Our day began with an invigorating pre-breakfast walk to the top of Bartolome Island, where we got a great chance to learn about the geology of the islands. As we reached the summit of this small island, we marveled at the most famous view in the Galapagos, which encompassed some of the islands from the central realm of the archipelago. We also observed the early pioneer plants such lava cactus. This cactus will break the lava with its strong roots and create fertile soil that will be colonized by other species of plants.
After our climb to the top of Bartolome, we returned to our ship for breakfast and later on we went back to a nearby beach for water-related activities. There we went snorkeling from the shore and also had the option to go on a ride on our glass-bottom boat and observe marine life. Bartolome offers one of the best places to snorkel and we found Galapagos penguins, different species of fish, and a white-tipped reef shark.
At the end of our morning excursion, we navigated toward Chinese Hat. This is a very picturesque area where the volcanic landscape amazed everyone with its beauty. This afternoon we went snorkeling and encountered lots of fish, sharks, and penguins, all in the same area. We also had the option of a Zodiac ride along the coast of Santiago and Chinese Hat where we saw a couple of Galapagos sea lions. There we observed several females with their pups and the always vigilant territorial male.
At the end of the afternoon, we returned to the ship while enjoying a very colorful sunset.
