Lava Flows, Penguins & Continued Galapagos Adventures

Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island & Bartolomé Island

These islands did not disappoint. From Pinnacle Rock…one of the best known and most photographed sites on the islands to hiking the 600 foot summit, it was beautiful. The pics show our excitement of making it to the summit. We also saw penguins and were able to snap some good pics.

Santa Cruz Island: Black Turtle Cove & Bachas Beach

Today we went for an early morning (6:00 am) coastal exploration. We went to Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz Island. It was a lovely area of mangroves. The water was very calm and we heard many sounds of nature. We saw baby white tip reef sharks, white spotted eagle ray and baby rays. It was also cool to see the root formations of the mangroves as it was low tide so we could see 3 ish feet of exposed roots.

We had breakfast when we returned and then said goodbye to our friends from the first part of the trip. We then had some downtime on the boat as we waited for the next group of passengers to arrive. We enjoyed sitting in the shade of the boat canopy, reading or listening to our books and just going slow.

After lunch the new group of passengers arrived. They didn’t have much time to get settled before we went on a hike. We went to Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island. We hiked along the beach and inland a bit. We saw flamingos, marine iguanas, lava lizards and various birds. After the hike we went for a swim off the beach. It was lovely…except for the many mosquitos!

As usual, dinner was fabulous as were the stars on an exceptionally clear night.

Puerto Egas, Santiago Island & Ribida Bay

Today was another full and wonderful day. We had 2 snorkel trips and 2 hikes. On Santiago island we saw beautiful lava bridges over the turquoise waters. We saw various birds, marine iguanas, sea lions and the beautiful Sally Lightfoot crabs. I can’t get over how beautiful the colors are on the Sally’s.

We also had an opportunity to swim a bit and we tried our luck at another ‘synchronized swim’ photo (something we started in Croatia last year). It took a few takes but we finally got there! Why do some of us have our faces covered? Why do I look like a ninja?? The sun. We are trying to prevent sunburn. My blue ‘ninja’ sun cap was one of the best things I brought on the trip. It did warrant a lot of funny, ‘mystery woman’ comments but it did its job quite well!

At Ribida Bay, also referred to as the geographic center of the Galapagos Islands. Ribida has red sandy beaches and red cliffs. This is all the result of the high iron content of scoria..a particulate material created when hot lava meets seawater. Ribida’s single, extinct volcano created these unique and beautiful sights. At the beginning of our hike, we came across a lagoon where there were flamingos. I am always enamored by flamingos and their beauty. We couldn’t get too close but we have a few pics.

Back at the ship, the chef held a demonstration of how to prepare fresh ceviche. It was delicious and I hope we can replicate it back home.