We began our day on Bartholomew Island with a pre-breakfast outing; this was an invigorating hike to the top of a cinder cone. Along the trail, we saw evidence of the volcanic origin of this place with all kinds of volcanic formations such as small lava tubes, lava flows, and spatter cones.
Some of the most interesting aspects of this island has to do with the arrival and establishment of plants as water is scarce for most of the year. Although the island looked very arid, we still observed plants such as the lava cactus growing off the lava rocks.
At the top of the island, we had the chance to enjoy one of the most famous views of the Galapagos and the weather was perfect so we could see some of the island around us. After this walk, we returned aboard and continued with some other activities after breakfast. This morning we had a chance to go on a ride on the glass bottom boat or snorkeling from the Zodiacs. Everybody had a good opportunity to see Galapagos Penguins, green sea turtles and several kinds of fish.
After lunch, National Geographic Endeavour II navigated towards Chinese Hat Islet and as we arrived in this area, the Zodiacs were deployed and several guests went snorkeling in a protected channel. At this location, the temperature of the water and visibility were great; the diversity of species of fish was one of the highlights of this place.
The day ended with a colorful sunset and some bright stars started to show as the sky was very clear so to end our journey our guests were shown some of the constellations of the southern hemisphere.
