Bartholomew & Santiago Islands
Early morning we woke up, very excited to start our first full day of exploration. We climbed up to the top of Bartholomew Island; there, we encountered many lava lizards just starting to warm up with the first rays of sun. We observed with amazement the volcanic terrain; shapes and colors made our minds imagine the early days of our planet, as we walked the desolated area with the first pioneer plants claiming this island as theirs. Once we reached the top we had a magnificent view of the pinnacle rock and the surrounding islands all clear and sunny.
We came back aboard, and got ready for a second landing on a golden colored beach; there, we snorkeled and swam with several species of fish and sea lions, some even encountered a Galápagos penguin on their way and had a great time in the warm tropical waters around the famous Pinnacle rock.
After a smooth navigation along the northern coast of Santiago Island, we reached its western coast. We got our shoes on and headed towards Puerto Egas. Here, we found the remnants of an abandoned salt mine. Along the trail we saw Galápagos doves, Galápagos flycatchers, lava lizards, and the first sight of the Galápagos fur seals. We observed several marine iguanas sunbathing as well; others iguanas were actively grazing seaweed as the tide was at its lowest.
We encountered lots of marine invertebrates like chitons, purple snails, sea urchins, and sea slugs in the intertidal pools along the coastline later in the afternoon. As we arrived to the end of our walk we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset that covered Santiago Island with red colors.
Early morning we woke up, very excited to start our first full day of exploration. We climbed up to the top of Bartholomew Island; there, we encountered many lava lizards just starting to warm up with the first rays of sun. We observed with amazement the volcanic terrain; shapes and colors made our minds imagine the early days of our planet, as we walked the desolated area with the first pioneer plants claiming this island as theirs. Once we reached the top we had a magnificent view of the pinnacle rock and the surrounding islands all clear and sunny.
We came back aboard, and got ready for a second landing on a golden colored beach; there, we snorkeled and swam with several species of fish and sea lions, some even encountered a Galápagos penguin on their way and had a great time in the warm tropical waters around the famous Pinnacle rock.
After a smooth navigation along the northern coast of Santiago Island, we reached its western coast. We got our shoes on and headed towards Puerto Egas. Here, we found the remnants of an abandoned salt mine. Along the trail we saw Galápagos doves, Galápagos flycatchers, lava lizards, and the first sight of the Galápagos fur seals. We observed several marine iguanas sunbathing as well; others iguanas were actively grazing seaweed as the tide was at its lowest.
We encountered lots of marine invertebrates like chitons, purple snails, sea urchins, and sea slugs in the intertidal pools along the coastline later in the afternoon. As we arrived to the end of our walk we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset that covered Santiago Island with red colors.
