Bartolomé & Santiago Island
This morning we started our activities very early in the morning with a mission in mind – to get to the top of this island and enjoy one of the most popular landscapes of the Enchanted Islands. Once we got to the top we saw over a dozen geological formations in a three hundred degree angle, and all of them surrounding this impressive small island. Bartolomé is also known for its excellent water activities in the area. After enjoying the view, we made our way back to the National Geographic Islander for breakfast and to pick up equipment for snorkeling activities.
We disembarked on one of the two twin golden beaches and dropped our things on the beach to immediately jump into the water. Some of our natural philosophers just decided to relax on the beach and enjoy seeing spatter cones, cinder cones, and the famous Pinnacle Rock, while wondering how this place was formed on earth. By midday we started coming back onboard to take a shower, and enjoy a delicious Ecuadorian lunch. The dining room was a bit loud with laughs from all the tables, and what happened was they were just sharing their amazing morning experiences.
We continued our navigation along the coast of Santiago Island to a point known as Puerto Egas. Some of our guests decided to explore this bay on board our kayaks; meanwhile, others went straight to the beach for water activities. Unfortunately it was very murky and it was hard to see any fish. Instead we walked along the beach and enjoyed seeing sea lion pups, Sally Lightfoot crabs and many other species which were looking for a resting place due to the wave action. Soon after, we got ready to walk along the coastline to a point know as the Grottos. Once there, we spotted the second species of sea lion found in this area. We also saw the many migratory species found this time of the year. This activity is probably the best for tidal pool exploration.
Good night everyone and get ready for a new adventure with giant tortoises tomorrow on Santa Cruz Island.
