This morning small islets with bizarre volcanic landscapes brought us back in time. Being in the central islands of the Galapagos gave us a better understanding of how all the species here had a long journey before they were able to establish and reproduce in the Galapagos.
The early morning walk took place at Bartolome Island, which is a volcanic islet just off the east coast of Santiago Island. This island is named after Sir Bartholomew James Sullivan, who was a Lieutenant aboard HMS Beagle. The walk was demanding but worth every breath to reach the summit of the island and enjoy the representative landmark of the Galapagos Islands, “Pinnacle Rock.”
Later in the morning we headed to the beach that is made by the erosion of the different volcanic cones as well as shells collected over the last hundred thousand years. From the beach we practiced snorkeling and rode in the glass-bottom boat. We sighted different species of parrotfish, wrasses, boxfish, sharks, rays, penguins, and sea lions. The bay is also an excellent place to go swimming or just hang out after snorkeling to talk about our experience in this dreamlike place.
In the afternoon we sailed to Chinese Hat Island, and then circumnavigated this small cone that has a small crater lake in the middle. This brackish lake houses a population of around fifty flamingoes. Many of these colorful birds were nesting and it was very interesting to sight them from the sundeck. Part of the afternoon activities were to enjoy the underwater realm. The surrounding water of Chinese Hat has a mosaic of tropical and subtropical fish. Sea turtles and marine iguanas were the highlight. To end the day we took the Zodiacs for a ride along the coast of Santiago island searching for penguins.
