Sombrero Chino & Sullivan Bay
This day of our lives has been spectacular. We started the day off with a Zodiac ride exploring the volcanic shore line of Sombrero Chino. The beautiful landscape seen here is like nowhere else in the archipelago. Majestic combinations of colors of black and orange lavas, blue sky, green vegetation and deep blue ocean made a surreal representation of natural art. Several animal species including brown pelicans, Sally light foot crabs, a Galápagos hawk, Galápagos penguins, herons and marine iguanas were admired at a close range.
Ocean conditions were almost perfect for snorkeling. A sunny morning and crystal clear, warm waters with almost no current made this outing an unforgettable one. One of our guests later in the day told me that it has been the best snorkeling adventure in her whole life, and she has been practicing this activity for more than 40 years! Galápagos penguins fished in front of our astonished eyes, while myriads of colorful fish, sharks, rays and even marine iguanas were some of the highlights. In a nutshell, a great biodiversity found in an idyllic and exotic location made this adventure one of the best we have had so far in the whole expedition.
Once onboard while navigating we had the unusual chance to take a peak from the ship to the inside caldera of Bainbridge one of the nearby islets. John Zurita, our Captain, skillfully maneuver the National Geographic Islander, allowing us to see not only once but three times a spectacular view, a large flock of colorful greater flamingos that inhabit an inner lagoon of the islet.
In the afternoon we visited Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island. We had a late disembarkation avoiding the heat after a presentation on Darwin given by one of our naturalists, Ernesto Vaca. With amazement we explored very recent lava flows that are just a couple of hundred years old! Sullivan Bay is a wonderful example of the power of nature. We felt as if we were going back in time watching the beginning of our planet.
The sun was setting slowly on the horizon when we headed back on board. As a golden finale for this day we had a barbeque served on the upper outer deck of our ship. We finally went to bed dreaming of the new surprises and adventures we will experience tomorrow as we continue our expedition in the magical Galápagos Islands.
