Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
What exciting moments our expedition brought to our lives today. In addition to the varied array of new sightings that we experienced, we were blessed by beautiful weather, with a clear blue sky and a soft breeze blowing on our faces.
Early in the morning we climbed to the top of Bartolomé Island. This small island, just 0.5 square miles, is a marvelous open book for geology enthusiasts. Every single one of the 372 steps to the summit was worth the effort. After breakfast we headed to a golden beach that is crowned by the famous pinnacle rock. Our first snorkeling outing of the day was highly successful; we observed many tropical fish species, sharks and some of the guests even had the thrill of swimming with Galápagos penguins!
After a colorful and delicious Ecuadorian lunch the National Geographic Islander took us to our next destination, Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. Different activities were planned and all of them satisfied our excitement and eagerness: a second snorkeling outing, strolling and stretching sessions on a black sand beach and a nature hike. During the hike, Galápagos sea lions and fur seals, marine iguanas and several shore bird species were admired and photographed. Many of us were stunned by the intrinsic beauty of the volcanic features of the wild coastline and its surroundings.
Just when we thought that the fun was over, a glorious sunset helped us to fix in our minds and hearts all the new discoveries and feelings that this expedition is continuously bringing to our spirits.
What exciting moments our expedition brought to our lives today. In addition to the varied array of new sightings that we experienced, we were blessed by beautiful weather, with a clear blue sky and a soft breeze blowing on our faces.
Early in the morning we climbed to the top of Bartolomé Island. This small island, just 0.5 square miles, is a marvelous open book for geology enthusiasts. Every single one of the 372 steps to the summit was worth the effort. After breakfast we headed to a golden beach that is crowned by the famous pinnacle rock. Our first snorkeling outing of the day was highly successful; we observed many tropical fish species, sharks and some of the guests even had the thrill of swimming with Galápagos penguins!
After a colorful and delicious Ecuadorian lunch the National Geographic Islander took us to our next destination, Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. Different activities were planned and all of them satisfied our excitement and eagerness: a second snorkeling outing, strolling and stretching sessions on a black sand beach and a nature hike. During the hike, Galápagos sea lions and fur seals, marine iguanas and several shore bird species were admired and photographed. Many of us were stunned by the intrinsic beauty of the volcanic features of the wild coastline and its surroundings.
Just when we thought that the fun was over, a glorious sunset helped us to fix in our minds and hearts all the new discoveries and feelings that this expedition is continuously bringing to our spirits.
