Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
We woke up this morning to find the ship anchored right next to an impressive view of Bartolomé Island, a well known place due its gorgeous landscapes and amazing geology. When we arrived ashore before breakfast, we learned about the geology of the archipelago and also the system of arrival and establishment of the first species to populate the archipelago.
We had great weather conditions; beautiful blue skies and warm waters were the main characteristics on the coastal side of the island. After our hike to the top of Bartolomé, we returned aboard to have our well deserved breakfast. Our snorkeling equipment was mandatory for the rest of the morning, because this island offers not only a nice walk along the beach but a great time for snorkeling as well. Some of our guests found a couple of sea turtles mating right at the water's edge, what a nice treat! We also explored the coastal area, only to find previously made tracks from several sea turtles possibly nesting. These were obvious signs that the mating activity have been increasing among the sea turtles of the area, which translates to possible future encounters with their babies as they make their way down to the ocean.
For the afternoon, while sailing towards the island of Santiago, we had a brief encounter with playful bottle nosed dolphins. Once at Santiago, we landed ashore to take a walk along the coast. Several territorial male marine iguanas were fighting, being patiently observed by friendly juvenile sea lions.
It was not until the last sunrays were gone that we started our way back to the ship, just to find nice cocktails up at the sky deck of the ship. Not a bad ending to a beautiful day!
We woke up this morning to find the ship anchored right next to an impressive view of Bartolomé Island, a well known place due its gorgeous landscapes and amazing geology. When we arrived ashore before breakfast, we learned about the geology of the archipelago and also the system of arrival and establishment of the first species to populate the archipelago.
We had great weather conditions; beautiful blue skies and warm waters were the main characteristics on the coastal side of the island. After our hike to the top of Bartolomé, we returned aboard to have our well deserved breakfast. Our snorkeling equipment was mandatory for the rest of the morning, because this island offers not only a nice walk along the beach but a great time for snorkeling as well. Some of our guests found a couple of sea turtles mating right at the water's edge, what a nice treat! We also explored the coastal area, only to find previously made tracks from several sea turtles possibly nesting. These were obvious signs that the mating activity have been increasing among the sea turtles of the area, which translates to possible future encounters with their babies as they make their way down to the ocean.
For the afternoon, while sailing towards the island of Santiago, we had a brief encounter with playful bottle nosed dolphins. Once at Santiago, we landed ashore to take a walk along the coast. Several territorial male marine iguanas were fighting, being patiently observed by friendly juvenile sea lions.
It was not until the last sunrays were gone that we started our way back to the ship, just to find nice cocktails up at the sky deck of the ship. Not a bad ending to a beautiful day!
