Bartolomé Island
The first full day in the archipelago, we start the day with an early wake up call. Our first outing is before breakfast.
Bartolomé, one of the smallest islands of the chain, is considered by geologists as a young formation. As we walk up hill on the wooden trail that was built here to slow down erosion caused by visitors, we are able to see how pioneer species of vegetation like the tiquilia or gray matt plant have the responsibility of making the soil. As time goes by, other plants can eventually also be successful colonizers. As we walked on the wooden trail that slows down the erosion, seeing the bare lava flows and the different geological formations was like being transported back to the beginning of time when just a few organisms were able to succeed. The lava lizards of Bartolome have been the only ones so far to have made it here. They are within the smallest of them all due to the very harsh conditions they live in: very strong heat during the day and almost no water makes them one of the strongest creatures of the islands.
We had a mid-morning snorkel around Pinnacle Rock, which was quite an adventure. Black and white tip sharks, tropical fishes of all colors and sizes and the Galápagos penguins flying underwater kept us busy until noon.
Santiago or James Island in the afternoon was blooming with life. The strong rainy season we are going through has increased the food supply and all of the land creatures are taking advantage of the situation. Our birdwatchers enjoyed the mockingbirds courting, Galápagos flycatchers jumping from backpack to backpack, and hawks looking for prey. Seeing different species of migratory shore birds – normally seen by our guests in the northern hemisphere and known here as migratory – made us realize that all ecosystems are interconnected.
As we walked back to the ship, we were satisfied with the idea of the world being just one and with us having the responsibility to conserve it for future generations.
