The island of Bartholomew, just like the other islands in Galapagos, has a volcanic origin, and therefore has very little vegetation and not so much rain. All of its volcanic features are well preserved. This morning, we went ashore for a hike to the top of an extinct cinder cone. As we climbed to the summit, we learned about the different types of lava, spatter cones, and some of the pioneer plants that colonized this place. The view from the top was our reward after climbing 372 wooden steps, and it was worth it. Bartholomew Island has the most famous view of the archipelago, and it has been published in many books and magazines around the world.
After our first morning excursion, we returned to our ship to have breakfast and to get ready for the next activities. For our afternoon adventure, we went snorkeling and took rides on our glass-bottom boat, and we encountered several species of fish as well as a few Galapagos penguins, who joined us for a swim in the bay.
We then navigated to Chinese Hat, an island on the southeast end of Santiago Island, where we went snorkeling again, this time in deep water. Conditions were excellent, we had calm seas, clear water and lots of fish and invertebrates to observe. After this activity, we returned to the same area for a Zodiac ride along the coast of Santiago Island, and we spotted some Galapagos penguins resting on the black rocks of a huge lava flow.
This area has a very impressive volcanic landscape, with several cones and islets with red and yellow lavas all around us. The end of the day came with a purple and orange sky; a great ending to another day in this inspiring paradise, and a new adventure awaits us tomorrow.
