Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
Today was the best possible day we could ever have imagined in the Galápagos Archipelago, and we made the very most of it. We visited two islands, had three nature walks, two snorkeling outings, saw an impressive array of spectacular wildlife and all against the backdrop of beautiful weather!
We started off bright and early with a six o’clock optional wake up call to take a hike up to the very summit of a volcanic cone, Bartolomé Islet, from which we observed the wonderful volcanic scenery of the islands: red, orange and earth-coloured formations surrounded by the stark black of more recent lava flows and the occasional splash of vivid green bringing the whole scene to life.
We then disembarked onto a beach of fine orange sand, from which some of us took off to visit a turtle nesting area while others donned our snorkeling gear to swim around the spectacular pinnacle rock. The calm, clear conditions and the low tide level made for unforgettable snorkeling, as we saw dozens of colourful reef fish species, small reef sharks and the highlight of the morning: bullet-like penguins darting after schools of tiny fish, packed into tightly-polarized schools.
Over lunch we repositioned to the west of the large island of Santiago and disembarked on a fascinating black beach, home to a sea lion colony where large males were beginning to compete for access to the females found in this territory. Those snorkeling had the opportunity to swim with sea turtles, and the walk along the coastline allowed us to do some excellent bird-watching that included species such as the little striated herons, whimbrels, oystercatchers and many more as well for a little tide-pooling.
Galápagos sea lions lay everywhere, many females with tiny pups, and once we reached the grottoes at the end of the walk we discovered the second species of local pinniped: the Galápagos fur seals. Piles of marine iguanas continually tricked us into believing them to be just more lava flows, suddenly materializing before us and amazing us every time, and the setting sun set the island alight as we returned to the ship, our heads buzzing with the many experiences had, and all in just one day!
Today was the best possible day we could ever have imagined in the Galápagos Archipelago, and we made the very most of it. We visited two islands, had three nature walks, two snorkeling outings, saw an impressive array of spectacular wildlife and all against the backdrop of beautiful weather!
We started off bright and early with a six o’clock optional wake up call to take a hike up to the very summit of a volcanic cone, Bartolomé Islet, from which we observed the wonderful volcanic scenery of the islands: red, orange and earth-coloured formations surrounded by the stark black of more recent lava flows and the occasional splash of vivid green bringing the whole scene to life.
We then disembarked onto a beach of fine orange sand, from which some of us took off to visit a turtle nesting area while others donned our snorkeling gear to swim around the spectacular pinnacle rock. The calm, clear conditions and the low tide level made for unforgettable snorkeling, as we saw dozens of colourful reef fish species, small reef sharks and the highlight of the morning: bullet-like penguins darting after schools of tiny fish, packed into tightly-polarized schools.
Over lunch we repositioned to the west of the large island of Santiago and disembarked on a fascinating black beach, home to a sea lion colony where large males were beginning to compete for access to the females found in this territory. Those snorkeling had the opportunity to swim with sea turtles, and the walk along the coastline allowed us to do some excellent bird-watching that included species such as the little striated herons, whimbrels, oystercatchers and many more as well for a little tide-pooling.
Galápagos sea lions lay everywhere, many females with tiny pups, and once we reached the grottoes at the end of the walk we discovered the second species of local pinniped: the Galápagos fur seals. Piles of marine iguanas continually tricked us into believing them to be just more lava flows, suddenly materializing before us and amazing us every time, and the setting sun set the island alight as we returned to the ship, our heads buzzing with the many experiences had, and all in just one day!
