Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino Island
Located at the central part of the archipelago, Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino islands look barren, with many now-extinct volcanoes resulting in thousands of years of eruptions.
We started a splendid hike up the stairs of Bartolomé Island early in the morning. It was cloudy with a soft breeze, perfect to walk and enjoy a unique landscape; loose rocks on reddish volcanic ash surrounded by many sunken volcanic cones made us imagine we were on Mars. Along the wooden steps we observed colorful lava lizards, pioneer vegetation, endemic plants and many different islands at the distance. As soon as we arrived on top of the summit, the great view of the Pinnacle Rock made it worth walking all the way up.
The walk down was just perfect to observe Galápagos penguins fishing in a feeding frenzy while on the rocks brown noddy terns and pelicans observed them, waiting for their opportunities to catch more prey.
After breakfast we headed back to Bartolomé, but this time to snorkel and swim from the golden beach of the island. We couldn’t wait to get into the water and enjoy a wonderful experience with curious penguins, colorful reef fish and playful sea lions.
In the afternoon, the National Geographic Endeavour dropped anchor just in front of Sombrero Chino Island. We observed its conical shape, the reason for this name, “Chinese Hat.” Just beside, Santiago Island looked gigantic with its spectacular black lava field, a result of the last eruption, which occurred in 1897.
Our first outing in the afternoon began with snorkeling along the channel that separates the two Islands; the water was very clear but a little bit cold – but it wasn’t impediment to swim and enjoy of an incredible group of creatures that were the delight of our guests. The first great attraction was a group of white-tipped reef sharks swimming indifferently close to us. We were drifted by the currents observing many different species of colorful fish such as king angelfish, salemas, parrotfish, cardinal fish and some sting rays hiding their bodies under the sandy floor.
After a short period of time in the water, we observed a group of marine iguanas warming their wet bodies on the rocks; when we approached them, we observed other iguanas feeding on algae underwater. It was unbelievable to observe a reptile foraging in the ocean, supporting more than seven minutes without breathing. As we finished snorkeling, a group of penguins approached us, swimming very fast like torpedoes, trying to catch small salemas. They crossed beside of us with no fear, showing us their small bodies and including some fish in their bills.
Our day finished riding the Zodiacs along the shoreline of Sombrero Chino, observing a spectacular sunset and remembering all the innocent creatures that made this day unforgettable.
