Bartolome and Santiago Islands
An invigorating morning took us to the summit of Bartolome. The National Park Service has built a 372-step wooden trail with handrails to help us observe the geology of the islands. While we were walking up these stairs it was not difficult to imagine the origin of the islands. There is little vegetation growing on Bartolome, nevertheless, pioneer plants such as the endemic lava cactus and the Tiquilia nesioticus are working on the arrival and establishment process of the flora. Once we reached the island’s peak at 350 feet, we had a glorious 180-degree view of this side of the archipelago. A view that was well worth the effort it took to climb to the summit!
In the late morning our snorkeling activities couldn’t have been any better. Entering the water from a lovely golden beach, we explored the wonderful and colorful underwater world. The submerged rocks were covered by red sponges and sea stars with exotic names: chocolate chip, panamic and cushion ones, too. Additionally, sea lions and penguins were swimming among us!
After lunch and during our period of relaxation and siesta, we were all surprised when a short-eared owl flew under the sun tarp on the teak deck and joined one of our guests on the hammock. This beautiful bird stayed with us for over an hour and finally took off and returned to the highlands of Santiago from which it had come.
As we anchored at James Bay, Santiago Island, we landed on a black sandy beach. During snorkeling we encountered slow moving sea turtles and the sea lions were playing with us as well. As we were walking along the coastal zone, we found sea lion pups nursing and several species of shore birds. When we reached the shaded grottos we found several Galápagos fur sea lions; they prefer these rocky places where they can hide from the sun.
Our day finished with a spectacular sunset!
An invigorating morning took us to the summit of Bartolome. The National Park Service has built a 372-step wooden trail with handrails to help us observe the geology of the islands. While we were walking up these stairs it was not difficult to imagine the origin of the islands. There is little vegetation growing on Bartolome, nevertheless, pioneer plants such as the endemic lava cactus and the Tiquilia nesioticus are working on the arrival and establishment process of the flora. Once we reached the island’s peak at 350 feet, we had a glorious 180-degree view of this side of the archipelago. A view that was well worth the effort it took to climb to the summit!
In the late morning our snorkeling activities couldn’t have been any better. Entering the water from a lovely golden beach, we explored the wonderful and colorful underwater world. The submerged rocks were covered by red sponges and sea stars with exotic names: chocolate chip, panamic and cushion ones, too. Additionally, sea lions and penguins were swimming among us!
After lunch and during our period of relaxation and siesta, we were all surprised when a short-eared owl flew under the sun tarp on the teak deck and joined one of our guests on the hammock. This beautiful bird stayed with us for over an hour and finally took off and returned to the highlands of Santiago from which it had come.
As we anchored at James Bay, Santiago Island, we landed on a black sandy beach. During snorkeling we encountered slow moving sea turtles and the sea lions were playing with us as well. As we were walking along the coastal zone, we found sea lion pups nursing and several species of shore birds. When we reached the shaded grottos we found several Galápagos fur sea lions; they prefer these rocky places where they can hide from the sun.
Our day finished with a spectacular sunset!
