As a recap, it has been the biggest dream of mine to go to the Galapagos Islands since I was 6 years old. I was incredibly blessed with the opportunity to do so this summer. This post will cover day 9 of the incredible 10-day journey. If you missed the previous posts, you can start the series here.
Day 9 (Santiago Island and Bartholomew Island): Today started with a beach day spent on Santiago Island. We were given around an hour of free time, which I spend by taking photos of sally lightfoot crabs, diving blue-footed boobies, American oystercatchers, and brown pelicans.
Following the beach day, we were given the opportunity to snorkel in the waters. We were able to see a large sting ray and a moray eel. The entire ocean floor was covered with various sea stars and sea cucumbers. It was truly an impressive sight.
We hopped back on the boat to change and head to Bartholomew Island, where we were able to see Pinnacle Rock. To get to the summit and get the perfect view, we had to hike up over 370 stairs. The view was absolutely worth the difficult hike! The beautiful blue water could make anyone fall in love with the island. This little island was packed with lava lizards, lava cactus, and a little plant called Tequilia nesiotica (common name Tequilia).
After hiking back down all of the stairs, we had a second snorkel where we were finally able to swim with sharks! There were four white-tip reef sharks in the water, and I was able to spend a good amount of time swimming above them and just enjoying the way they maneuvered through the water.
During both snorkels, Victor, one of our tour guides, would swim through underwater caves. I would have loved to do this, but my free-diving skills are sub-par at best.
During this second snorkel, we saw more starfish than we could count! They littered the ocean floor!
Along with all of the starfish, we saw a plethora of other neat things!
After getting out of the water, we hopped back on the boat. We were given the opportunity to jump off the roof of the yacht. Now, I have an extreme fear of heights, so I had to overcome a lot to talk myself into doing it, but you’re only in the Galapagos once! It was a 25 foot drop, and it was SO MUCH FUN! If you ever get the opportunity to do this, do it! You won’t regret it! It was the best way to end an incredible day!
The night concluded with two very large Galapagos sharks swimming right next to the boat. I didn’t get any pictures, but talk about paradise!
Mentioned by Ben Huberman in Discover! That’s a major win!! Kudos and keep on blogging with those great photos 🙂
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Thank you so much! I was extremely excited when I saw that I would be put on Discover! 🙂 I appreciate you following and reading my blog! 🙂
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Well deserved ! Keep on blogging 🙂
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I really appreciate it! Thank you! 🙂
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Beautiful photos!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Awesome looking trip!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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I LOVE that crab photo, and did you notice that the hole in the rock (after the crabby) looks a little like a love heart? It sort of sums up how much you seemed to have enjoyed the Galapagos islands.
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I did not ever notice that it looked like a heart, but it makes me love the photo even more now! Thank you so much for pointing that out! 😀
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You’re welcome! I always seem to spot that kind of thing in rocks! I also see faces in every day objects like plugs! 😉
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I am SO with you on seeing faces in everyday objects! It always cracks me up when I find them! I will never understand how not everyone can spot them! 😀
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marvelous post!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Such vibrant photos! Especially the crab and the landscapes you get to take in! And your underwater photos… it’s like bringing us down there with you. You must have had a really fun time in the Galapagos! Thanks for sharing us its beauty. 🙂
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This comment is so sweet! Thank you so much! I had the most amazing time in the Galapagos! I’m glad you are able to enjoy the beauty just as I did! 🙂
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Such amazing photos! Love the stories on the Galapagos. We were debating going there and now I’m leaning in the direction of going!
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Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! Honestly, if you ever have the chance to go, I would strongly encourage doing so! There aren’t many places you can go where the animals have no fear of humans. The experience is absolutely unreal! 🙂
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Ahh that sounds awesome, we’ve heard you can just be laying on the beach next to the sea lions and everythings all good. Definitely need to go. What type of camera (lens specifically) are you using to capture the pics?
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You absolutely can! They might bark at you if they feel like you are threatening their territory though! As far as cameras go, all photos on land were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III. Nearly all photos (and I think all photos in this particular post) were taken with a 24-105 mm L Series lend. However, I also brought along a 70-200 mm lens that I used every once in a while. All underwater photos were taken from videos shot with a GoPro Hero 3. And then I also took some photos on my iPhone.
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Damn that’s awesome. I’m considering investing in a new camera and definitely leaning towards a Canon. Thanks for all the info! Love the photos.
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I truly don’t think you can go wrong with Canon, Nikon, or Sony. You just have to make sure once you decide on one, that you won’t want to switch! Those lenses are not cheap no matter which company you go with! I will always be a Canon fan though! I hope you are able to find a great camera for you! I hope to see some amazing photos from you soon! 🙂
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I have never seen a colorful crab like that before. Stunning pics. 🙂
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Thank you so much! The sally lightfoot crabs were AMAZING! They were extremely colorful and vibrant. You could spot them from far away because of the color contrast with the black lava rock! 🙂
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What s great experience McKenna.
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Thank you! 🙂
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… The journey of your life !!! Thanks for your exceptional “onboard diary”.
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Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it! 🙂
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I kept hoping the picture sequences would never end. Your comments make me feel like I am in the party – thank you.
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Awh, that is so sweet! Thank you so much! 🙂
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Seeing that crab would be worth the trip alone…
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They are really spectacular to witness in person! I hope you get the chance to go one day! 🙂
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Absolutely love everything on this post! Looks like you had such a great time!
Hope you like my latest post! Will you check it out and let me know what you think?
http://thisissivylla.com/2017/11/exploring-papigo/
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Thank you so much! I definitely had an incredible time! I will absolutely check out your post and your blog overall! 🙂
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I wonder what first got you interested in this destination when you were six? Thanks for describing all the things that you saw as well as posting the pictures. It sounds like an amazing experience!
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Well, I first heard about the islands when I was six. From a really young age, I absolutely loved animals, and hearing about a place that was filled with animals that you can’t find anywhere else just got me hooked! Throughout my schooling, nearly every biology class I ever had discussed the Galapagos. So I just continued to learn about them, and it just fed my desire to go!
Thank you for reading and your kind words! 🙂
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OH wow that looks like an amazing day! I’d love to go diving some where incredible like this, I’m loving all the star fish photos, they’re one of my favourite sea creatures. Love the sea cucumbers too!
PaleGirlRambling xo
http://palegirlrambling.co.uk
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I’m so glad to meet a fellow sea cucumber fan! Thank you for your kind words! Starfish are some of my favorite animals too! Thank you for reading! 🙂
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The underwater world looked beautiful. It’s a great achievement to be featured on Discover. Congratulations.
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Thank you for your kind words! I was very excited when I found out I would be featured! It has been an incredible experience! 🙂 Thank you for reading!
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That looks amazing! I’ve always wanted to visit, and hope I will some day 😊.
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I really hope you are able to visit one day! It will exceed every expectation you could possibly have going in! 🙂
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You did it again, McKenna! Another stunning post. Your passion for nature is shines through in all of your posts. That crab picture is beautiful!
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Your comments always bring me joy, Erin! Thank you so much! 🙂
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Such beautiful photos! I’ve never even considered visiting the Galapagos but you have certainly swayed me. Such a beautiful place, thank you for sharing your wonderful stories! Off to look up trips now xo
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Thank you so much! It is a wonderful place! There is so much to explore and see, and the ocean life is wonderful! 🙂
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Such beautiful pictures ! I need to put this destination on my travel list. Thanks for sharing ! ✨
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You definitely should! It is an incredible place! You would love it! 🙂
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This day was definitely awesome for you, McKenna! Excellent post. Trying snorkeling sounds like so much fun, especially in a place which resembles paradise!
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Thank you so much! 🙂 It was a spectacular day! And snorkeling is so much fun! It’s really cool to see everything that is happening below the surface of the water.
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OH em gee!! So close to those sharks. I am terrified of sharks, but I suppose they would be quite amazing to see up close. I love your photo of the sally lightfoot crab, incredible! I guess my bucket list has just got bigger, again!
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When you are in the water with the sharks, they couldn’t care less! It’s really amazing. But then again, I love sharks and would love to do the cage diving and underwater feeding! Thank you for reading! 🙂
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Wow man…it seems incredible… looking forward to your other posts .
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Thank you very much! I will check out your blog! Thank you for reading! 🙂
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