Bartolome & Santiago Islands
It has been a very busy day with so many activities to choose from. Both walks, before and after breakfast, were full of incredible wild life sightings and amazing landscapes. We were able to observe three different types of parasitic cones (tuff, cinder and spatter cones), two different types of lava flows (aa and pahoe hoe), and a very interesting contrast of lava tunnels and unique species of plants surrounding them.
Speaking of endemic plants, we observed lava cactus, tequilias, opuntias, scalesias and the endemic Galápagos rosemary, which belongs to one (out of seven) endemic genera of flowering plants in the whole archipelago. The rainy season has made most of the vegetation come to a full verdure, and the colors of the blossoms in some plants are so vivid that it makes a really nice contrast with the pitch black basalt on the surroundings.
Among some of the species of animals that had captivated us already are the young sea lions. With their cute faces, they have been the most desirable photographic animal so far. The marine iguanas have been also everywhere, and the bright colors of the sally light foot crabs were shining over the dark rocks as well.
Probably the highlight of the day has been the fact that we all had great experiences in terms of water activities. The Galápagos under water world has been at its best splendor, and the water temperature has been so pleasant, that it is one of the main reasons why every one lasted for so long during the snorkeling.
Among some of the species that we saw in this element were marine turtles, sharks, sea lions, stingrays, and a good variety of tropical fish. Some of us were even luckier to see one of the masters of under water camouflage, the flag cabrilla (shown in the picture).
It has been a very busy day with so many activities to choose from. Both walks, before and after breakfast, were full of incredible wild life sightings and amazing landscapes. We were able to observe three different types of parasitic cones (tuff, cinder and spatter cones), two different types of lava flows (aa and pahoe hoe), and a very interesting contrast of lava tunnels and unique species of plants surrounding them.
Speaking of endemic plants, we observed lava cactus, tequilias, opuntias, scalesias and the endemic Galápagos rosemary, which belongs to one (out of seven) endemic genera of flowering plants in the whole archipelago. The rainy season has made most of the vegetation come to a full verdure, and the colors of the blossoms in some plants are so vivid that it makes a really nice contrast with the pitch black basalt on the surroundings.
Among some of the species of animals that had captivated us already are the young sea lions. With their cute faces, they have been the most desirable photographic animal so far. The marine iguanas have been also everywhere, and the bright colors of the sally light foot crabs were shining over the dark rocks as well.
Probably the highlight of the day has been the fact that we all had great experiences in terms of water activities. The Galápagos under water world has been at its best splendor, and the water temperature has been so pleasant, that it is one of the main reasons why every one lasted for so long during the snorkeling.
Among some of the species that we saw in this element were marine turtles, sharks, sea lions, stingrays, and a good variety of tropical fish. Some of us were even luckier to see one of the masters of under water camouflage, the flag cabrilla (shown in the picture).
