Bartolomé & Puerto Egas

It was 06:15 in the morning and some of our guests were already awake, wandering the halls of the ship. It was if they knew something outstanding was going to happen soon. Fifteen minutes later, we are set out to disembark on Bartolomé Island.

We started our climb to the summit of Bartolomé, in order to savor a spectacular view of the surrounding area. We were half the way up when word was sent that there was a whale near our ship. We were not certain that we would be able to see it, since we were halfway from the top, yet we were excited. Once we reached the summit however, we saw it. A whale was swimming near the National Geographic Islander. After our sighting, we walked back to sea level not knowing if we would get to see the whale from a closer location.

Once back at the dock, our Zodiacs were waiting for us. Immediately we went to check for the “promised whale”. And we found it, in fact we found them, yes; we found them because it wasn’t just one whale, but two, mother and calf swimming together. After they gave us an unforgettable moment, we decided it best not to intrude on their space, and left them to continue with their day. Later on, both mother and calf were breaching, delighting us with their behavior. It was a very good beginning for all of us.

The afternoon was also great. While walking along the trail at Puerto Egas, we were enlightened by many shore birds and several land birds behaving like shore birds. At the grottos we found a dozen fur seals resting. It was a pleasant afternoon. If we combined everything we saw; we could write a book.

19:00 at the launch on board the National Geographic Islander; we are all excited for what we have seen today. We are celebrating our fortune and we know that tomorrow there will be even more to discover.