Bartholomew & Santiago Islands
Early in morning we got ready for a wonderful hike to the top of the young Bartholomew Island. We experienced how life and evolution started on the islands and we could easily imagine how the vegetation and the animals gradually arrived and began the colonization process. Here we could observe how the pioneer plants are creating the soil where other vegetation species will one day be able to settle and we also observed a few lizards that have managed to survive in this harsh environment. Once we reached the top, we enjoyed a complete view of the island and majestic surroundings, and spotted the beach where we snorkeled from later in the morning.
Our next visit was Egas Port on Santiago Island, some people went kayaking along the coast and others went snorkeling from a black sand beach. After these water activities, we all went for a hike to learn how different groups of people had tried to live here but gave up and abandoned the place. During the walk we encountered mockingbirds, finches, doves, lizards, sea lions, fur seals, crabs, shore birds and many marine iguanas. We were so thrilled to see so much life in one single place that at the end nobody wanted to come back on board, especially our young explorers.
Early in morning we got ready for a wonderful hike to the top of the young Bartholomew Island. We experienced how life and evolution started on the islands and we could easily imagine how the vegetation and the animals gradually arrived and began the colonization process. Here we could observe how the pioneer plants are creating the soil where other vegetation species will one day be able to settle and we also observed a few lizards that have managed to survive in this harsh environment. Once we reached the top, we enjoyed a complete view of the island and majestic surroundings, and spotted the beach where we snorkeled from later in the morning.
Our next visit was Egas Port on Santiago Island, some people went kayaking along the coast and others went snorkeling from a black sand beach. After these water activities, we all went for a hike to learn how different groups of people had tried to live here but gave up and abandoned the place. During the walk we encountered mockingbirds, finches, doves, lizards, sea lions, fur seals, crabs, shore birds and many marine iguanas. We were so thrilled to see so much life in one single place that at the end nobody wanted to come back on board, especially our young explorers.
