Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
It is said that every island in this archipelago is slightly different, and today we are able to prove it. Early in the morning we set off to visit the little island of Bartolomé, located off the eastern coast of Santiago. Small in area but rich in geological features, Bartolomé is probably the most popular visit in the Galápagos. A boardwalk, recently built in order to preserve its fragile substrate from erosion, led us to the summit of Bartolomé, some 320 feet above the sea level. From here we can observe one of the most stunning landscapes of The Enchanted islands.
The golden beaches of Bartolomé are the perfect nesting site for the Pacific green sea turtle, our only resident turtle species, and upon landing we could see the fresh tracks in the sand left by the females last night. Bartolomé is a great place to practice snorkeling, and with great weather conditions today we made it into the water. Here, large aggregations of surgeon fishes were to be found, amongst other fish species like parrot fishes, damsel fishes, grunts, etc. The Pinnacle Rock, an impressive tuff rock formation, stands on the side of the beach, adding to the beauty of the place.
In the afternoon, the National Geographic Islander took us to the western coast of Santiago Island. This was once a favorite island for buccaneers and privateers, as they could find here fresh water, firewood, good anchorages and tortoise meat. Nowadays Santiago is under the protection of the Galápagos National Park, and here we can still observe much of its original fauna and flora. The trail in this area takes us both through the arid zone and coastal areas, so we could see a wide variety of species today.
We landed after some light rain, so it felt a little humid, but the afternoon was simply gorgeous. The island has already become green, and new leaves covered trees and bushes. Therefore, the land birds were pretty busy, protecting their territories, collecting nest material or even mating!
It seemed like a different story for the sea life: at this time of the year the water temperature rises, and food becomes scarce in the ocean. It is a natural process that gets repeated year after year, with the islands having two seasons: a warm-wet one and a cool-dry season. Still, along the walk, we couldn’t stop finding more and more marine iguanas, unique reptiles endemic to the Galápagos Islands, fur and Galápagos sea lions, Sally-light foot crabs, American oystercatchers, and the list goes on and on.
As the sun set, we had to head back on board. It was an unforgettable afternoon… we can’t wait to see more tomorrow!
