Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
Today we woke up early in the morning with the amazing volcanic landscape of Bartolomé Island. The early morning is the best time of the day to observe wildlife. Our day started with a very impressive sighting. About twenty Galápagos penguins were swimming at close range to our Zodiacs, fishing for their breakfast! We had several groups climb up to the summit of the island. The first group had the option to hike at a faster pace straight to the top while the other group walked at a regular pace. Once at the top, the spectacular view delivered an illusion that made us think we were immersed in a different world. Orange colored rocks with traces of red and brown created a beautiful contrast with the blue of the sky and water of our surroundings. We took dozens of pictures, maybe hundreds, trying hard to have perennial memories of what our senses were capturing. The Famous “Pinnacle Rock” seen at the horizon will never be forgotten for it was a large highlight of the last full day of our expedition.
After breakfast we went to the golden sand beach around the pinnacle. Many of us went for a refreshing swim or practiced snorkeling. Others crossed a dune and walked to the second beach, or decided to take a glass bottom boat to explore the underwater with comfort. We spotted more species of fish to be added to our wildlife list of the week. We had the thrill to observe white tipped sharks from the glass bottom boat as well.
The afternoon found us anchored at Puerto Egas in Santiago Island. Snorkeling and swimming was available this time on a black sand beach. We had the unusual sighting of a small Galápagos penguin group, but the adventure was not over yet. We took a walk along the coastline of the Puerto Egas. Many species of migratory birds were spotted, a couple of American Oystercatchers and a small group of Galápagos fur seals. Marine iguanas looked spectacular with a warm light surrounding them while resting at the rough lava terrain and inside tide pools.
Today we woke up early in the morning with the amazing volcanic landscape of Bartolomé Island. The early morning is the best time of the day to observe wildlife. Our day started with a very impressive sighting. About twenty Galápagos penguins were swimming at close range to our Zodiacs, fishing for their breakfast! We had several groups climb up to the summit of the island. The first group had the option to hike at a faster pace straight to the top while the other group walked at a regular pace. Once at the top, the spectacular view delivered an illusion that made us think we were immersed in a different world. Orange colored rocks with traces of red and brown created a beautiful contrast with the blue of the sky and water of our surroundings. We took dozens of pictures, maybe hundreds, trying hard to have perennial memories of what our senses were capturing. The Famous “Pinnacle Rock” seen at the horizon will never be forgotten for it was a large highlight of the last full day of our expedition.
After breakfast we went to the golden sand beach around the pinnacle. Many of us went for a refreshing swim or practiced snorkeling. Others crossed a dune and walked to the second beach, or decided to take a glass bottom boat to explore the underwater with comfort. We spotted more species of fish to be added to our wildlife list of the week. We had the thrill to observe white tipped sharks from the glass bottom boat as well.
The afternoon found us anchored at Puerto Egas in Santiago Island. Snorkeling and swimming was available this time on a black sand beach. We had the unusual sighting of a small Galápagos penguin group, but the adventure was not over yet. We took a walk along the coastline of the Puerto Egas. Many species of migratory birds were spotted, a couple of American Oystercatchers and a small group of Galápagos fur seals. Marine iguanas looked spectacular with a warm light surrounding them while resting at the rough lava terrain and inside tide pools.
