Bartolome and Santiago Islands

Today was one of those days that you could call “extraordinary,” but of course, we are in the Galápagos Islands after all! One of our guests even described this day as “the most spectacular day he had ever had.”

Early in the morning we went to the summit of Bartolome. This is an eroded tuff cone with a breathtaking view observed only from the summit of it. The walk was very nice, and even though we had to climb 372 steps to reach the top, everyone seemed to enjoy it.

After breakfast, we landed on a golden little beach. This delightful place is adorned with lots of lava formations and the snorkeling was incredible! Not too long after our guests jumped in the water, a huge group of melon headed whales were cruising along the coastline and met the guests that were in the water. We snorkeled with them for a while and then we took the Zodiacs back to go on a ride along side the whales. It was simply spectacular! We could even hear the sound emitted by the whales under water.

After this incredible experience, we repositioned the ship to Santiago Island. We disembarked on a black beach to do some snorkeling and swimming. We found ourselves soon surrounded by stingrays, white tipped reef sharks, and Galápagos sea lions. Snorkeling was definitely the highlight of the afternoon too! Nonetheless, the walk offered after the snorkeling was just as nice.

The walk took us back in time to experience everything we have seen during the whole week. We found groups of marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, Galápagos fur seals and lava herons.

We did not want to come back; we did not want to leave this paradise. The afternoon vanished behind the red clouds produced by the sunset. It was definitely a moment to treasure in our minds; it was a moment to remember...