Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
On our last full day in the Galápagos Islands, today we had an optional call to climb to the top of Bartolomé, an island which we call “the open book of geology” with an impressive landscape recognized around the world. Its famous pinnacle rock can be seen from the top of a 372-step climb which take us on a “safari of lava structures” including ash, cones of different kinds, tubes and rivers of magma frozen in time for what once was a creative force of mother nature.
Back aboard for breakfast, we brief our guests on the next activity: a stroll on a golden beach and water options like glass bottom boat, snorkeling around pinnacle rock, or simply a towel and a book while our young guests play relentlessly at the beach.
All kinds of activities maximize our experience today. Some of us were rewarded with swimming penguins, white tipped reef sharks, and blue footed boobies diving from the sky to the ocean, right in front of us while catching a fish. What a day!
Back onboard we reposition to our last outing. The island is called Santiago, the site Puerto Egas, which holds a black beach and grottos with fur seals. Many options were offered, from kayaks to snorkeling to beach time, and then a walk if desired. Our guests tailored their options and this is how we provide fulfillment to a wide range of ages and interests. There is always a reward regardless of which option was taken.
Some guests saw pelicans, iguanas, crabs, birds of different kinds, grottos, sea, sky, breeze, and of course our ever-present friends, the sea lions. The most important thing I saw today was our guests perceiving their own senses in tune with our natural world.
The sun set behind a sheet of clouds, and we could hardly distinguish it as we all came back onboard with sorrow since our time is up. Our expedition has come to an end.
These are the enchanted islands, a fun place, a place to be awakened, and a place to experience nature and coexist with nature, by respecting thy neighbor just like all animals do here. We were part of it, part of this wonderful place called the Galápagos.
