This morning we had an early walk to the summit of Bartolome Island. This landscape gives you the feeling that you are walking on a different planet; the barren terrain looks like the moon, or perhaps Mars. Very few plants can survive in this harsh environment, like the endemic tiquilia or the lava cactus. After breakfast, our guests enjoyed some time at the golden beach of Bartolome and later on, they went deep water snorkeling. The water was clear, and they saw many colorful fish, sea stars, rays and white-tipped reef sharks. In the afternoon the National Geographic Endeavour II navigated towards Sombrero Chino Islet. Our Captain Pablo Garces maneuvered to bring us close to the Bainbridge Islet and we got to see the brackish water lagoon and a good number of greater flamingos. The snorkeling at Sombrero Chino was awesome, it is like an aquarium full of fish, sharks, and Galapagos penguins that swim right up to us, it was spectacular. The Zodiac ride was a great opportunity to take great photos of the endemic Galapagos penguins.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 27 Apr 2017
Bartolome Island and Sombrero Chino Islet, 4/27/2017, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Lourdes Pesantes, Naturalist
Lourdes was born and raised on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Archipelago and comes from a large family that settled in the Galápagos from mainland Ecuador in the 1930s. Since she was a child, she has always been fascinated with nature and sports...
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