It’s our first day into our expedition in the Encantadas, and we begin on Bartolome Island, one of the jewels of the archipelago. This island is like a field guide of volcanic features: cindery slopes, tuff and spatter cones, lava pipes, and pahoehoe lava. In order to reach its summit, one must climb nearly 400 wooden steps, but the view is certainly worth it! After breakfast we enjoyed the water world of Bartolome, either from its beautiful golden beach or deep-water snorkeling.
In the central part of the Galapagos lies Rabida Island. Rabida looks quite different from Bartolome as it’s much older and covered in vegetation. The red sand beaches of Rabida are quite stunning and are home to a small colony of Galapagos sea lions. Behind the beach is a small brackish lagoon, where we were quite fortunate to find a couple of American flamingos. It has been a fantastic day in the Galapagos. Tomorrow, new adventures await in the western realm of this magnificent archipelago.
