Bartolomé & Santiago Island

We woke up early this morning and had a wonderful walk to the top of Bartolomé Island. This island is mostly covered with volcanic cinder and orange colored lava flows; no one knows when the last volcanic eruption took place here. On the flanks of this volcano we delighted ourselves observing the pioneer plants, lava lizards, and the amazing volcanic formations with its most famous landscapes of the archipelago.

After our hike we came back on board and replenished our energies with a fortifying breakfast. We then got ready to return to the island – this time we had several options for everybody. We went snorkeling from the beach and gradually got into deep waters where several of our guests snorkeled with penguins, sharks and large schools of fish. We also went on a fantastic walk to the south side of Bartolomé to observe the nesting sites of the Pacific green sea turtles, while some shore birds walked along the beach in front of our curious eyes. Many wanted to explore the underwater world without getting wet and got on to our glass bottom boat and had an amazing time with the marine life.

After a smooth navigation we arrived to Santiago Island which was once a favorite hiding places for pirates and whalers. All these people came looking for fresh water and land tortoises for food which provided them a chance to survive their long trips. This afternoon we explored one of the most beautiful coast lines of the islands; this coast was full of marine iguanas, Galápagos sea lions and Galápagos fur seals. The latter one is the smallest of the species of fur seals in the world and the one that nurses the longest among pinnipeds, it may last more than two years. Their heads resemble a bear’s a bit and their fur is denser with a dark chocolate brown color. We found some resting in crevices while others walked towards the sea for a cooling swim.

We had a superb time and left Santiago Island behind while the sun was setting behind the horizon.