This is an area of unique colors and textures, earning it the reputation of the most photographed area in the islands. We are among the "middle-aged" islands here, aged approximately 1.7 million years. At this stage, the massive caldera that the island once sported has collapsed and disappeared, while hundreds of secondary parasitic cones dot the slopes of the ancient volcanoes. Recent black lava flows have surrounded older formations, orange cinder cones and reddish tuff formations, oxidized through thousands of years in contact with air. The islet of Bartolome is just such a formation, the three cones that make it up eroded through the years into the weird and wonderful shapes that loom over us during our outings.
We had a cool breeze to aid us up on the steep climb to the top of the cone, 350ft above sea level, a climb made easy by the hard work of the National Park Service. The workers built a wooden stairway, with great viewing platforms, all the way to the top of the islet. The first stairs were built about 8 years ago, but are now being replaced, so we got to see the wardens hard at work. The Park Service is truly to be commended in its excellent work in maintaining the trails that allow us to explore this unique environment while causing the least possible damage to our surroundings.
After a hearty breakfast on the teak deck, set up by our hotel manager to enhance our enjoyment of the spectacular scenery, the morning continued on one of Bartolome's pretty half-moon beaches. Both beaches here are an unusual orange color, being formed of a mix of volcanic ash and organic material deposited by the sea. They are bordered by a brilliant green mangrove copse, and offer excellent snorkeling opportunities, in clear aquarium-like conditions. The glass-bottom boat outing, taken around the pinnacle rock, was also very enjoyable, as the sun was out and we could admire the brilliant colors of many of our reef fish species, such as the blue-chin parrotfish and the surgeonfish. It was truly hard to tear oneself away from these wonders, but we eventually had to return on board as our captain was lifting anchor to navigate to our next destination, Santiago.
