Bartolome and Santiago Island
What a wonderful bird is the Pelican whose beak can hold more than its belly can. It can hold its beak enough food for a week, and I still do not know how in the heck he can! (Ogden Nash)
Pelicans, together with frigate birds, sea turtles, sharks, spotted eagle rays, great blue herons, lava herons, blue footed boobies, and Galápagos penguins among others, are some of the highlights in our first full day in the Galápagos on board the Islander.
Today, we had a very early outing to Bartolome Island accompanied by a spectacular sunrise. It was six thirty in the morning when we started our hike towards the summit of Bartolome, and I can affirm that everybody liked the early exercise.
It felt so good when we reached the last wooden step that ended up with the most spectacular view in the Archipelago. The compositions of the parasitic cones of this island look just like a lunar landscape. We also observed and talked about the pioneer little plants and animals that had colonized this dramatic landscape. Giant daisies, lava cacti and tiquilia were among the most predominant plants, while lizards and snakes are the species of animals that rule over this tiny kingdom.
After the hike, we came back on board to enjoy a delicious breakfast and to get ready for our first encounter with the underwater world in the Galápagos. The snorkeling in Bartolome Island happens to be one of the best in the entire archipelago, and we were not mistaken!
For the afternoon, we had a combination of both snorkeling and a walk along the shoreline. Lots of wild life was observed during the hike, such as big marine iguanas, different species of shore birds and sea lions. We ended up at the grottos, where we located the second species of sea lions that we have in the archipelago, the Galápagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis).
This animal, in which its scientific name refers to its bear looking-head, prefers the rocky areas and cracks where they get protected from the sun. Having a double layer of fur, they do not feel very comfortable in the equatorial hot sun of the beach.
Today has been a great day, and we are all sure that tomorrow will have more adventures to come…
What a wonderful bird is the Pelican whose beak can hold more than its belly can. It can hold its beak enough food for a week, and I still do not know how in the heck he can! (Ogden Nash)
Pelicans, together with frigate birds, sea turtles, sharks, spotted eagle rays, great blue herons, lava herons, blue footed boobies, and Galápagos penguins among others, are some of the highlights in our first full day in the Galápagos on board the Islander.
Today, we had a very early outing to Bartolome Island accompanied by a spectacular sunrise. It was six thirty in the morning when we started our hike towards the summit of Bartolome, and I can affirm that everybody liked the early exercise.
It felt so good when we reached the last wooden step that ended up with the most spectacular view in the Archipelago. The compositions of the parasitic cones of this island look just like a lunar landscape. We also observed and talked about the pioneer little plants and animals that had colonized this dramatic landscape. Giant daisies, lava cacti and tiquilia were among the most predominant plants, while lizards and snakes are the species of animals that rule over this tiny kingdom.
After the hike, we came back on board to enjoy a delicious breakfast and to get ready for our first encounter with the underwater world in the Galápagos. The snorkeling in Bartolome Island happens to be one of the best in the entire archipelago, and we were not mistaken!
For the afternoon, we had a combination of both snorkeling and a walk along the shoreline. Lots of wild life was observed during the hike, such as big marine iguanas, different species of shore birds and sea lions. We ended up at the grottos, where we located the second species of sea lions that we have in the archipelago, the Galápagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis).
This animal, in which its scientific name refers to its bear looking-head, prefers the rocky areas and cracks where they get protected from the sun. Having a double layer of fur, they do not feel very comfortable in the equatorial hot sun of the beach.
Today has been a great day, and we are all sure that tomorrow will have more adventures to come…
