Bartolomé & Santiago Island

This is our last full day on board, and the week has gone by so fast but we have learned so much and have had so many encounters with nature that it seems like we have been here for so much longer.

We had an early wake up call this morning and as we were boarding our Zodiacs to get onto Bartolomé Island, we were greeted by sun that was just coming up above the horizon, while on the other side we could still see the full moon slowly disappearing behind the volcanoes of Santiago Island.

We went on a great hike to the top of Bartolomé Island, quite a magical place with all the different volcanic features typical of the new islands, allowing us to discover a complete barren environment with just a few plants starting to establish. Desolation, but beauty everywhere with red cinder cones contrasting with the black lava fields and all different shades of brown from the tuff cones, one felt like we were walking on the moon.

A great breakfast was waiting for us on the teak deck so we could continue watching all the beauty of nature that surrounded us. We then left for the beach and after exploring the surrounding area a bit, it was time for a well deserved swim as the sun was getting higher in the sky. Beautiful calm and warm seas invited us for underwater exploration. Penguins, sea lions and sharks shared their daily life with us as well as a couple of iguanas and all the beautiful fishes that now are quite familiar to us. We were also able to enjoy all these wonders from the Glass Bottom Boat, so everyone really enjoyed the morning.

In the afternoon, we were off to our last visit; we landed on James Bay and headed for a walk along the coastline beautifully formed by a mix of lava flows and volcanic ash. Shore birds where strolling along the coast, herons were after the crabs for a nice meal, marine iguanas were basking in the sun, fur seals were sleeping in between the rocks to avoid the sun, while sea lions were coming back to shore. As the day went by, it was time for us to leave this place, with our heads full of “endemic” memories that will last through the years… What a great week and how privileged we feel to watch nature in the way we did.