Morning
After breakfast, hop off on the amazing volcanic Bartolomé Island.
Bartolomé is among the most newly-formed islands, and on a geological scale it was just recently born out of fire.
Although at first sight lifeless, Bartolomé offers some of the wildest landscapes and best panoramas of the entire archipelago.
To enjoy the postcard view of the idyllic 'Pinnacle Bay' you will hike up the 375-foot (115 metres) hill up the stairs that lead to the viewpoint at the top of the island.
Enter a dramatic world of extinct, but nevertheless threatening, spatter cones, craters, and lightweight lava droplets that have been spewed out by fiery fountains.
The Summit Trail is also ideal to see how scanty pioneer vegetation such as lava cactuses struggle to take root in the bare virgin lava fields.
Lunch onboard.
Afternoon
Sail to Sullivan Bay located on Santiago Island.
Set foot on the lava stream covering Sullivan Bay with its moonlike landscapes.
While the desolate, stretched-out fields seem mostly lifeless, the site is highly popular among photographers.
On the lava flow, the rare pioneer vegetation that manages to take root are the lava cactus and carpetweed.
During the nesting season, Pacific green turtles come to lay and bury their eggs on the tiny white sand beach, where you might also encounter crabs, the occasional strayed blue heron or oystercatcher.
Keep an eye out for lava lizards, locusts or the Galapagos racer, a small endemic snake species.
Evening
Return on board Archipel I.
Dinner and night onboard.
Sail southeast to Santa Cruz Island overnight.
MEALS
- Breakfast onboard Archipel I
- Lunch onboard Archipel I
- Dinner onboard Archipel I