Bartolome and Santiago Island
A cloudy morning didn’t stop us today. We were eager to visit the timeless shores of Bartolome. The National Park Service has built a set of 372 stairs with a handrail, and as we climbed this boardwalk, we enjoyed a marvelous view of the neighboring volcanoes and the up-lifted islands in the distance. Like an open biology book, the arrival and establishment processes can be followed and understood while one observes the pioneer vegetation growing on these recent geological formations.
After the hike, we slipped into wetsuits and put on our masks to explore the under water world of Galápagos. The sub-marine landscape is completely different but equally exciting. As we snorkeled around pinnacle rock, we encountered Galápagos penguins, Galápagos sea lions and white-tipped reef sharks. In addition, we were surrounded by thousands of schooling and colorful fish.
We navigated along the northern coast of Santiago to Puerto Egas, our destination for the afternoon visit. We disembarked on a black sandy beach for snorkeling with playful sea lions and sea turtles that were grazing on seaweed and algae. Suddenly, we realized that we were literally in the middle of the ocean food chain; there was a frenzy of feeding brown noddy terns, and pelicans were above us.
We left the beach and hiked along the coast to see fur sea lions in lovely submerged lava tubes and grottos. Piled marine iguanas were sneezing out excess salt, and a sea turtle rested in a shallow tidal pool. We found several small sea lion pups nursing and returned to the ship as the sun set behind the volcanoes of Isabela Island.
And this is just the beginning…there is much much more to come in the days ahead!
A cloudy morning didn’t stop us today. We were eager to visit the timeless shores of Bartolome. The National Park Service has built a set of 372 stairs with a handrail, and as we climbed this boardwalk, we enjoyed a marvelous view of the neighboring volcanoes and the up-lifted islands in the distance. Like an open biology book, the arrival and establishment processes can be followed and understood while one observes the pioneer vegetation growing on these recent geological formations.
After the hike, we slipped into wetsuits and put on our masks to explore the under water world of Galápagos. The sub-marine landscape is completely different but equally exciting. As we snorkeled around pinnacle rock, we encountered Galápagos penguins, Galápagos sea lions and white-tipped reef sharks. In addition, we were surrounded by thousands of schooling and colorful fish.
We navigated along the northern coast of Santiago to Puerto Egas, our destination for the afternoon visit. We disembarked on a black sandy beach for snorkeling with playful sea lions and sea turtles that were grazing on seaweed and algae. Suddenly, we realized that we were literally in the middle of the ocean food chain; there was a frenzy of feeding brown noddy terns, and pelicans were above us.
We left the beach and hiked along the coast to see fur sea lions in lovely submerged lava tubes and grottos. Piled marine iguanas were sneezing out excess salt, and a sea turtle rested in a shallow tidal pool. We found several small sea lion pups nursing and returned to the ship as the sun set behind the volcanoes of Isabela Island.
And this is just the beginning…there is much much more to come in the days ahead!
