Bartolome is one of the most famous landscapes in the Galapagos: Pinnacle Rock was seen in the film Master and Commander. It’s an absolutely beautiful island, on the land and in the sea.
First, we hiked to the top of the highest point on the island, where you can see for miles on a clear day. Like other Galapagos islands, Bartolome is volcanic, and you can see collapsed cones in the sea below, as well as lava tubes when you are walking up to the top.
The hike up is on a well-maintained trail with stairs–you could easily make it in flip flops if needed. It was blistering hot…and we went at 7 or so in the morning. We did see two other groups on Bartolome, one leaving when we came on the island and the other starting up as we were coming down. It’s a great view, but it was SO hot, that we seriously were scrambling to take pictures and get down as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, even though it’s an island, and we were elevated, there really wasn’t any breeze. Beware.
We also saw a guy sprinting to the top as we were leaving. I was just waiting to hear the news that someone died of a heart attack in the Galapagos when we were there, because he 1) was wheezing and heaving involved 2) it was over 100 degrees 3) he looked as red as tomato and 4) I’d be shocked if he could run a mile on a good day…let’s just say he didn’t look or sound like he was in shape. Why you would do that to yourself, on vacation? I just don’t know. Thankfully, I’m guessing he survived to see the next day.
We then headed to the boat for breakfast, and then promptly filed into the panga to head back to the beach for some amazing snorkeling. And some equally amazing views. Usually we snorkeled straight from the panga, so it was also fun to be able to snorkel right from the beach on Bartolome. Just wade your way in to the sharks, lobsters, pufferfish, parrotfish, rays, and more!
There were so many black tipped sharks just hanging out under a rock, plus more swimming by every now and then. It must be a good place to hang out (read: eat?). I think this was also the one place I snorkeled without a wetsuit…maybe(?)…I definitely remember getting cold, so guessing I didn’t put one on since we were so close to shore and the water was a lot warmer.
I’d like to pretend that one of us went down to take this great photo, but it was actually our amazing free-diving guide that went to hang out with them at the bottom. But give us some credit–here is our photo. Ok, ok. So it’s way worse. We tried. (Also, DH and I love to argue about who took which underwater photos…I will say I think this one was mine, but I’m sure he thinks it is his, so we’ll leave it officially “undetermined”).
Anyway, there was lots to see under the water at Bartolome, including a beautiful golden ray! I think these things are just so cute…look at his/her little face! And their color is pretty unusual, or at least something we had never seen before. Yes…I definitely am the one that took this photo. It’s a touch blurry, but in my defense, rays can swim a lot faster than me and while I’m not scared of anything in the water (except sea snakes…don’t ask), I am very conscientious of how close I am to them.
I can see why they put Bartolome towards the end of the itinerary; it is included in almost all itineraries to the Galapagos. Despite the heat, it was a wonderful stop!
