Today we experienced the wonders of the Archipelago by visiting the center of the Galapagos, Bartolomé and Rábida Islands. The first adventure of the day was an early exploration in order to see the volcanic structures of Bartolomé Island. The splendor of the place was awe-inspiring from the very start as blue footed boobies were flying over the disembarkation area. Farther into the trail, marvelous volcanic structures were the big surprise for us. Tuff cones surrounded the area while little lava tubes and spatter cones made a perfect moonscape as we reached the highest point of the island. The iconic Pinnacle Rock in the background was the perfect contrast for a magnificent view.
A delicious breakfast was ready for us once we came back on board the National Geographic Islander. Later in the morning it was time to move on to the next part of the adventure-deep water snorkeling. Once in the water, the splendid undersea world of the Galapagos Islands marine reserve was revealed to us. Reef fish of different colors surrounded us and a magnificent color contrast was made by the marine life that was found on the lava rocks. A relaxing moment on an orange sand beach was the best way to end the morning activities.
A comfortable navigation took us all the way to our next destination, Rábida Island. In the afternoon the exploration was inspiring and a pleasant Ecuadorian buffet lunch was the best way to prepare for it. A combination of several activities, deep water snorkeling, kayaking and swimming, offered us a variation of the amazing qualities of Rábida. A symphony of colors was displayed by the reef fish as we deep-water snorkeled along the cliffs of Rabida. The next adventure of the afternoon was a marvelous hike along the coastline of the island.
A wet landing on a colorful red sand beach was the perfect arrival to a hidden natural paradise. The vegetation of the area was overwhelming as there was a big incense tree forest as background. Darwin finches and different kinds of land birds were singing all over the place; but the big surprise of the hike were four curious Galapagos mockingbirds on the outskirts of a beautiful brackish water lagoon. At the end of our excursion we enjoyed a lovely sunset as baby sea lions playfully frolicked on the sand. Exploration couldn’t get any better.
