Bartolomé and Rabida Islands
Bartolomé Island is one of the smallest in the archipelago, but it is one of the most visited places for its amazing volcanic landscapes. At the summit of the island it is possible to see several of the nearby islands. Today we began our activities just before sunrise, our goal was to hike all the way to the top of the island and enjoy the view just as the sun was rising. The early morning colors were spectacular. This island is also a great place to understand and admire the geology of Galápagos. Spatter cones, tuff cones, sunken volcanoes and lava tubes are right there in front of our eyes giving our guests living examples of how volcanic islands are formed.
It was a wonderful early morning activity. After breakfast we returned to the island to practice water activities at Bartolomé beach, which is one of the best spots in Galápagos for snorkeling. Galápagos penguins, white-tip reef sharks, stingrays and many colorful fish were there to inspire us.
In the afternoon we sailed for about two hours to continue our exploration in a different location, Rabida Island. This beautiful island has been under environmental management the last few months. It was closed to visitors for several weeks to facilitate a rat eradication program in the island. Just a few weeks ago, once cleaned, the island was reopened with great success.
Rabida Island could not been better than this afternoon; we started our activities at around 3pm with a choice of kayaking, deep water snorkeling or relaxing on the beach. The underwater adventure was great for we saw Galápagos sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, Pacific green sea turtles and hundreds of sea stars among many other great sightings. Those on the kayaking outing enjoyed the spectacular view of the sheer volcanic landscape as well as blue-footed boobies plunge diving in the area making this activity a great experience in this enchanted archipelago. At the beach we shared time with a colony of Galápagos sea lions that were carrying on their normal lives.
Before the sunset we had a late hike in order to explore the inner part of the island. We observed the vegetation, Darwin finches, Galápagos hawks, Galápagos doves and Galápagos mockingbirds, all of them with the same name because they are endemic to the archipelago. Before taking the Zodiacs back on board, we had the opportunity to see a solitary pink greater flamingo feeding in a brackish lagoon. The fauna and flora of the Galápagos are exuberant but fragile. We have to take the right decisions of conservation otherwise the islands and their inhabitants can suffer the consequences. I sincerely hope this beautiful day we spent in this paradise will inspire our explorers to care for our planet.
