Bartholomew Island and Chinese Hat Islet, 1/2/2020, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
We began our day going uphill to the top of Bartholomew Island, we had a magnificent view of the Pinnacle Rock. Later on, we went snorkeling from the shore and from Zodiacs. We also had some outings on the glass-bottom boat, and saw several schools of fish, sharks, and a large female marble stingray.
For the afternoon, we went snorkeling in deep waters and found all kinds of fish and a flock of Galapagos penguins swimming in the area, and most of our guests swam along with them.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
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We awoke at sunrise and observed the majestic Bartolomé Island showered by the first sunrays of the morning. Our first hike of the day was invigorating, almost 400 steps to the summit of Bartolomé to appreciate the astonishing beauty of the surroundings. What an amazing view! We saw several parasitic volcanoes, an underwater crater, golden sandy beach, and the many shades of blue of the ocean. On our way back to National Geographic Endeavour II, we took a detour to search for the iconic Galapagos penguins and we found them. Yay! Our afternoon destination was Chinese Hat, a small island surrounded by lava fields, fine white sand, and crystal-clear waters. We went snorkeling and swimming and had more encounters with Galapagos penguins. They’re so fast, they look like they’re flying under the water. The day wouldn’t have been complete without a sunset exploration by Zodiac to explore the coasts of Santiago Island and Chinese Hat. Some friendly sea lions greeted us with their spectacular, playful behavior. Soon, we found ourselves riding back under the light of the sunset with the impressive volcanic background of the Galapagos.
We have moved to the north part of Santa Cruz Island and this area is considered to have some of the nicest white sand beaches and climates of this island. We visited Cerro Dragon and had the opportunity to encounter the Galapagos land iguanas, the namesake of this hill. After the visit on land, we dedicated the rest of the day to water activities, and we encountered a variety of sea creatures during our outings. We followed this up with a circumnavigation around Daphne Major Islet to admire its geology and fauna. Wine tasting was happening at the same time, during a beautiful sunset on the observation deck. This was the best way to end this wonderful day of adventure.
This morning National Geographic Endeavour II anchored at Santa Cruz Island. We started the day visiting the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. During this visit we had the opportunity to see babies as well as different morph types of giant tortoises. Afterwards, we headed to the highlands of Santa Cruz to visit a local hydroponic farm. Here we saw how the lettuce we consume on board grows with this environmentally friendly technique. In the afternoon we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the highlands, and we had the opportunity to see the giant tortoises along their migration route. It was beautiful and a great learning experience!