Day 7, Isla Bartolome

Our penultimate day in Galapagos started with a 6 AM ascent of the 365 steps to the top of Bartolome, at an altitude of 240 metres. The view out over Sullivan Bay, Pinnacle Rock, lava fields and a series of volcanoe tops is superb. No wonder the area was chosen for many scenes from the Hollywood film "Master and Commander" starring Russell Crowe in 2004. Our hike was followed by a lovely snorkel off the beach, in the vicinity of Pinnacle Rock. Unfortunately, our boat, the MY Aida Maria, rather spoliled the effect by pumping out raw sewage, right into the bay, not 200 metres from shore.

In the afternoon, after the boat moved to Sullivan Bay, we had another snorkel, followed by a fascinating walk on top of the lava fields. To top things off, our day ended with a panga cruise to view the penguins, seabirds, sea lions and other creatures around Pinnacle Rock, getting back to the boat just as the sun went down behind the clouds. It seems odd to find penguins at the Equator, rather than their original home in the Antarctic, but apparently Galapagos waters are cold enough to support them. There are said to be 3000 penguins on Galapagos,

Overnight we sailed to to our final destination, North Seymour Island.