Bartolomé and Sombrero Chino are two of the smallest islands, and lie just off the southern tip of Santiago. Like snapshots taken millions of years ago, both places offer a spectacular view of the geology and the arrival of pioneer plants to the archipelago.
With excellent weather conditions, early in the morning we headed to Bartolomé Island. We walked along wooden steps observing a great number of eroded remains of tuff cones. Their reddish colorations formed a surrealist landscape similar to a mars lunarscape. From the top of the island, the view was magnificent, allowing us to observe submerged craters, many of the main islands, and the most photographed view in Galapagos, Pinnacle Rock.
After breakfast we returned to the island, disembarking on a golden beach. We observed some finches and yellow warblers there, fluttering among the mangroves. Our guests had the opportunity to snorkel along crystalline waters, observing a great variety of tropical fish such as King Angel fish, creole fish, and white-tipped reef sharks. But probably the best attraction was to observe two penguins in a feeding frenzy swimming in front of the beach while a great school of black striped salemas tried to escape by jumping in different directions.
In the afternoon, after a short navigation circumnavigating Santiago Island, we arrived at Sombrero Chino, the shape of which resembles a Chinese hat. It was very sunny when riding the Zodiacs, and afterwards we snorkeled along the channel that separates Sombrero Chino from Santiago. The visibility and temperature of the water were great, permitting our guests to observe a great number of colorful fish and white-tipped reef sharks. Some sea lions were our companions during the last part and finally, we could observe penguins swimming indifferently among of us.
After snorkeling we came back to the islands. While riding the Zodiacs we observed huge lava flows along Santiago Island from the eruption in 1897. It destroyed all evidence of life at the time, leaving a barren landscape contrasting with the greenery observed along the highlands of the same island. Galapagos penguins and sea lions were the delight of our guests who took many pictures of those beautiful and innocent creatures, while on the horizon the sun illuminated our happy faces. We will remember this magical day forever.
