Bartolomé and Rabida Island
Today we started our day before breakfast to take advantage of the cool early morning weather. We walked up the steps to the top of Bartolomé Island, on our way we made several stops to learn about the interesting geological formations found in the area. Bartolomé is considered an open textbook of geology; shield volcanoes and parasitic cones dominate the island. We found some pioneer plants such as lava cacti, Tiquilia and spurge stand solitary on this barren island. After breakfast, we went snorkeling from a golden sandy beach. Colorful reef fish, sharks and rays were seen while we floated in calm, clear and warm water.
In the afternoon we continued with our activities, which were kayaking or snorkeling along the red cliffs of Rabida Island. We again have warm and calm water; the underwater activity was amazing we spotted white-tipped reef sharks, marine iguanas, sea lions and several species of colorful reef fishes. Later some of us went for a hike on the island; we found several species of finches, many kinds of flowering plants including a young Galápagos hawk gliding on top of us. On our way back we experienced the bright colors of a beautiful sunset. What a great way to end our first whole day in this paradise.
