Bartolome and Sombrero Chino , 11/18/2021, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today we woke up with the most iconic view in the Galapagos Islands: Pinnacle Rock, Bartolome Island. We started the day with a pre-breakfast hike to the top of Bartolome Island and after a delicious breakfast, we went in the water to look for penguins feeding.
In the afternoon, we visited Sombrero Chino, an islet close to Bartolome Island, also home to Galapagos penguins. We got to swim with the very curious penguins again! We ended this perfect day with a beautiful sunset Zodiac ride around Sombrero Chino.
Most of Gianna´s memories seem to be dreams, made on flawless white sandy beaches with black lava rock contours and gorgeous turquoise ocean waters. Most of it happened while barefoot, in an enchanting place that some people regard as an ideal natura...
For this first full day, we started with a walk over North Seymour Island, located on the north side of Baltra Island (officially known as South Seymour). This uplifted island is also known as Bird Island. It is home to a nice community of marine birds, such as blue-footed boobies, two species of frigatebirds, and swallow-tailed gulls (the only nocturnal gull). For our afternoon activities, we snorkeled by a red colored beach on Rábida island. We concluded the day with a stroll over an iron-oxide beach. Along the trail, we explored a saltwater lagoon with sixteen American flamingos. We even saw some nests!
Tower or Genovesa Island is home to over one million seabirds. Our highlights here were diverse, including Nazca, red, and blue-footed boobies, gulls, owls, fur seals, hammerhead sharks, turtles, and manta rays. Our adventure began with a walk that started at the famous Prince Philip’s Steps. Nazca and red-footed boobies and frigatebirds surrounded us. My colleague, Christian, was able to find the first elusive short-eared owl of the day. We spotted two more of these diurnal raptors along the cliff. All of us felt rewarded to enjoy this unique view of the only camouflaged owl on the island. Today was a red-footed booby day, and we also spotted frigatebirds. Chicks were everywhere, and Nazca boobies were starting their mating season. Back onboard, we prepared for our last snorkeling outing to search the undersea realm. We had close encounters with many fish, playful sea lions, and fur seals for the last time. Seeing them up close brought excitement and admiration. Some guests opted for a kayak outing. After this great adventure, we came back to our ship where it was anchored inside Genovesa’s caldera. We were briefed about our departure and enjoyed our last delicious lunch, the pride of our culinary staff.
Early in the morning, expedition leader Carlos Romero was waiting at the disembarkation deck for early risers who wanted to hike up to the top of Bartolome Island. This was an extraordinary walk that transported us back in time right to the beginning of it all in the Galapagos. In the afternoon, we explored the waters of Sombrero Chino Island. Our guests saw many tropical fish and the elusive Galapagos penguin up close. It was a wonderful experience in yet another beautiful location. Later in the afternoon, we went exploring with our Zodiacs and spotted several penguins fishing along with blue-footed boobies and pelicans.
