Early in the morning, we made a dry landing on Bartholomew Island. We hiked to the top of the island to enjoy magnificent and breathtaking views of Pinnacle Rock and of the island’s north and south beaches.
Bartholomew has amazing geology, and different geological features are seen along the trail. The basaltic lava shows rusty colors and wild textures. This is a place that allows us to travel back in time to experience what these islands looked like in the beginning, long before the development of complex ecosystems.
After breakfast, we went snorkeling off the beach and observed various species of fish, a couple Galapagos penguins, and a few playful Galapagos sea lions in the water. Deep-water snorkeling and outings in the glass-bottom boat allowed us to explore the shores of Bartholomew.
During the afternoon exploration, we dropped anchor off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. This is a great place to learn about efforts by the Galapagos National Park to reduce the number of introduced species and protect the native and endemic wildlife.
We went on a Zodiac ride along the coast of Santa Cruz and encountered juvenile blacktip reef sharks, small spotted eagle rays, and Pacific green sea turtles. After the tour, we went on a hike to find Galapagos land iguanas within their natural habitats as well as some shore birds and lagoon birds around the coastline of Dragon Hill.
