Sombrero Chino and Santiago Island
Sombrero Chino and Bainbridge Islets are interesting small volcanoes, probably formed when the sea level was lower, as parasitic cones of Santiago Island, the fourth largest of the Galápagos Islands (also known as James and San Salvador).
We devoted our early morning time to a long Zodiac ride along the black lava coastline of Sullivan Bay, where we were on the search for the famous Galápagos penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions, shore birds, and of course the magnificent volcanic landscape of this area.
After breakfast we went for a mid-morning deep-water snorkeling along the channel that separates Sombrero Chino from Santiago Island, water temperature was around 78°F, and despite the many small jellies that worried us at the beginning, we had a wonderful snorkel. Hundreds of reef fish, marine iguanas, a couple of big spiny lobsters, and very calm clear waters allowed us to enjoy the activity very much. Those who were not that adventurous spent some time on a tiny, but very pretty white coral sand beach of Sombrero Chino.
After lunch we sailed east around the coast of Santiago, passing by Bainbridge Rocks, where we were able to see flamingos on a brackish lagoon inside a crater of one of these famous rocks.
Soon we dropped anchor in front of Bartolomé Island, in view of the famous “Pinnacle Rock.”
Our late afternoon walk was an unforgettable one, beginning with a dry landing on a remarkable lava flow on Santiago Island known as Sullivan Bay, named after James Sullivan, 2nd Lieutenant on board the H.M.S. Beagle when she arrived with Charles Darwin in 1835. In 1997, Lindblad Expeditions “adopted” Santiago Island and created a special fund (now the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund for Galápagos) to help support a major effort to eliminate feral goats and pigs from Santiago. Today, the goats and pigs are completely gone, thanks in part to donations from our guests.
In the afternoon, the sky was cloudy and we were lucky enough to avoid the rain, so we enjoyed walking over this huge “pahoehoe” or ropy lava field, over 100 hundred years old (1897), reaching about 1 mile/1.6 km inland to see volcanic formations like: cinder cones, spatter cones, hornitos, Pele’s hair, and tree casts.
Returning from our walk, we spotted small white dots resting on the lava tubes of Bartolomé. Getting close to them with our Zodiacs, they were penguins! What a nice way to end another perfect day in paradise.
