Bartolomé and Santiago Islands
After a smooth navigation from North Seymour Island, we woke up early this morning anchored at one of the most emblematic places of Galápagos, Bartolomé Island. A pre-breakfast hike to the summit of Bartolomé was just the perfect activity to get ourselves fully energized. As we started the hike, we were received by marine iguanas and a striated heron as a welcoming committee. Farther down the trail, the volcanic structures surrounding the place made us feel as if we were walking on a different planet. An additional attraction was the amazing pioneer plants, such as Tiquilia plants, lava cacti, and Chamaesyce, which made the perfect contrast for a fantastic landscape. After an intensive hike on the island, we reached the top of the volcanic tuff cone. The summit offered us one of the most amazing views of the Galápagos Islands: the front view was the amazing Pinnacle Rock as a dominant giant, at the back view, the spectacular moonscape of the Galápagos Islands. As we returned to the embarkation area, an amazingly big male sea lion was blocking the way. After several attempts, we finally passed and made it back just in time for breakfast.
After this succulent breakfast, there was no time to waste. We got ourselves ready to enjoy one of the most fantastic activities of the trip: the deep water snorkeling. As we arrived at the beach, it was time to see the underwater paradise that was hidden. The fish all over made us feel as though we were one of them. After the activity was over, it was time to come back onboard National Geographic Islander. The morning activities were nicely completed with a marvelous Ecuadorian buffet.
In the afternoon our adventure just got better. After a short navigation we arrived at James Bay on Santiago Island. Once at the beach, a lot of playful sea lions were giving our guests a natural show; and from the water, the alpha male was barking in order to show his dominance over this territory. Once into the trail, we were amazed by the amount of marine iguanas that were taking sun heat before diving. Some of the shore birds were flying over the tidal pools as they were looking for something to eat. On the way to the lava grottos, two different Oystercatcher couples were nesting close to the trail; this made it the perfect moment to see their chicks walking around. Once we arrived at the lava grottos, we got to see one of the highlights of the hike: the Galápagos fur seals. During our way back to the beach, we enjoyed a charming sunset with the giant Isabela Island at the back of the landscape. Today in our first full day of our expedition, we had a great adventure aboard the National Geographic Islander.
