Bartolome & Santiago Islands
This is our first full day of our voyage in the Galápagos Islands. Our first activity is an early morning visit to the summit of Bartolomé, one of the jewels of the archipelago because of its spectacular scenery. This tiny island is crowded with little volcanic cones, over 200 of them in such a small area. It’s the middle of the cool, dry season, so even though it is a sunny morning, the air temperature felt just right for our hike! During the walk, we could observe various rays leaping out of the water in the distance, which was pretty impressive. As we ascended towards the top of the island and despite the 376 wooden steps, all the colors of Bartolomé vibrated in front of our eyes and each one of us gasped over the awesome views and landscapes that surrounded us once we conquered the summit!
After a well-deserved breakfast back on board the Islander, we headed for the golden beach of Bartolomé for some water activities. We can certainly say that this is a real sea-going group! Our keen guests were all set with their wetsuits, masks, snorkels and flippers, ready to dive into the wonders of the underwater world of Bartolomé Island. Some snorkelers spotted one or two white-tipped reef sharks, others observed various schools of different fish species like the Mexican hogfish, yellow-tailed damsels, cardinal fish, and of course, the ever amusing company of a sea lion.
It was a wonderful morning, but it was time for the crew of the Islander to weigh anchor and take us to our next destination, James Bay, on Santiago Island, a few hours away.
But the sea never stops showing us its wonders, and this time it offered us the company of a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins. These 8-12 feet long dolphins really put up a show that lasted for quite a while, either bow-riding or leaping clear of the surface of the sea at very impressive heights. They got a top score, and we got a bonus for the day!
In the early afternoon and upon anchoring at James Bay, we had a large group of snorkelers ready to jump in once again, hungry for more underwater experiences! This opportunity, some Pacific green sea turtles were added up to the experience. A large Galápagos sea lion bull, kept on warning us that this he was the beach master indeed… But the sun was going down and the sea water was getting cold, so by mid-afternoon we set off for a very pleasant walk along the coastline. A combination of tuff rock, smooth lava flows and a sandy beach made this walk an easy one. But don’t get mislead: there was a lot of wildlife to be discovered! We encountered dozens of marine iguanas, piling up, absorbing the last of the sunrays of the day. Juvenile yellow warblers were busy catching little bugs in the intertidal zone, oystercatchers were sharing a small sea urchin, and a lava heron was hunting small crabs. This was also a great opportunity to find and observe a small group of fur sea lions. Not very far, Galápagos sea lions were interacting in various ways, like playing amongst themselves in the tidal pools, exploring rocks, nursing pups, or simply sleeping. A beautiful sunset behind Isabela Island out in the distance was the perfect ending to a magical day. Let’s get back on board, we are keen to learn what wonders we are to expect tomorrow.
This is our first full day of our voyage in the Galápagos Islands. Our first activity is an early morning visit to the summit of Bartolomé, one of the jewels of the archipelago because of its spectacular scenery. This tiny island is crowded with little volcanic cones, over 200 of them in such a small area. It’s the middle of the cool, dry season, so even though it is a sunny morning, the air temperature felt just right for our hike! During the walk, we could observe various rays leaping out of the water in the distance, which was pretty impressive. As we ascended towards the top of the island and despite the 376 wooden steps, all the colors of Bartolomé vibrated in front of our eyes and each one of us gasped over the awesome views and landscapes that surrounded us once we conquered the summit!
After a well-deserved breakfast back on board the Islander, we headed for the golden beach of Bartolomé for some water activities. We can certainly say that this is a real sea-going group! Our keen guests were all set with their wetsuits, masks, snorkels and flippers, ready to dive into the wonders of the underwater world of Bartolomé Island. Some snorkelers spotted one or two white-tipped reef sharks, others observed various schools of different fish species like the Mexican hogfish, yellow-tailed damsels, cardinal fish, and of course, the ever amusing company of a sea lion.
It was a wonderful morning, but it was time for the crew of the Islander to weigh anchor and take us to our next destination, James Bay, on Santiago Island, a few hours away.
But the sea never stops showing us its wonders, and this time it offered us the company of a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins. These 8-12 feet long dolphins really put up a show that lasted for quite a while, either bow-riding or leaping clear of the surface of the sea at very impressive heights. They got a top score, and we got a bonus for the day!
In the early afternoon and upon anchoring at James Bay, we had a large group of snorkelers ready to jump in once again, hungry for more underwater experiences! This opportunity, some Pacific green sea turtles were added up to the experience. A large Galápagos sea lion bull, kept on warning us that this he was the beach master indeed… But the sun was going down and the sea water was getting cold, so by mid-afternoon we set off for a very pleasant walk along the coastline. A combination of tuff rock, smooth lava flows and a sandy beach made this walk an easy one. But don’t get mislead: there was a lot of wildlife to be discovered! We encountered dozens of marine iguanas, piling up, absorbing the last of the sunrays of the day. Juvenile yellow warblers were busy catching little bugs in the intertidal zone, oystercatchers were sharing a small sea urchin, and a lava heron was hunting small crabs. This was also a great opportunity to find and observe a small group of fur sea lions. Not very far, Galápagos sea lions were interacting in various ways, like playing amongst themselves in the tidal pools, exploring rocks, nursing pups, or simply sleeping. A beautiful sunset behind Isabela Island out in the distance was the perfect ending to a magical day. Let’s get back on board, we are keen to learn what wonders we are to expect tomorrow.
