Bartolomé & Rábida Islands
Our day began with an early wake-up call to visit Bartolomé Island. When we arrived, the startling and colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs were scurrying around the disembarkation area. As we continued to walk along the trail, the tiquilia plants dotted the background on the island with their typical gray color. Tiquilia plants and lava cacti are a common sight here. As pioneer plants they are very important in the development of this ecosystem.
Bartolomé is the best place in the Galápagos to admire a volcanic landscape and so many other features typical of a young island. Here you can see small volcanoes dotting the landscape and the pioneer plants struggling to survive in an otherwise barren environment.
Once back aboard we ate breakfast and prepared for the second part of the morning – our trip to discover the magical underwater world of these islands. Snorkeling around the iconic Pinnacle Rock was remarkable. There were large schools of colorful reef fish surrounding us, but the main attractions were definitely the white tipped reef sharks and the Galápagos penguins!
In the afternoon the day’s explorations improved at our next destination, Rábida Island. A few moments after anchoring we went kayaking and deep water snorkeling along the red cliffs of western Rábida. The place was amazing and we had the opportunity to see white tipped reef sharks and a marine iguana foraging underwater.
After snorkeling, we landed on the red sandy beach dotted with salt bushes. The saltwater lagoon at the back of the forest was among the highlights with its breathtaking view. Further inland the land birds were singing and marking their territories. On the way back to the ship we stopped to observe a flock of pelicans, frigate birds and blue-footed boobies displaying their flight skills under the moon!
