Bartolome and Santiago Islands
An early wake up call was the beginning of a fantastic morning at Bartolome; three hundred and sixty two wooden steps lead us to the summit, where we enjoyed one the most representative volcanic landscapes of the Galápagos Islands. Not only was it a great view from the top, but also a nice display of lava flows molded by Mother Nature itself. The wind and its endless patience had eroded and reshaped most of the surrounding hills and the rest of the primary elements had given their touch, contributing to establish balance in the whole ecosystem.
After the hike to the top of the cinder slope, we headed back to the Islander ready for our well deserved breakfast. It did not take us too long to disembark again, this time heading to visit a beautiful sandy beach for snorkeling activities.
Not too far away rested our next destination, James Bay. While traveling there, one of our officers gave us the news of bottle nose dolphins at the bowl of the ship. We stayed for a while, playing and observing before we decided to continue with our master plan.
A wet landing on a nice black beach promised an excellent snorkeling outing.Following the snorkeling, the hike was full of surprises such as a large variety of birds, including the famous Galápagos hawk. Reptiles, like the marine iguanas, were found everywhere, practically all over the rocky lava flows sharing this intricate ecosystem with mammals like the sea lions with their babies.
On the way back to our good ship Islander, we used our imagination to try to figure out what would be next, but that was a surprise…
An early wake up call was the beginning of a fantastic morning at Bartolome; three hundred and sixty two wooden steps lead us to the summit, where we enjoyed one the most representative volcanic landscapes of the Galápagos Islands. Not only was it a great view from the top, but also a nice display of lava flows molded by Mother Nature itself. The wind and its endless patience had eroded and reshaped most of the surrounding hills and the rest of the primary elements had given their touch, contributing to establish balance in the whole ecosystem.
After the hike to the top of the cinder slope, we headed back to the Islander ready for our well deserved breakfast. It did not take us too long to disembark again, this time heading to visit a beautiful sandy beach for snorkeling activities.
Not too far away rested our next destination, James Bay. While traveling there, one of our officers gave us the news of bottle nose dolphins at the bowl of the ship. We stayed for a while, playing and observing before we decided to continue with our master plan.
A wet landing on a nice black beach promised an excellent snorkeling outing.Following the snorkeling, the hike was full of surprises such as a large variety of birds, including the famous Galápagos hawk. Reptiles, like the marine iguanas, were found everywhere, practically all over the rocky lava flows sharing this intricate ecosystem with mammals like the sea lions with their babies.
On the way back to our good ship Islander, we used our imagination to try to figure out what would be next, but that was a surprise…
