We woke up early today for a pre-breakfast outing. After a dry landing on Bartholomew island, we started an invigorating walk to the top of this island, where we all got the chance to enjoy the best view in the archipelago. This island gives the best opportunity to learn about the different geological features in the Galapagos, which has inspired many to call the place, “an open book to geology”. As we hiked along the trail, we observed all the different pioneer plants, as well as the different lava flows shaping the area and giving everyone a better idea of what the islands went through in order to produce an established ecosystem.
After a great walk to the top of Bartholomew Island, we returned to the ship, and after breakfast some of our guests went ashore once more to spend some time on the beach. Once at the beach, some of us went snorkeling, others had a great time walking along the shore, enjoying the wildlife along the shore. We also had several outings on the glass-bottom boat.
After lunch, our ship navigated to an island known as Chinese Hat, where our guests had the chance to go swimming. This was a great excursion, as the water was clear and the conditions were excellent. Everyone who snorkeled there was thrilled by all the different species of fish found in this area. Later on and after snorkeling, we returned once more to go for a Zodiac ride along the coast of Santiago Island and Chinese Hat Islet; the light was great for photography and there were some sightings of Galapagos sea lions resting on the rocks, brown Pelicans soaring the sky and a beautiful sunset behind the titan volcanoes of Isabela island in the far distance.
