Bartolomé & Rabida
In the Galápagos charts and maps, Bartolomé shows as a tiny island. However, this is one of the most famous spots of this remote archipelago, and the reason for it is because of the amount of geological features we can easily find here. With its cindery slopes, spatter cones, and lava fields scattered everywhere, its volcanic origins are evident. A wooden boardwalk and stairs have been built all the way to the summit of Bartolomé, in order to preserve the fragile natural structures. The local population of endemic lava lizards has happily adopted this human infrastructure, as many of them use it as a sunbathing spot, making the most of the early morning sunshine. They were really fun to observe! Bartolomé Island, being in the path of the winds, has very little vegetation cover so the number of species here is very restricted due to the constant shortage of food. At the end of the hike we were amazed by the surrounding landscapes of Bartolomé Island and its famous Pinnacle Rock and the coast. Simply breathtaking! Upon returning on board the National Geographic Islander we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then had the chance to return to Bartolomé, but this time to swim and snorkel. From the Zodiacs we could see that some sea turtles had been to the beach during the night, which was evident because of the various tracks left on the sand. This little bay is the home of a small colony of Galápagos penguins, of which we saw several around. The snorkeling is even better around the base of the Pinnacle Rock, and many of us could spot there some white-tipped reef sharks, parrotfish, sea stars, and more.
In the afternoon, and after navigating for a couple of hours, we dropped anchor at Rabida. The scenery here looks so different! The lavas and the sand are reddish here, but in general the island looks emerald green since we are in the middle of the Galápagos rainy season. Since the air and sea temperatures are just perfect, this was a great chance to enjoy the ocean once again. So, some of our guests decided to explore the Rabida coastline at their own pace on kayaks, while others preferred to snorkel again. Having seen sea turtles, feeding marine iguanas, King Angel fish, and Galápagos sea lions in the water, we can say that the snorkeling was successful. After exploring the underwater world, it was time to set foot ashore. We followed the trail that took us around a small corner of the island. The area is dominated by endemic prickly pears, incense trees and yellow cordia trees… everything was leafy or in bloom. The landbirds, like the Darwin finches, Galápagos doves, and mockingbirds, could not be happier, given the surplus of food available. As the day died out, we had to return to our landing beach where the Zodiacs waited for us, but we couldn’t leave without enjoying a last glimpse of our beautiful ship anchored near the shores of Rabida.
