Bartolome Island
Today in the morning we visited a very small island that is only 0.5 square miles. In beauty however, it is immense. Bartolome Island is located in the central part of the Galápagos Archipelago to the eastern side of Santiago Island. Most of the island is very barren with only a few pioneer plants and a few lava lizards. Its real attraction is the interesting volcanic features that make this island a geologist’s delight. Bartolome is covered by spatter cones, which give the island an extraterrestrial appearance. This island is often described as being similar to a moon landscape. After climbing the many steps, 372 to be exact, we reached the summit of Bartolome. The view from the top was spectacular. The variety and colors of the landscape we observed were magnificent. The panoramic view of nearby islands and islets gave us a great opportunity for pictures.
Later in the morning we went to a small golden beach where the world famous pinnacle rock stands. The combination of colors in this place is artistic: beautiful blue water, shining blue sky, green vegetation and exquisite golden sand. You almost feel as if you are inside a perfect picture. All of us had the opportunity to enjoy this place in one way or another. Some took a short stroll to a neighboring beach located behind a sand dune. This is a lovely area where we had many interesting sightings: white-tipped sharks swimming in the shallow water, brown pelicans nesting, and ghost crabs searching for food in the sand were among the things we saw.
The snorkeling in this particular area can be phenomenal. And it was today! At Bartolome there is a small group of resident Galápagos penguins. With luck we can occasionally see them chasing fish or watching us with curiosity. Today some of our snorkelers were thrilled to observe penguins at a very close range. Where else in the world can you swim with penguins? We were amazed and fascinated with this unique opportunity. For many of us this truly was an experience of a lifetime. No wonder the Galápagos Islands are considered to be so special!
Today in the morning we visited a very small island that is only 0.5 square miles. In beauty however, it is immense. Bartolome Island is located in the central part of the Galápagos Archipelago to the eastern side of Santiago Island. Most of the island is very barren with only a few pioneer plants and a few lava lizards. Its real attraction is the interesting volcanic features that make this island a geologist’s delight. Bartolome is covered by spatter cones, which give the island an extraterrestrial appearance. This island is often described as being similar to a moon landscape. After climbing the many steps, 372 to be exact, we reached the summit of Bartolome. The view from the top was spectacular. The variety and colors of the landscape we observed were magnificent. The panoramic view of nearby islands and islets gave us a great opportunity for pictures.
Later in the morning we went to a small golden beach where the world famous pinnacle rock stands. The combination of colors in this place is artistic: beautiful blue water, shining blue sky, green vegetation and exquisite golden sand. You almost feel as if you are inside a perfect picture. All of us had the opportunity to enjoy this place in one way or another. Some took a short stroll to a neighboring beach located behind a sand dune. This is a lovely area where we had many interesting sightings: white-tipped sharks swimming in the shallow water, brown pelicans nesting, and ghost crabs searching for food in the sand were among the things we saw.
The snorkeling in this particular area can be phenomenal. And it was today! At Bartolome there is a small group of resident Galápagos penguins. With luck we can occasionally see them chasing fish or watching us with curiosity. Today some of our snorkelers were thrilled to observe penguins at a very close range. Where else in the world can you swim with penguins? We were amazed and fascinated with this unique opportunity. For many of us this truly was an experience of a lifetime. No wonder the Galápagos Islands are considered to be so special!
