Bartholomew and Santiago Islands
Our day started with an early outing to visit Bartholomew Island, well known to be a wonderful place to learn about the geology of the archipelago. We climbed to the summit of the island and had a magnificent view of the landscape and some of the nearby islands which were easy to see, since the morning was quite clear.
After this climb we returned to the ship to have a yummy breakfast and returned to shore to begin our morning water activities which included snorkeling around pinnacle rock, outings on the glass bottom boat, and an amazing walk over a sand dune to observe some wildlife activity. This was the morning of the penguins, as we found here a group of about 10 fishing together with blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans.
Those who went snorkeling were delighted with the company of a male Pacific green sea turtle that couldn’t have been friendlier. He stayed for some time eating algae peacefully on the bottom of the bay, and did not seem to care about our proximity.
During the afternoon we visited James Bay on Santiago Island which used to be one of the favorite hiding places for pirates and buccaneers. It was also the place to get land tortoises and fresh water. There are some remains of a very small settlement that belonged to a salt mining company, circa the early 1960s and who abandoned the place when their business was no longer profitable.
We enjoyed our last afternoon with an outstanding walk along the coastline of James Bay where we found Galápagos sea lions, Galápagos fur seals, marine iguanas, and a beautiful sun set.
Our week may be over, but the joys of having been able to see this paradise will remain with us for a long time.
Our day started with an early outing to visit Bartholomew Island, well known to be a wonderful place to learn about the geology of the archipelago. We climbed to the summit of the island and had a magnificent view of the landscape and some of the nearby islands which were easy to see, since the morning was quite clear.
After this climb we returned to the ship to have a yummy breakfast and returned to shore to begin our morning water activities which included snorkeling around pinnacle rock, outings on the glass bottom boat, and an amazing walk over a sand dune to observe some wildlife activity. This was the morning of the penguins, as we found here a group of about 10 fishing together with blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans.
Those who went snorkeling were delighted with the company of a male Pacific green sea turtle that couldn’t have been friendlier. He stayed for some time eating algae peacefully on the bottom of the bay, and did not seem to care about our proximity.
During the afternoon we visited James Bay on Santiago Island which used to be one of the favorite hiding places for pirates and buccaneers. It was also the place to get land tortoises and fresh water. There are some remains of a very small settlement that belonged to a salt mining company, circa the early 1960s and who abandoned the place when their business was no longer profitable.
We enjoyed our last afternoon with an outstanding walk along the coastline of James Bay where we found Galápagos sea lions, Galápagos fur seals, marine iguanas, and a beautiful sun set.
Our week may be over, but the joys of having been able to see this paradise will remain with us for a long time.
