Bartolomé & Sombrero Chino Islands
Located in the central part of the archipelago, two of the smallest islands lie just off the eastern tip of Santiago. With their unique landscapes and incredible undersea attractions, Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino are considered the classic beauty spots of the Galápagos.
Our day began early in the morning, heading to Bartolomé on Zodiacs. The conditions of the sea were excellent, with a soft breeze caressing our faces and a calm sea. We landed on the small pier of the island and immediately headed up along the wooden steps to observe a volcanic landscape, with solidified lava fields and lava tubes everywhere. As a snapshot taken thousands of years ago, Bartolomé showed us its charms as an open book on geology. Incredibly, along this barren landscape, pioneer plants such as Grey Matplant, Galápagos Spurge, and lava cactus grew up with their roots inside the hard lava, converting it into soft soil. Finally we arrived at the top of the island; the view was spectacular with the most photographed spot in all Galápagos: the Pinnacle Rock beside two golden beaches and its eroded remains of a tuff cone, which small submerged crater was seen just offshore. To the east we saw a series of small spatter cones, which are conical formations, eroded rocks and a reddish color giving the appearance that we were on Mars or on the moon.
After breakfast we headed back to Bartolomé, to land on the southern beach. Our guests could swim and snorkel, enjoying perfect weather conditions, great visibility, and colorful tropical fish swimming indifferently.
In the afternoon, we sailed south to Sombrero Chino (or Chinese Hat in English); its conical formation is the reason for its curious name. We started our activities by snorkeling along the channel that separates this island with Santiago. Water was very clear and the temperatures over 79° F. As soon we started swimming we observed two white-tipped reef sharks swimming indifferently near the bottom, and stingrays were the delightful or our guests. Close to the rocks, colorful fish such as cardinals, mullets, Moorish idols, parrotfish, and hawk fish formed a unique paradise whose beauty was only enhanced with another incredible creature, the marine iguana. We observed one of them feeding on algae underwater, and it swam to another rock propelled by its long tail while small damsel fish trying to protect their food were biting the big predator, which careless continued enjoying its delicious food. Just before the end of snorkeling, a group of penguins drying their feathers on the rocks and producing an unmistakable noise made us forget the iguana for a moment, as we gave our attention to this incredible flightless bird unique in Galápagos and along the warm tropics.
After snorkeling we started the last activity, riding the Zodiacs along Sombrero Chino, catching the last beams of sun, and remembering the incredible creatures and places we visited today in this magical place.
