Bartolome and Santiago Islands
We have experienced a surprising range of weather this week during our expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago. On Monday, on the afternoon’s hike at Floreana to see flamingos in a brackish lagoon and sea turtles off a fine white nesting beach, we were sweaty and hot. On Tuesday, in the western realm near the islands of Isabela and Fernandina, we had “refreshingly” nippy water temperatures (62 degree F!), which created a low, cool, wet fog that hung in the air even at mid day. The breeze off the ocean was actually chilly. And today, back in the central islands, at Bartolome and Santiago, when the optional wakeup call came over the PA system at 6:00 a.m., we awoke to a cloudless sky, dead calm sea and the temperatures already on the rise.
This is the transition season between the hot, rainy season and the cool, dry season and it is an utterly fabulous time to visit Galápagos! We have had a marvellous voyage. It could not have been better. We have seen all that we hoped to and much, much more! The early hike before breakfast to the summit of Bartolome was worth every breath of the climb. From the top, the contrasting colours of brilliant blue ocean and sky, golden and white sand crescent beaches, and eroded, red, cinder cones against a barren, jet black lava flow just over 100 years old, was spectacular.
A hike over a golden sand dune and down to a long beach, where sea turtles lay their eggs, produced another surprise: there were white tipped reef sharks in the very clear and shallow waters only meters off shore. We got amazing photographs. Then, the snorkelling around pinnacle rock was some of the best of the week: we swam with penguins, sea turtles, colourful fish, sea stars and cavorting sea lions. To think that we have been blessed with all these unique experiences and sights before lunch!
What could the afternoon possibly provide that we have not yet seen and done? Well, that is one of the real marvels of an expedition in Galápagos: no two visitor sites are alike, and one never knows what you will find and experience next. Even after working here for 25 years, each week there is something new and different.
We have experienced a surprising range of weather this week during our expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago. On Monday, on the afternoon’s hike at Floreana to see flamingos in a brackish lagoon and sea turtles off a fine white nesting beach, we were sweaty and hot. On Tuesday, in the western realm near the islands of Isabela and Fernandina, we had “refreshingly” nippy water temperatures (62 degree F!), which created a low, cool, wet fog that hung in the air even at mid day. The breeze off the ocean was actually chilly. And today, back in the central islands, at Bartolome and Santiago, when the optional wakeup call came over the PA system at 6:00 a.m., we awoke to a cloudless sky, dead calm sea and the temperatures already on the rise.
This is the transition season between the hot, rainy season and the cool, dry season and it is an utterly fabulous time to visit Galápagos! We have had a marvellous voyage. It could not have been better. We have seen all that we hoped to and much, much more! The early hike before breakfast to the summit of Bartolome was worth every breath of the climb. From the top, the contrasting colours of brilliant blue ocean and sky, golden and white sand crescent beaches, and eroded, red, cinder cones against a barren, jet black lava flow just over 100 years old, was spectacular.
A hike over a golden sand dune and down to a long beach, where sea turtles lay their eggs, produced another surprise: there were white tipped reef sharks in the very clear and shallow waters only meters off shore. We got amazing photographs. Then, the snorkelling around pinnacle rock was some of the best of the week: we swam with penguins, sea turtles, colourful fish, sea stars and cavorting sea lions. To think that we have been blessed with all these unique experiences and sights before lunch!
What could the afternoon possibly provide that we have not yet seen and done? Well, that is one of the real marvels of an expedition in Galápagos: no two visitor sites are alike, and one never knows what you will find and experience next. Even after working here for 25 years, each week there is something new and different.
