Bartholomew and Santiago Islands
We anchored very early this morning in the beautiful central islands of Galápagos. Our pre-breakfast visit was to the small and dramatically volcanic island of Bartholomew, which is off the east coast of the larger island of Santiago. We climbed to the summit of Bartholomew Island, following a boardwalk and wooden steps. Along the way we encounter several lava lizards sun bathing in the first rays of the sun.
This island is known for its magnificent scenery, and photos of the vista from the summit can be found in many books, movies and postcards about the Galápagos. From the top we enjoyed the view of pinnacle rock, two golden beaches with lush red and white mangroves in between, and the lava flows and cinder cones of Santiago Island in the distance.
After breakfast we headed to the shore again for a quick visit to one of the beaches that serves as nesting sites for the Pacific green sea turtles. Just off this beach we spotted 18 white tipped reef sharks swimming in the very shallow water. Among them we also saw three sea turtles which were floating quietly, completely unafraid and very relaxed. We returned to the disembarkation beach and from there everyone had a great time snorkelling with penguins, sea lions, rays, and huge schools of fish. The weather was perfect this morning: sunny and warm and the water was pleasantly refreshing.
For our afternoon excursion we landed on the western coast of Santiago Island at James Bay. We had another opportunity to swim and snorkel and also to take a mile and a half long walk along the shore. We found several species of land birds which included the large billed ground finches, Galápagos doves, Galápagos mockingbirds, and marine birds and mammals like the Galápagos fur seals, sea lions, and American oyster catchers.
As we returned to the ship we noticed that we had a visitor: this Galápagos sea lion was taking a siesta on the stern of the Islander! When we approached him he leapt into the sea and swam back to the warmth of the beach on the coast. During our evening recap in the lounge we shared and discussed the many experiences of the day. We have all had a full and fantastic day and we are already eager to see what tomorrow will bring.
We anchored very early this morning in the beautiful central islands of Galápagos. Our pre-breakfast visit was to the small and dramatically volcanic island of Bartholomew, which is off the east coast of the larger island of Santiago. We climbed to the summit of Bartholomew Island, following a boardwalk and wooden steps. Along the way we encounter several lava lizards sun bathing in the first rays of the sun.
This island is known for its magnificent scenery, and photos of the vista from the summit can be found in many books, movies and postcards about the Galápagos. From the top we enjoyed the view of pinnacle rock, two golden beaches with lush red and white mangroves in between, and the lava flows and cinder cones of Santiago Island in the distance.
After breakfast we headed to the shore again for a quick visit to one of the beaches that serves as nesting sites for the Pacific green sea turtles. Just off this beach we spotted 18 white tipped reef sharks swimming in the very shallow water. Among them we also saw three sea turtles which were floating quietly, completely unafraid and very relaxed. We returned to the disembarkation beach and from there everyone had a great time snorkelling with penguins, sea lions, rays, and huge schools of fish. The weather was perfect this morning: sunny and warm and the water was pleasantly refreshing.
For our afternoon excursion we landed on the western coast of Santiago Island at James Bay. We had another opportunity to swim and snorkel and also to take a mile and a half long walk along the shore. We found several species of land birds which included the large billed ground finches, Galápagos doves, Galápagos mockingbirds, and marine birds and mammals like the Galápagos fur seals, sea lions, and American oyster catchers.
As we returned to the ship we noticed that we had a visitor: this Galápagos sea lion was taking a siesta on the stern of the Islander! When we approached him he leapt into the sea and swam back to the warmth of the beach on the coast. During our evening recap in the lounge we shared and discussed the many experiences of the day. We have all had a full and fantastic day and we are already eager to see what tomorrow will bring.
