Bartolomé & Santiago
Today is the last full day of our voyage, and certainly our guests want to make the most of it. It was a cool, breezy morning, but everyone was ready for our first walk: a hike to the summit of Bartolomé Island. This involves climbing 372 wooden steps, but the final view is certainly worth it! This small island adjacent to Santiago is rich in geological features, and the lava pipes and spatter cones were the most abundant ones.
The second part of the morning involved more water activities. We landed at the orange-tinged beach of Bartolomé, which would be our base. This beach is flanked by the famous Pinnacle Rock, and it is a very popular and well photographed spot. We walked to the second beach after crossing a sand dune, and the landscapes were simply incredible. Everyone had a moment with nature in an unspoiled beach. Upon returning to the landing beach, several of us chose different activities. The more adventurous ones opted for snorkelling around the Pinnacle, while others decided to discover the wonders of the underwater world from the glass-bottom boat. A last stop by Zodiac near the base of the Pinnacle gave us the chance to see a small family of Galápagos penguins, which were sunbathing on the rocks of Bartolomé.
After a couple of hours navigating on National Geographic Polaris we anchored at James Bay, on Santiago Island. It was a sunny, beautiful afternoon, with the wonderful views of the young Isabela volcanoes in the distance. Along the incredible shoreline, we were able to admire the Galápagos wildlife one more time. Hundreds of marine iguanas were sunbathing in the afternoon sunlight, female Galápagos sea lions were nursing their pups, American oystercatchers and striated herons were busy hunting some prey… an amazing grand finale for a fantastic week in the Galápagos!
Today is the last full day of our voyage, and certainly our guests want to make the most of it. It was a cool, breezy morning, but everyone was ready for our first walk: a hike to the summit of Bartolomé Island. This involves climbing 372 wooden steps, but the final view is certainly worth it! This small island adjacent to Santiago is rich in geological features, and the lava pipes and spatter cones were the most abundant ones.
The second part of the morning involved more water activities. We landed at the orange-tinged beach of Bartolomé, which would be our base. This beach is flanked by the famous Pinnacle Rock, and it is a very popular and well photographed spot. We walked to the second beach after crossing a sand dune, and the landscapes were simply incredible. Everyone had a moment with nature in an unspoiled beach. Upon returning to the landing beach, several of us chose different activities. The more adventurous ones opted for snorkelling around the Pinnacle, while others decided to discover the wonders of the underwater world from the glass-bottom boat. A last stop by Zodiac near the base of the Pinnacle gave us the chance to see a small family of Galápagos penguins, which were sunbathing on the rocks of Bartolomé.
After a couple of hours navigating on National Geographic Polaris we anchored at James Bay, on Santiago Island. It was a sunny, beautiful afternoon, with the wonderful views of the young Isabela volcanoes in the distance. Along the incredible shoreline, we were able to admire the Galápagos wildlife one more time. Hundreds of marine iguanas were sunbathing in the afternoon sunlight, female Galápagos sea lions were nursing their pups, American oystercatchers and striated herons were busy hunting some prey… an amazing grand finale for a fantastic week in the Galápagos!
