Today we visited two locations on the Island of Santiago; Chinese Hat and Sullivan Bay.
The day started with a view of the beautiful landscape revealing the reason why the island is called Chinese Hat. It is a cinder cone made by explosive eruptions from the bottom of the sea floor. As it is very close to Santiago, there is a channel that we used for most of our activities during the morning. First we started with a Zodiac ride along the coast to see the lava flows that reached the water years ago. And later we visited the same place with its productive waters for snorkeling. Today was the last chance to search for the elusive Galapagos penguin, both on the rocks as well as under water.
Later, after the younger explorers had fun with their Zodiac driving lessons, the National Geographic Islander moved to an Islet called Baimbridge to see flamingos in the lagoon found there.
After lunch when the sun was lower, so the walk was not too hot, we landed on Sullivan Bay. This place was formed by an eruption in 1897 and all kinds of shapes are found here. Cinder cones and tuff cones formed as the pahoehoe lava cooled down after it erupted from the volcano. Later that night our barbeque under the stars were the cherry on top of the cake.
The trip is coming to an end and it makes everyone appreciate the time spent on every island.
