Bartolome and Santiago Islands
Today, we started early in the morning with a walk to the top of Bartolome Island. This little jewel in the Pacific is very small; it is only 0.5 square miles. The striking volcanic formations seen here make your imagination flow. Many people compare this barren land with the one seen on the moon. From the summit of the island, it is possible to enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the whole archipelago. A volcanic formation that really stands out in the panorama is the pinnacle rock, a famous tuff cone formation that has become a trademark for the islands. Later in the morning after a well deserved breakfast, we went to the beach near the pinnacle. A short walk crossing a sand dune leads us to a beach where sea turtles nest. Many brown pelicans are breeding in this place at this time of the year. Their attractive breeding coloration contrasts in a beautiful way with the green leaves of the mangroves they are nesting on. The heat of the day drove us to practice water activities. Most of our guests snorkeled today; some of them went to the deeper areas while some others stayed in the nearby shallows. They all came back really happy with what they saw. Many commented about the variety and abundance of tropical fish species they observed. Among the many sightings that they raved about were two particularly special Galápagos sea lions and a Galápagos penguin.
During lunch time, we navigated to our next destination, Santiago Island. This is a large island located in the central part of the archipelago. Once again we enjoyed the water activities, and afterwards, we walked along the shore line. This afternoon the weather conditions were almost perfect. As the tide was low, we enjoyed very much exploring the intertidal lava pools. We found several invertebrate species and observed the marine iguanas swimming back to shore. The coastline was beautiful! In some areas a bright green algae was covering the black lava flows. Brilliant colored Sally light footed crabs and marine iguanas were eating these marine plants. During this walk, we also observed together and at a close range the two kinds of pinnipeds that live on the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos sea lions were peacefully resting on the beach while the Galápagos fur seals were resting in cracks or under rocky ledges. The sunset of the day finally told us that our day was coming to an end. We can hardly wait for what tomorrow will bring to our expedition around this enchanted paradise.
Today, we started early in the morning with a walk to the top of Bartolome Island. This little jewel in the Pacific is very small; it is only 0.5 square miles. The striking volcanic formations seen here make your imagination flow. Many people compare this barren land with the one seen on the moon. From the summit of the island, it is possible to enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the whole archipelago. A volcanic formation that really stands out in the panorama is the pinnacle rock, a famous tuff cone formation that has become a trademark for the islands. Later in the morning after a well deserved breakfast, we went to the beach near the pinnacle. A short walk crossing a sand dune leads us to a beach where sea turtles nest. Many brown pelicans are breeding in this place at this time of the year. Their attractive breeding coloration contrasts in a beautiful way with the green leaves of the mangroves they are nesting on. The heat of the day drove us to practice water activities. Most of our guests snorkeled today; some of them went to the deeper areas while some others stayed in the nearby shallows. They all came back really happy with what they saw. Many commented about the variety and abundance of tropical fish species they observed. Among the many sightings that they raved about were two particularly special Galápagos sea lions and a Galápagos penguin.
During lunch time, we navigated to our next destination, Santiago Island. This is a large island located in the central part of the archipelago. Once again we enjoyed the water activities, and afterwards, we walked along the shore line. This afternoon the weather conditions were almost perfect. As the tide was low, we enjoyed very much exploring the intertidal lava pools. We found several invertebrate species and observed the marine iguanas swimming back to shore. The coastline was beautiful! In some areas a bright green algae was covering the black lava flows. Brilliant colored Sally light footed crabs and marine iguanas were eating these marine plants. During this walk, we also observed together and at a close range the two kinds of pinnipeds that live on the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos sea lions were peacefully resting on the beach while the Galápagos fur seals were resting in cracks or under rocky ledges. The sunset of the day finally told us that our day was coming to an end. We can hardly wait for what tomorrow will bring to our expedition around this enchanted paradise.
