Sombrero Chino & James Island, 3/18/2016, National Geographic Islander

Early in the morning we started our expedition on a satellite island called Sombrero Chino. This is an impressive single crater island separated by a channel of clear turquoise water from a larger Island know as James (or Santiago) Island.

Water activities were offered including kayak outings and then Zodiac rides along the shoreline from both sides of the islands. The landscapes are incredible and we felt like we were transported back through time. Brand new black lava flows, blue skies with puffy clouds, crystal clear ocean, and wildlife revealed itself. Great blue and striated herons, pelicans, sea lions, fish and Galapagos penguins were all seen pre-breakfast.

After a well deserved brake we opted for a relaxing time at the beach or deep water snorkeling, which I must say, was outstanding. Visibility was extremely good with the sunbeams passing though the crystal lime-colored water and illuminating a plethora of tropical fish.

Large schools of razor surgeon fish foraged upon the shallow rocky reefs with many panamic sergeant mayors coming up to the surface feeding on the zooplankton arriving to the coastal area. An occasional white tipped reef shark passed underneath the snorkelers, meanwhile playful sea lions blew bubbles.

Our young explorers had an opportunity to pilot a Zodiac water craft.  They don’t know it yet, but at the end of this expedition they will have earned their well-deserved Lindblad/National Geographic drivers license.

Back on board we headed to our next destination.  We passed by a beautiful eroded crater which holds a brackish water lagoon where flamingos frequent.

We then had lunch and had our last chance to visit our Global Gallery for local souvenirs for us and our loved ones because we are very eager to share our experiences of this wonderful place called the “Enchanted Islands”

We also had a talk about a naturalist who shaped the world with his discoveries, Charles Darwin.

We arrived at Santiago Island and we were surprised to find a Galapagos penguin at our visitor site, Sullivan Bay. A huge lava flow dated from 118 years ago greeted us underfoot. We were immediately transported to the beginning of time. Different shapes of lava under our feet were a frozen reminder of the once liquid, red hot rock from the core of mother earth. We also learned about basalt and volcanic islands and experimented with our camera and composition settings.

Then we had a wonderful feast on the top deck of the ship, a BBQ dinner under the stars while we cruised along on our floating home.