Bartolomé Island
Starting with an early outing to Bartolomé Island, our first full day in the Galápagos means a day full of interesting surprises. This tiny island is one of the smallest in the archipelago, and it is considered by geologist as a young island – around two-hundred-thousand years old, which in geological time is not much at all. As we walked uphill we spoke about pioneer species of vegetation and their responsibility to create soil so other species will eventually arrive and establish themselves, making the group of successful colonizers a bit more diverse. The Tiquilia or gray matt plant and the lava cactus are slowly pioneering this particular ecosystem.
As we continued our walk to the summit of Bartolomé, we also talked about the lava flows and the different features that have made the island. Hiking to the summit of the volcano is like being transported back to the beginning of time, where we can see the early processes of life taking place. An early colonizer of this place, we spotted a very small lava lizard who faces the difficult conditions of surviving in this particularly harsh environment, the lack of fresh water is not suited for all species around here – reptiles once again have proven to be strongest of them all.
While snorkeling we found big creatures, white tip sharks and a sea turtle kept us company for quite a while. Aggregations of baby snappers, walls covered with cardinals and rainbow fish, and the Galápagos penguins delighted our guest who were not scared by the cold water temperature.
We visited Santiago, also known as James Island, in the afternoon. Having learned that Charles Darwin visited Galápagos in 1835 and camped on this island for nine days made our visit very exciting. Just as he did, we saw the mockingbirds of Galápagos. The marine iguanas that he referred to as the “imps of darkness” kept us busy all along the walk. They had piled up in big groups and kept expelling salt out of their systems; the fur sea lions where sleeping on the black basaltic rocks that contrasted with the beautiful colors of the water around the grottos.
Satisfaction was what we felt as we walked back to the ship, ready to hear the plans for our coming experience of tomorrow.
