Bartolomé and Rabida Island
Today we rose early for a hike on Bartolomé Island. This island is very small yet adorned with stunning volcanic features. We hiked to the low summit (900ft) where some splendid scenery awaited us. In the distance we counted several other islands and had a great view of Sullivan Bay with its azure blue waters and dark red cinder cones. We also saw lava tubes, spatter cones, tuff formations and basaltic dikes, and we mused over the events that took place a few million years ago. Some are obvious by the still clear evidence in the form of entire cones with craters, others are more disguised and harder to notice, as erosion by the sea and the weather that eventually grinds everything down. Later we snorkeled in the pristine waters around Bartolomé. We had a wonderful time spotting many different reef and coral fish, sea lions and penguins. Many of us were surprised by so much biodiversity, but it all made sense once we learned about the big Pacific currents passing through this archipelago. These currents bring species from both hemispheres, and even several species of the West-Pacific.
After we anchored at Rabida Island, later in the afternoon, we went kayaking while some of us went snorkeling. We saw large manta rays, green sea turtles and marine iguanas. After returning to the ship we got quickly dressed for the day’s last hike on Rabida Island. The dark red beach is home to a sea lion colony and a bit further inland a juvenile Galápagos Hawk was staring at us from an Incense tree just a few meters from the trail. It patiently waited until we all took pictures from every possible angle. This is the beauty and essence of Galápagos wildlife; animals at ease, on their turf, making you feel insignificant and harmless. Impressed we walked into a magnificent sunset that was lighting up a skyline of giant volcanoes looming on the horizon.
