Sombrero Chino Island and Sullivan Bay
The marvels of the Galapagos Islands surprise us as days pass by. Today we visited one of the geologic marvels of the archipelago, and Sombrero Chino was the best location to begin our journey. A magic zodiac ride was perfect to enjoy nature’s elegance. As we arrived to the lava rocks, shore birds such as striated herons were concentrated on the rocks as they were hunting their prey out of the crevices. Farther into the visit, Brown pelicans were the masters of the show as they were plunge-diving from the lava rocks into the water.
Once back on board the National Geographic Islander, we got everything ready in order to see what one of the largest marine reserves of the world was about to show us. Deep water snorkeling was outstandingly good. The color symphony played by the reef fishes 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 white tipped reef sharks made us feel out of this world. After this delightful experience, we got ready to see the magnificence of one of the Bainbridge islands while circumnavigating around it.
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 went back into time in order to see how all the islands looked when they were 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 Galapagos Islands played to us.
