Bartolomé & Santiago Island

Early this morning, on our last full day of our expedition in Galápagos, we set off to visit the island of Bartolomé. Situated by the eastern coast of Santiago, this tiny island is probably the most photographed of all, due to its startling landscapes. Only half a square mile in size, its surface is covered in geological formations like lava tubes, spatter cones, driblet cones and welded tuff, among others. A climb to the summit of Bartolomé, by following a wooden staircase, gave us the chance to admire the surrounding landscapes from a high viewpoint. Bartolomé’s summit even became the romantic scenario chosen by John and Madeline to get engaged. Congratulations to you both!

After a well-earned breakfast back on National Geographic Endeavour, we landed again on Bartolomé, this time to enjoy beach activities. This is where the wildlife of this little islet is concentrated, either on its rocky and sandy shores or underwater. Many of us decided to explore these waters. Perhaps with the hope to spot some ‘local residents’, perhaps some Galápagos penguins chasing a school of small fish, or even to admire the diverse species of fish in this area, like the razor surgeonfish, colorful pink cardinal fish, king angel fish and more. The golden beaches of Bartolomé, particularly the northern one, are important nesting grounds for the Pacific green sea turtles. We were able to observe dozens of fresh nests from the current breeding season. In three or four months, turtle hatchlings may be ready to emerge from these beaches and make their way into the Pacific Ocean waters.

Another navigation awaited us midday. The National Geographic Endeavour took us this time to James Bay, on the western coast of the island of Santiago. We landed at Puerto Egas, which was once a small settlement, but now belongs entirely to the Galápagos National Park areas. This shoreline is of stunning beauty thanks to wave and wind action, and is also very rich in wildlife. Here we can find most of the amazing Galápagos animals we have encountered during the week. We chose either to enjoy the water and the beach of go for a last walk along a Galápagos trail. One last time we saw the charming and playful Galápagos sea lions, the unique marine iguanas, the ever-busy lava lizards, the brightly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs, Darwin finches and blue-footed boobies diving close to the shore. The Encantadas cast a spell on us today, making us feel that soon we should return to this paradise.