Today we woke up for an early walk uphill to the top of Bartolome, a satellite islet of Santiago Island. This relatively lone island is a good place to see examples of different geological formations, such as tuff and spatter cones, and basaltic flows. The presence of pioneer plants such as tiquilia nesiotica and the lava cactus makes Bartolome a good place to understand how life started in Galapagos after the first plants established themselves in newly formed islands. We also had the chance to explore the underwater world of this place, where we had the opportunity to observe many species of fishes, but the one the definitely caught the most attention of guests were the white-tipped reef sharks.
During lunch, we navigated towards Chinese Hat, a few miles away from Bartolome, next to Santiago Island. This place offered the opportunity to observe the iconic Galapagos penguins basking in the lava rocks. Here, we also had one of the most magnificent snorkeling activities of the week, followed by a Zodiac ride where guests had the chance to appreciate the outstanding landscape and wildlife of this place. We ended our day with a delicious dinner served in the sky deck of National Geographic Endeavour II.
