Today we landed at Bartolome Island early in the morning. The Galapagos archipelago provides a stunning opportunity to explore well-preserved geological landscapes, and Bartolome Island is a perfect example of this. We enjoyed the astonishing volcanic features of this island, including lava tubes and tunnels, spatter cones and lava flows. Our journey up the steps to reach the summit felt like part of a moon exploration. It took us approximately 30 minutes to reach the summit, and the scenery from the top was just astonishing. The surrealistic panorama of the Pinnacle Rock and the turquoise waters surrounding Santiago and Bartolome have been a source of inspiration for naturalists, artists and photographers for decades. This unique place also gave us the chance to reflect on the fact that the geographical distribution of the Galapagos resembles, as geologist Dennis Geist have stated, “a game of checkers on a board whose geometry changes every 100,000 years”. The volcanic activity of the Galapagos has shaped this geological theater, where a unique biodiversity has been interacting and evolving for more than 8 million years. Along the trail, we spotted Santiago lava lizards hopping around the pioneer tiquilia. We then came back for breakfast and later on, we were ready for some relaxation on the gorgeous Bartolome beach. After the beach, we had our first snorkeling and glass-bottom boat outings. Here we were able to see Galapagos penguins and various species of fish, including the yellowtail razor surgeonfish, guinea fowl puffer fish, white-tipped reef sharks, and the elusive tropical flounder.
In the afternoon, the National Geographic Endeavour sailed along the coast of Santiago Island until we reached Sombrero Chino, or Chinese Hat Islet. This beautiful geological formation is a perfect example of a cinder cone, which was formed by erupting lava that cooled off in the air, and the cinders piled up on the surface creating a slope of approximately 30 degrees. We had another chance to enjoy snorkeling at this site, where we swam with white-tipped reef sharks. After snorkeling, we ended our afternoon with a Zodiac ride around the volcanic coast of Santiago Island. Here, we spotted again a group the endemic Galapagos penguins. Once again, the volcanic landscape, the contrasting lava colors with the overwhelming beauty of the Galapagos sunset, made a perfect closing scene for another day of inspiring exploration aboard the National Geographic Endeavour.
