Bartolome Island And James (Santiago) Island
Is it worth waking up at 6 a.m. to climb to the summit of an eroded crater on a barren island in the Galápagos? It sure is…. The cool breeze and low light turn the phantasmagoric islands into real shapes of beautiful brown and orange colors. The geology of the Galápagos started to make sense as we walked up 372 steps in between explanations about the formation of the islands. A bit of a misty morning, but at the top of the hill, we enjoyed an impressive view of the pinnacle rock, the most photographed site of the islands. Timing is everything, and as we are coming back onboard for breakfast, we are already feeling the heat of the day that inspired us to get into our snorkeling gear to go to the beach, where we saw sharks, penguins, rays, yellow tailed surgeon fish and thousands of black-striped salemas.
James Island received the brave snorkelers with playful sealions and even Will, our youngest visitor, had time to lie on the beach with some pups, the experience of a lifetime. But how to top that? Well a walk to the grottoes and American oystercatchers with eggs, fur sea lions and the Galápagos hawk against a setting sun made us realize that there are still a few remote paradises in the world, and we were lucky enough to be in one.
Is it worth waking up at 6 a.m. to climb to the summit of an eroded crater on a barren island in the Galápagos? It sure is…. The cool breeze and low light turn the phantasmagoric islands into real shapes of beautiful brown and orange colors. The geology of the Galápagos started to make sense as we walked up 372 steps in between explanations about the formation of the islands. A bit of a misty morning, but at the top of the hill, we enjoyed an impressive view of the pinnacle rock, the most photographed site of the islands. Timing is everything, and as we are coming back onboard for breakfast, we are already feeling the heat of the day that inspired us to get into our snorkeling gear to go to the beach, where we saw sharks, penguins, rays, yellow tailed surgeon fish and thousands of black-striped salemas.
James Island received the brave snorkelers with playful sealions and even Will, our youngest visitor, had time to lie on the beach with some pups, the experience of a lifetime. But how to top that? Well a walk to the grottoes and American oystercatchers with eggs, fur sea lions and the Galápagos hawk against a setting sun made us realize that there are still a few remote paradises in the world, and we were lucky enough to be in one.
