Bartolomé Island
This morning we had an early wake up call to visit one of the most beautiful islands in the archipelago, Bartolomé Island. This small island is crowned by a volcanic cone which is 374 feet high; we went all the way to the top. On our way to the top we made several stops to explain the wonderful geological formations found in this place. When visiting this tiny island, Buzz Aldrin (the famous North American astronaut) described this place as the closest one to the experience of walking on the moon. Our guests were very excited to reach the summit of the island. When we arrived, all the audience was astonished by the magnificent scenery observed from there. This location is without any doubt one of the most visited places in the Galápagos; the landscape looks just like a painting. Let’s try to envision this wonderful place: two golden beaches with a mangrove area in between, a pinnacle rock that stands at the leeward side, impressive black lava flows in the distance make this piece of land a unique one in the whole enchanted islands.
Later on just after breakfast we disembarked on the golden beach located in front of the pinnacle. We walked to the second beach on the windward side. We spotted several white tipped reef sharks swimming peacefully in the shallows. Many ghost crabs were observed as well. These crustaceans have a peculiar behavior; they swiftly disappear and reappear like phantoms from the holes they make along the beach. Some guests practiced snorkeling, slipping into the water by walking down the beach; this activity was quite successful for we had the chance to swim not only with many colorful fish but with Galápagos penguins as well!
Later in the afternoon we disembark in Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. In this beautiful black volcanic sandy beach, some guests opted to go for this week’s final snorkeling opportunity. We had the chance to swim with lots of fish, Pacific green sea turtles, Galápagos sea lions and sharks. On the walk we explored the intertidal zone, observed the grottos. The latter volcanic formations are remains of underwater lava tunnels. The roof of these tunnels collapsed a long time ago, allowing the ocean to fill them. A colony of Galápagos fur seals, the second species of pinnepeds found in the Galápagos, live in the grottos. Galápagos fur seals are much smaller than Galápagos sea lions. These marine mammals were unfortunately hunted almost to extinction by sealers. In the last century their populations have been recovered very well and are healthy at the moment.
This morning we had an early wake up call to visit one of the most beautiful islands in the archipelago, Bartolomé Island. This small island is crowned by a volcanic cone which is 374 feet high; we went all the way to the top. On our way to the top we made several stops to explain the wonderful geological formations found in this place. When visiting this tiny island, Buzz Aldrin (the famous North American astronaut) described this place as the closest one to the experience of walking on the moon. Our guests were very excited to reach the summit of the island. When we arrived, all the audience was astonished by the magnificent scenery observed from there. This location is without any doubt one of the most visited places in the Galápagos; the landscape looks just like a painting. Let’s try to envision this wonderful place: two golden beaches with a mangrove area in between, a pinnacle rock that stands at the leeward side, impressive black lava flows in the distance make this piece of land a unique one in the whole enchanted islands.
Later on just after breakfast we disembarked on the golden beach located in front of the pinnacle. We walked to the second beach on the windward side. We spotted several white tipped reef sharks swimming peacefully in the shallows. Many ghost crabs were observed as well. These crustaceans have a peculiar behavior; they swiftly disappear and reappear like phantoms from the holes they make along the beach. Some guests practiced snorkeling, slipping into the water by walking down the beach; this activity was quite successful for we had the chance to swim not only with many colorful fish but with Galápagos penguins as well!
Later in the afternoon we disembark in Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. In this beautiful black volcanic sandy beach, some guests opted to go for this week’s final snorkeling opportunity. We had the chance to swim with lots of fish, Pacific green sea turtles, Galápagos sea lions and sharks. On the walk we explored the intertidal zone, observed the grottos. The latter volcanic formations are remains of underwater lava tunnels. The roof of these tunnels collapsed a long time ago, allowing the ocean to fill them. A colony of Galápagos fur seals, the second species of pinnepeds found in the Galápagos, live in the grottos. Galápagos fur seals are much smaller than Galápagos sea lions. These marine mammals were unfortunately hunted almost to extinction by sealers. In the last century their populations have been recovered very well and are healthy at the moment.
