Bartolome and Santiago Islands
It couldn’t have been better!
Sun was shining since day brake, our first outing started on the beautiful island of Bartholomew, whose size is just around one square kilometre, but in fact it is the best place to talk about dramatic landscapes and geological formations. An island dotted with cinder cones and volcanic ash, home to pioneer plants that struggle for their daily survival in an environment that does not offer more than rocks and dry ash.
The hike took us to the top of the island where your reward is the most spectacular view of the pinnacle rock, the golden beaches and Santiago Island, where Darwin stayed for some days during his famous voyage round the world on the HMS Beagle.
This was not all, but just the beginning of our morning. After breakfast we headed for a short walk on the south beach where we were delighted by a swarm of ghost crabs running all around. Also visible were a school of white tipped reef sharks along with a number of shore birds, among them oyster catchers and brown pelicans searching their daily meals.
In the afternoon we were on Santiago Island; what could be better for a last day than snorkeling with sea lions in these calm waters. Next we took a relaxed walk at sun set listening to the sounds of nature: the birds, the ocean, the sea lions and the Galápagos fur seals. These marine mammals almost became extinct during the whaling centuries; today they are quite common but still need protection.
The walk was on the tidal area which is one of the best ones for bird watchers and photographers due to the variety of wildlife. By sunset we were ending the afternoon walk and concluding a trip that was beyond our expectations…in this enchanted world of the origin of the species!
It couldn’t have been better!
Sun was shining since day brake, our first outing started on the beautiful island of Bartholomew, whose size is just around one square kilometre, but in fact it is the best place to talk about dramatic landscapes and geological formations. An island dotted with cinder cones and volcanic ash, home to pioneer plants that struggle for their daily survival in an environment that does not offer more than rocks and dry ash.
The hike took us to the top of the island where your reward is the most spectacular view of the pinnacle rock, the golden beaches and Santiago Island, where Darwin stayed for some days during his famous voyage round the world on the HMS Beagle.
This was not all, but just the beginning of our morning. After breakfast we headed for a short walk on the south beach where we were delighted by a swarm of ghost crabs running all around. Also visible were a school of white tipped reef sharks along with a number of shore birds, among them oyster catchers and brown pelicans searching their daily meals.
In the afternoon we were on Santiago Island; what could be better for a last day than snorkeling with sea lions in these calm waters. Next we took a relaxed walk at sun set listening to the sounds of nature: the birds, the ocean, the sea lions and the Galápagos fur seals. These marine mammals almost became extinct during the whaling centuries; today they are quite common but still need protection.
The walk was on the tidal area which is one of the best ones for bird watchers and photographers due to the variety of wildlife. By sunset we were ending the afternoon walk and concluding a trip that was beyond our expectations…in this enchanted world of the origin of the species!
