Bartolomé & Rabida Island
Today was a very spectacular day, full of surprises from sunrise to sunset here in the Enchanted Archipelago.
We began disembarking at 6:30 a.m. to visit Bartolomé Island. It is a very small island, but one of the most visited places in this group of Oceanic Islands. Our challenge was to get to the top of Bartolomé to enjoy one of the most spectacular views on the planet. From the top we saw Golden beaches, mangroves, interesting geological formations, sunken volcanoes and the very impressive Pinnacle Rock that was formed by erosion over a long period of time.
After enjoying the view from the top, we visited one of the golden beaches to continue with our morning water activities. Snorkeling in this area was very impressive due to the abundance of marine life and the crystal blue water. Every adventurous snorkeler had the chance to play with Galapagos sea lion pups and penguins. Seeing these two species at the same time in the water is very unusual because sea lions in other places are considered carnivorous, but here in paradise the flora and fauna are so unique and different from anywhere else.
For the afternoon we continued our activities at Rabida Island with kayaking and deep water snorkeling. Before the sunset we enjoyed a 45 minute walk along a beautiful, red sandy beach with sea lions, mocking birds, blue footed boobies diving and a very rare sighting of the week: the female vermillion flycatcher.
As we were returning back to the National Geographic Islander, the sun was finally setting in the Pacific Ocean, a sign of a good day in this remote part of our planet.
