Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
It was our last full day in the Galápagos archipelago, and we wanted to live it every single second, which is why some of us landed at Bartolomé Island at 6:00 in the morning, before breakfast. The light at this time is perfect for photos, especially here at Bartolomé, where there is so much to see. We call this island “the open textbook of geology”—the highlights are perhaps the large number of spatter cones, and the walk that takes you all the way to the top of the island to a viewpoint where you can see the most photographed scenic view of the islands, Pinnacle Rock.
Later in the morning, after an amazing breakfast, a golden sandy beach was our destination. At this site we saw a lot of sea lions and sea birds; most of us went snorkeling and had the chance to find Galápagos penguins, white- tipped reef sharks and big schools of tropical fish.
Puerto Egas, located on the northwestern side of Santiago Island, was our afternoon’s visiting site. Snorkeling and a walk along the coast were the planned activities at this site. A black sandy beach full of sea lions was the welcoming committee at this very historical place, where there used to be a salt mine.
Walking along the coast we found the two endemic species of sea lions, nesting American oystercatchers, and marine iguanas, among other species. Some of our guests had a leisurely afternoon at the beach, where they did some snorkeling, and saw sea turtles and big schools of fish.
On our way back to the ship we enjoyed a wonderful sunset over the volcanoes of Isabela Island; all of us came back with a lot of photos and memories, ready for our farewell cocktail.
