This is the second day of navigation around the famous Galapagos Islands and we visited two great locations.
During the morning we explored Bartolome Island. Most of the archipelago has been formed by effusive volcanoes that gently bring lava out of them, however here we had a combination of ash and cinder, materials which are usually found on explosive volcanoes. With time, the lava has been shaped into sharp rocks. Early in the morning we went on a hike to visit our first volcano of the trip. The summit of this island has the most famous Galapagos landscape, which is featured on many postcards, and our guests enjoyed this reward for their early morning excursion.
Later we also visited the golden beach of Bartolome. Penguins, sharks, schools of fish and more were what the first snorkeling outing offered.
During the afternoon we moved the National Geographic Islander to Rabida Island. Here the entire island is all red. The lava that came out of the eruption is rich in iron and, later once exposed to the weather, it became oxidized. Some guests decided to go kayaking along the shoreline to find turtles and sea lions. Others preferred snorkeling with sharks and other tropical fish. The last outing was an exploritory walk onto the red island to further admire its landscape.
Now we head west for more wildlife encounters…
