Bartolome and Santiago Islands
The sun came up beyond the volcanic landscape of Bartolome and lit the clouds from below with a blush of pink and silver. Many of us on the Islander were tuned to Channel 1 and heard the 6:00 a.m. optional early wake up call. We disembarked on this clear and gorgeous morning and hiked to the summit of the islet while the temperatures were still relatively cool. As we climbed the 370 stairs that were built to reduce erosion of this fragile island, the naturalists spoke about the volcanic origins of the Galápagos. From the top we had a spectacular view and a there was a refreshing breeze.
After breakfast on board the ship and a snorkeling safety briefing, we were all fitted with snorkeling gear and then headed to a lovely golden crescent beach. Many of us walked over a dune and reached a second beach were we watched white-tipped reef sharks swimming in very shallow water, brilliant red sally lightfoot crabs feeding on the exposed tidal rocks and several large, downy pelican chicks in nests among the mangrove bushes. We hiked back across the dune and went snorkeling and swimming from the landing beach. The water was pleasantly cool and the visibility good and we saw many species of colorful fish, several small sharks and some of us had the incredible luck to snorkel with a couple of fast moving, tiny Galápagos penguins.
After lunch and a siesta we went snorkeling from the black sand beach of Puerto Egas on the north western coast of Santiago Island. Then we took a walk along the shoreline where we found piles and hoards of marine iguanas all crowded together because the tide was high. We photographed sea lions yet again, and this time there were some impressively large beach masters! We took more photos of the red crabs nicely contrasted against the black lava and found herons and shorebirds and a lava tube that was flushing water as the waves sucked in and out and is known as “Darwin’s Toilet.” As the sun set we returned to the black beach, boarded the waiting Zodiacs and came “home” to the Islander. Travelling on this cozy, small ship with our friendly crew and knowledgeable staff is such a great way to explore these Enchanted Islands! The group of guests that are with us this week are already chatting like old friends and exchanging email addresses. The magic of Galápagos gets under one’s skin right away…
The sun came up beyond the volcanic landscape of Bartolome and lit the clouds from below with a blush of pink and silver. Many of us on the Islander were tuned to Channel 1 and heard the 6:00 a.m. optional early wake up call. We disembarked on this clear and gorgeous morning and hiked to the summit of the islet while the temperatures were still relatively cool. As we climbed the 370 stairs that were built to reduce erosion of this fragile island, the naturalists spoke about the volcanic origins of the Galápagos. From the top we had a spectacular view and a there was a refreshing breeze.
After breakfast on board the ship and a snorkeling safety briefing, we were all fitted with snorkeling gear and then headed to a lovely golden crescent beach. Many of us walked over a dune and reached a second beach were we watched white-tipped reef sharks swimming in very shallow water, brilliant red sally lightfoot crabs feeding on the exposed tidal rocks and several large, downy pelican chicks in nests among the mangrove bushes. We hiked back across the dune and went snorkeling and swimming from the landing beach. The water was pleasantly cool and the visibility good and we saw many species of colorful fish, several small sharks and some of us had the incredible luck to snorkel with a couple of fast moving, tiny Galápagos penguins.
After lunch and a siesta we went snorkeling from the black sand beach of Puerto Egas on the north western coast of Santiago Island. Then we took a walk along the shoreline where we found piles and hoards of marine iguanas all crowded together because the tide was high. We photographed sea lions yet again, and this time there were some impressively large beach masters! We took more photos of the red crabs nicely contrasted against the black lava and found herons and shorebirds and a lava tube that was flushing water as the waves sucked in and out and is known as “Darwin’s Toilet.” As the sun set we returned to the black beach, boarded the waiting Zodiacs and came “home” to the Islander. Travelling on this cozy, small ship with our friendly crew and knowledgeable staff is such a great way to explore these Enchanted Islands! The group of guests that are with us this week are already chatting like old friends and exchanging email addresses. The magic of Galápagos gets under one’s skin right away…
