Bartolome and Santiago Islands
Today we spent another day exploring the central part of this Archipelago. Yesterday on Santa Cruz we experienced “garua” (wet mist) and today began with a low cloud formation (see photo) that made the temperature very pleasant for our hike to the summit of Bartolome Island.
The Galapagos Islands are extremely arid, compared to most tropical areas. Here there are two fairly distinct seasons each year. Warm ocean currents sweeping southward from the direction of Panama cause the warm season, typically from December through May. At this time of the year, both the sea and air temperatures around the islands rise. The skies are normally clear, with occasional heavy rain showers. This is when the lowland vegetation turns green.
The cool season stretches from June to December. The weather at this time is created by the Humbolt Current, which brings cold water north from Antarctica along the west coast of South America and then westward towards the archipelago. This results in cooler air temperatures. Usually the skies are overcast, and there is little precipitation in the lowlands. In contrast the highlands are constantly wet at this time of the year due to a mixture of light rain and mist, known locally as “garua.”
Today we spent another day exploring the central part of this Archipelago. Yesterday on Santa Cruz we experienced “garua” (wet mist) and today began with a low cloud formation (see photo) that made the temperature very pleasant for our hike to the summit of Bartolome Island.
The Galapagos Islands are extremely arid, compared to most tropical areas. Here there are two fairly distinct seasons each year. Warm ocean currents sweeping southward from the direction of Panama cause the warm season, typically from December through May. At this time of the year, both the sea and air temperatures around the islands rise. The skies are normally clear, with occasional heavy rain showers. This is when the lowland vegetation turns green.
The cool season stretches from June to December. The weather at this time is created by the Humbolt Current, which brings cold water north from Antarctica along the west coast of South America and then westward towards the archipelago. This results in cooler air temperatures. Usually the skies are overcast, and there is little precipitation in the lowlands. In contrast the highlands are constantly wet at this time of the year due to a mixture of light rain and mist, known locally as “garua.”
