Bartolome and Santiago Islands
Coming from Guayaquil, as I have, to spend the holidays in these enchanted islands, my excitement is high, and it almost feels as if this was my first visit to the Galápagos Islands! The season is changing, the weather is warming up, and today we had a beautiful blue and nearly cloudless sky.
Early this morning before the day became too hot, we disembarked on a rocky dock for a walk to the summit of Bartolome Island. The park built a boardwalk and stairways here, and it is 376 steps to the top, but the climb is worth the effort. We pass by a fantastic lunar landscape that reminds one of the depressions made by meteors on the moon. Here, however, the craters and spatter cones are evidence of recent volcanic activity.
We return to the ship and eat a well deserved breakfast, sort out snorkelling equipment and head into a lovely golden beach to cool off. The fine golden sand is a mix of organic and inorganic material and is warm on our feet. Bartolome supports a small population of penguins and everyone hopes to find at least one of these curious birds flying through the water. Many of us are fortunate and have the privilege of swimming/snorkelling with fast moving penguins; there are not many places on this planet where you can snorkel with these charming, flightless birds.
During the afternoon snorkel outing at Puerto Egas, the playful and friendly sea lions steal the show! They never let our guests down and today they were particularly numerous and entertaining. This time of the year, the ocean is warming up, and many of the fish will soon be breeding. Today I noticed that the fish are adopting their breeding coloration. On land, the birds and reptiles are also getting ready to nest. As we followed a beautiful coastline trail, we found sea lions with new pups and many marine iguanas. The large male marine iguana pictured here was guarding its territory.
Coming from Guayaquil, as I have, to spend the holidays in these enchanted islands, my excitement is high, and it almost feels as if this was my first visit to the Galápagos Islands! The season is changing, the weather is warming up, and today we had a beautiful blue and nearly cloudless sky.
Early this morning before the day became too hot, we disembarked on a rocky dock for a walk to the summit of Bartolome Island. The park built a boardwalk and stairways here, and it is 376 steps to the top, but the climb is worth the effort. We pass by a fantastic lunar landscape that reminds one of the depressions made by meteors on the moon. Here, however, the craters and spatter cones are evidence of recent volcanic activity.
We return to the ship and eat a well deserved breakfast, sort out snorkelling equipment and head into a lovely golden beach to cool off. The fine golden sand is a mix of organic and inorganic material and is warm on our feet. Bartolome supports a small population of penguins and everyone hopes to find at least one of these curious birds flying through the water. Many of us are fortunate and have the privilege of swimming/snorkelling with fast moving penguins; there are not many places on this planet where you can snorkel with these charming, flightless birds.
During the afternoon snorkel outing at Puerto Egas, the playful and friendly sea lions steal the show! They never let our guests down and today they were particularly numerous and entertaining. This time of the year, the ocean is warming up, and many of the fish will soon be breeding. Today I noticed that the fish are adopting their breeding coloration. On land, the birds and reptiles are also getting ready to nest. As we followed a beautiful coastline trail, we found sea lions with new pups and many marine iguanas. The large male marine iguana pictured here was guarding its territory.
