Nemo III 4-Day South Itinerary

Morning: Breakfast service. Deep water snorkeling. Visit to Bartolome. Dry landing. Nature walk.

This desolate island with few plants is the most visited and most photographed island in the Galapagos. The island consists of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations. The best known of the island’s features is the Tuff Cone known as Pinnacle Rock. This large black partially eroded lava formation was created when magma expelled from the volcano reached the sea.

When the seawaters cooled the hot lava it caused an explosion. The exploded particles eventually fasten together forming a rock composed of thin layers. Bartolome’s Pinnacle Rock has become one of the best recognized and most photographed sights in the islands. A prominent sight it was used as a target for US airmen during WWII. Lying beside the Pinnacle Rock are twin half-moon shaped beaches.

The northern beach is a popular snorkeling site where visitors have the opportunity to swim with fish, Sea Lions and Galapagos Penguins. Much larger animals can be found near the southern beach including stingrays, spotted eagle rays, white-tipped sharks, and black-tipped sharks. Little vegetation grows in this barren place. Mangroves border the beach and the small shrub Tiguilia grows in the volcanic sands.

The seeds and tiny white flowers of the Chamaesycae provide food for the island’s finch. These plants are common to arid regions and are able to survive in these harsh volcanic conditions.

Afternoon: Lunch service. Santiago Island. Wet landing at Sullivan bay. Nature walk. Deep water snorkeling.

This fascinating volcanic site was named after Bartholomew James Sullivan, the first lieutenant on HMS Beagle, the ship that brought Charles Darwin to the Galapagos. This unique landscape is composed of a pair of eroded scoria lava cones which were engulfed by a recent (in geological terms) pahoehoe lava flow and which is considered one of the finest in the world. There are easy to spot tuff cones, miniature spatter cones, and the imprints of tree branches in the once molten rock all over the island.

Though the lava flow is over 170 years old, it looks much more recent because of its isolation on the island, that has greatly helped to its preservation. Pioneer plants such as Brachycereus cactus and the endemic herb Mollugo are starting to colonize the dark grey rocks and lava, preparing the way for other plant species.

Evening: Guide briefing. Farewell cocktail. Dinner service and navigation to Mosquera Islet.