Bartolome & Santiago Island
The Galápagos Islands are famous for several reasons, but the most important of all, each island has an unspoiled, particular flavor in terms of wildlife and landscapes.
Today’s visit had a combination of both; we started our expedition with Bartolome Island, which happens to be considered the showcase for the geological forces that ruled the creation of new environments on this planet.
Bartolome is an amazing place to admire the landscapes and to understand how early colonizers, such as little cacti, hardy Tiquillia plants, snakes and lava lizards, struggled to survive in this harsh environment.
As the heat of the day increased, it was time for us to explore the aquatic side of today’s experience.
The water is generally warm at this time of the year, and we could enjoy snorkeling in the shallow waters around the majestic pinnacle rock. The surroundings of “pinnacle rock” are filled with astonishing marine life. The fish are colorful and they all have different sizes; some of them seemed as if they were suspended in a water column, snapping up little plankton-like organisms while some others were hiding in crevices, waiting to ambush their innocent preys.
This wasn’t all we saw, as many more surprises awaited for us along the way. White-tipped reef sharks and penguins were found by some of our lucky guests, and snorkeling with them is what we really called a lifetime experience!
For our afternoon program we departed towards Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. We made our way along the northern realm of Santiago, enjoying the pretty scenery.
The calm waters of the bay, along with dozens of sea lions, welcomed us to this island. The combination of both natural and human history is remarkable here. We visited the ruins of a little human settlement that flourished back in the sixties; today the entire island is a national park area and it harbors an incredible array of wildlife. The trail along the shore is one of the best places for bird watching and exploring the marine ecosystem of tide pools. All of a sudden, without any warning, you find yourself surrounded by sea lions and hundreds of marine iguanas!
By the end of the day we decided to return to the Islander to grab a cocktail and enjoy the sunset.
The Galápagos Islands are famous for several reasons, but the most important of all, each island has an unspoiled, particular flavor in terms of wildlife and landscapes.
Today’s visit had a combination of both; we started our expedition with Bartolome Island, which happens to be considered the showcase for the geological forces that ruled the creation of new environments on this planet.
Bartolome is an amazing place to admire the landscapes and to understand how early colonizers, such as little cacti, hardy Tiquillia plants, snakes and lava lizards, struggled to survive in this harsh environment.
As the heat of the day increased, it was time for us to explore the aquatic side of today’s experience.
The water is generally warm at this time of the year, and we could enjoy snorkeling in the shallow waters around the majestic pinnacle rock. The surroundings of “pinnacle rock” are filled with astonishing marine life. The fish are colorful and they all have different sizes; some of them seemed as if they were suspended in a water column, snapping up little plankton-like organisms while some others were hiding in crevices, waiting to ambush their innocent preys.
This wasn’t all we saw, as many more surprises awaited for us along the way. White-tipped reef sharks and penguins were found by some of our lucky guests, and snorkeling with them is what we really called a lifetime experience!
For our afternoon program we departed towards Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. We made our way along the northern realm of Santiago, enjoying the pretty scenery.
The calm waters of the bay, along with dozens of sea lions, welcomed us to this island. The combination of both natural and human history is remarkable here. We visited the ruins of a little human settlement that flourished back in the sixties; today the entire island is a national park area and it harbors an incredible array of wildlife. The trail along the shore is one of the best places for bird watching and exploring the marine ecosystem of tide pools. All of a sudden, without any warning, you find yourself surrounded by sea lions and hundreds of marine iguanas!
By the end of the day we decided to return to the Islander to grab a cocktail and enjoy the sunset.
