Sombrero Chino Island and Sullivan Bay
The marvels of the Galápagos Islands surprise us as days pass by. Today we visited one of the geologic marvels of the archipelago, and the best place to begin our exploration was the Sombrero Chino area. A magical Zodiac ride was the perfect way to enjoy nature’s exquisiteness. As we arrived to the lava rocks, shore birds such as striated herons concentrated on the rocks as they were hunting their prey out of the crevices. Following the coastline, an encounter with a white-tipped reef shark startled us as it swam underneath the Zodiac. Farther into the visit, baby sea lions were the masters of the water as they were hunting white salemas.
Once back on board National Geographic Islander, we got everything ready in order to see what one of the largest marine reserves of the world would show us. Deep water snorkeling was outstanding. The color symphony played by the reef fish all over the area was marvelous, from the bottom of the sea garden eels were the perfect contrast for an underwater landscape, and as an addition Galápagos penguins made us feel out of this world. After this delightful experience, we enjoyed the wonders of Sombrero Chino in a short hike along the coastline.
After an appealing buffet lunch, we pulled anchor and started sailing to our next destination. In the afternoon the exploration got better as we headed out into the lava fields of Sullivan Bay. The splendor of the site was unique and magical. Since the very beginning the rocks and the way lava was found was completely astonishing. Black like the evening and viscous like melted chocolate, Sullivan Bay made us feel as if we traveled back in time in order to see how all the islands looked when they were all young several hundreds of thousands of years ago. The way the pa-hoe-hoe lava spread made us experience the wonder of nature when an island is built.
At the end of the hike, we enjoyed an awe-inspiring sunset as the last breath of the sun hit the tuff cones in the area turning them into an orange coloration. The charms of Mother Nature speak alone, and today we heard the majestic symphony that the living paradise of the Galápagos Islands played for us.
