Bartolomé and Rabida
Early morning will see us at Bartolomé (named after Bartholomew Sullivan, 2nd lieutenant on the HMS Beagle), a lovely volcanic islet just off the east coast of Santiago Island, the fourth largest of the Galápagos Islands, found in the rain shadow of the larger islands of Santiago and Santa Cruz. Few plant species can withstand the drought conditions that occur here. A volcanic moonscape of rust-colored "spatter cones" contrasts with large pale tuff cones and sooty lava flows, where the action of erosion over time has created graceful features in the soft volcanic ash. We reached the top of the island just to enjoy the most incredible view of an iconic island.
We come back on board for breakfast and also to get ready for another activity that will take place from a beautiful yellow colored beach. The underwater life here is spectacular, from swimming with white tip-reef sharks to penguins, all congregated here to make this place even more interesting. Also, we saw many different type of sea stars, some of incredible size and color, another interesting attraction was big schools of large and small fish, of all colors and shapes. What a wonderful morning.
After some navigation we arrived at the Island of Rabida where we anticipated more fun, some chose to go kayaking along the coast off the island where meeting wildlife was so easy; iguanas basking in the sun, crabs all over the rocks, pelicans, boobies diving and even turtles poking their heads out of the water for air, just wonderful.
Another group decided to go in the water for some deep water snorkeling, so did I, it was so good to see marine iguanas grazing on algae off the rocks below the surface, sea turtles doing the same not too far away, big schools of fish swimming around, all this and more, unforgettable!
Later in the afternoon we disembarked on the island red beach to be welcomed by several sea lions resting on the beach, after taking pictures of them lying on the sand, some even posing for the cameras, we headed out for a short hike up to a little hill to enjoy some wildlife as well as a phenomenal landscape.
This was just a great day in the Galápagos Islands and we are ready for more.
