Our Galapagos expedition will be ending soon, and we have enjoyed every minute of it. Everyday has been an incredible adventure, visiting different islands and learning about the unique ecosystems on each of them.
Early this morning, before breakfast, we headed out on a hike all the way up to the summit of Bartholomew Island. Along the way we enjoyed the geology and all its features that decorated the trail. From small spatter cones to a few lava tubes going down the hill, some of them just being colonized by endemic lava cacti and other small pioneer plants. Once we had reached the top of the island, we were able to enjoy the amazing iconic view of the north and south beaches of Bartholomew Island, as well as “Pinnacle Rock“.
For our next excursion of the day, we landed on one of the two beaches situated in a calm bay, decorated by the famous Pinnacle Rock. Here we were able to snorkel, swim, or just to rest on the beach and get some sun. We were also able to go deep water snorkeling off the Zodiac. The water was warm and comfortable, and we encountered sharks, rays and penguins.
Once we had returned to the ship, our captain repositioned the National Geographic Endeavour to an area off the coast of Chinese hat, near the southern coast of Santiago island. We went for another snorkeling excursion at this site, and it was quite incredible. We saw sea lions, penguins, lobsters and even a few moray eels were spotted.
After the snorkeling, a relaxing Zodiac ride was offered along the coast. We had the opportunity to photograph some Galapagos penguins and enjoy an outstanding sunset, contrasting against the colors of the black lava. It was a perfect end to another exciting day in the Galapagos Islands.
