Our day started very early in the morning with a “three hundred steps” hike to the summit of Bartolome Island to enjoy its magnificent landscape, remarkable for its world-wide acknowledged Pinnacle Rock and its tuff formations surrounding. The second activity of the day consisted of two options.
The first option was a ride on the glass bottom boat, which allowed us to see a great variety of colorful fish swimming by, a few white-tip reef sharks resting and some sea stars laying down at the bottom. The second option was an off-shore snorkeling excursion from the beach on Bartolome Island. Challenging wave conditions due to starting Northern winds caused poor visibility under the water, but our naturalists and Zodiac drivers were on hand in order to ensure the guests safety.
After lunch, naturalist Vanessa Gallo delighted us with her talk on Charles Darwin. During the afternoon, we enjoyed a second chance for snorkeling, but this time it was a deep water snorkeling activity. Guests enjoyed the water temperature, together with the unique opportunity to swim up-close with the graceful Galapagos penguin. Sting rays, colorful fish and sea lions rolling around were also part of this magical scenery, becoming part of their life time memories.
Our daily activity ended up with a Zodiac ride. The shiny sunset hidden in between the volcanic landscape of the single spatter cone of Sombrero Chino and the parasitic cones of Santiago was the perfect backdrop for penguins heading back to the shelter of their nesting sites, providing for an incredible photo opportunity. Candelabra cacti, a blue footed booby and a great blue heron joined this enchanted encounter. Galapagos is definitely a paradise, offering a privilege to enjoy it and inspiring the promise to preserve it.
