Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino
We had an early wake-up call this morning; Bartolomé Island awaited us for a 372-foot walk to the top of one of the smallest island in the Galápagos group. This particular place is known as a “geologist’s paradise”— and we could clearly see why as we started to climb and saw all kinds of geological formations along our route. We are able to see these formations because this is a young island; the soils are just beginning to form and not very many species have made it here yet. Once on top, the magnificent landscape of the famous Pinnacle Rock, surrounded by several parasitic cones, left us speechless... what a way to start our day in this enchanted archipelago!
The water temperature and visibility were ideal for our water activities: glass-bottom boating, deep water snorkeling, swimming or just relaxing on the beach under the equatorial sun.
Sombrero Chino, or Chinese Hat, is where National Geographic Endeavour anchored in the afternoon. We went snorkeling in a small channel between Chinese Hat and Santiago’s coast, where we had probably one of the best snorkels of the week. We finally get to see one of the most anticipated species of the voyage: the Galápagos penguin, known as the only tropical penguin of the world as it’s the only one that nests and breeds north of the equator. These cute little creatures amazed us with their superb swimming skills and small size; the penguins of the Galápagos Archipelago are among the three smallest penguins in the world, together with the blue penguin of New Zealand and the fairy penguin of Australia.
As we headed back to the ship after a beautiful sunset, we clearly understood that it is very important to recognize the fragility of this particularly vulnerable archipelago; it is a place that needs to be conserved not only for us humans to enjoy in the future, but for the different species that inhabit it and own it!
