch we motored to Sombrero Chino, a flat top islet at the south of Santiago Island, Sombrero Chino is very well known for having a very small colony of Galápagos penguins. They are the third smallest penguins in the world and the only one living on the equator, where instead of ice you find black lava rocks, and warm waters providing a perfect encounter with these magnificent aquatic birds.
And so it happened, as soon as we jumped to the water for snorkeling they appeared in the water, swimming so fast to catch their food; special mention to a penguin that was resting on a rock off a 15 ft high cliff and suddenly decided to jump off. Whoa! I’ve never seen that in 20 years guiding in Galápagos, a penguin jumping from a very high point, and it was a “perfect dive”. I did not know this “new” ability of these endemic creatures, what a discovery!
Sharks and big variety of fish underwater, striated and blue herons on land, all showed up. While the sun was going down so quickly and our day ended, leaving in our minds great memories, great moments, and a closer friendship among us around the enchanted archipelago of Galápagos.
